The owners of Golf Course News International have looked outside the company for a successor to Trevor Ledger, who left the title at the beginning of February after ten years in the editor’s chair, and have brought in Geoff Baker, a journalist with almost thirty years experience, to compile the magazine and to give it a new look.
The new man comes straight to the point. “You‘ve probably heard a bit of gossip about GCNI of late,” says Geoff Baker, “Here are the facts. GCNI is not packing up; rather it is expanding. The next issue – which will be published in April – will feature at least twice the number of pages. I‘m looking at a 60-pager minimum.”
Trevor Ledger had been working on introducing a new title, provisionally called ‘Swing City’ which was to be a range-based magazine. This idea has been shelved and, instead, GCNI will now incorporate coverage of driving range news and features alongside those related to golf courses.”
Geoff Baker, whose c.v. includes 15 years spent as Paul McCartney’s head of press and publicity, says that he also wants GCNI to feature more of the characters of the game.
“I‘ve been asked to make GCNI brighter and lighter, with more news, more space for readers‘ views and more human stories about the unsung greenkeepers, secretaries, stewards, range managers and us highly-handicapped hackers without whom this golf would not be possible, infuriating or fun.
“As the game has evolved to now be beyond the preserve of the fortunate male few, GCNI will also expand its coverage of the rapidly-blooming women’s market.”
Contributions for the April edition of GCNI, to be produced and printed by the same people as before, are required by 17th March. Geoff Baker ycw56@dial.pipex.com
A new man at GCNI
