TravelGolf.com, publishers of the world’s highest read chain of online golf and travel publications, has purchased Canadian based WorldGolf.com from Global Images, golf’s oldest, continually updated publication.
“Aside from the TravelGolf.com domain name, this is the biggest acquisition in company history,” said TravelGolf.com president Robert Lewis. “WorldGolf.com has an uncanny number of loyal readers, based on the number of subscription requests we have received for the newsletter.”
As part of the acquisition, TravelGolf.com inherits 75,000 opt-in subscribers. Reaching an affluent and international crowd, WorldGolf.com will focus on international golf travel while also emphasizing golf equipment and instruction. TravelGolf.com has hired a team of top-notch golf and travel writers to cover a variety of international destinations including Great Britain and Ireland, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Europe and Australia. The publication will be updated weekly until November, when it will be promoted to a daily updated site.
“WorldGolf.com has been our biggest competitor on the Internet since we got involved in golf publishing,” said editor Shane Sharp. “As has been our marketing policy from the beginning, we believe that our chain will experience a great increase in readership as WorldGolf.com and TravelGolf.com publications will cross market each other. We plan to get more aggressive about purchasing other golf web sites and publications this year.”
TravelGolf.com acquired the domain and publication for an undisclosed sum and the entire site has been revamped with a state-of-the-art design to improve navigation and bolster readership. WorldGolf.com, established in 1995, was already one of the most “linked to” golf sites on the Internet. The site currently garners approximately 300,000 readers per month.
“Someone who visited the site before and visits it now will be blown away,” Lewis said. “The design, the content and the focus of the site make it one of, if not the best online golf and travel publication. While the two publications will compete for readership, they both will have their niche and we think the cross promotion will be fabulous.”
WorldGolf.com has been e-commerce enabled with the inclusion of an online pro-shop. WorldGolf.com will run with a similar advertising model to TravelGolf.com, offering daily golf package leads, travel and product editorial, editorial supplements as well as limited display banner ads. For the first time, WorldGolf.com will accept newsletter sponsorships.
Publishing since 1995, TravelGolf.com, and related companies, is a debt-free, profitable dot-com chain that has successfully generated revenues through advertising, travel lead generation, tee times and private label golf packaging ownership. The company’s online publications have garnered international awards, including a Forbes “Best of the Web” award for 2001, and have received national recognition in Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golf Week and Turnstile’s Golf and Travel Magazine.
TravelGolf.com publishes 25 online travel and golf publications including ScotlandGolf.com, OntarioGolf.com, MyrtlebeachGolf.com, MichiganGolf.com, LasVegasGolf.com, AustraliaGolf.com, GolfOhio.com, GolfCalifornia.com, GolfCarolina.com, OldDominionGolf.com, HiltonheadGolf.com, GolfFlorida.com and GolfArizona.com.
TravelGolf.com www.travelgolfmedia.com