Month: November 2023

Fall 2023

So what do golfers do when they retire? They golf of course. Once this crazy game gets a hold of you, it never lets go. Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine Publisher Tom Poljak has been writing about the game he loves for the last 25 years. After a variety of careers as a chef, a manager and an investor, Poljak found his passion and never looked back. The only thing that has really changed with the great game of golf is the technology and the equipment.

That being said, The Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine has that persimmon and balata feel. In the age of Pro V’s and amazing minerals like graphite, titanium, carbon fibers and tungsten, Poljak realized it was time to add some new tech to his bag. The desire to play some of the finest courses in the world with friends persists and so does the desire to share experiences with those that share the passion.

It’s been almost 25 years since Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine hit the streets, and it’s still going strong all these years later. Most companies, and definitely most magazines, do not live that long. Now, Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine has some changes coming next season after all these years. “It’s about time I get out of the Stone Age,” said Poljak. “We should have gone digital years ago, and next year is the time.”

Poljak’s longtime friend Linda Jo Thornberg had been trying to convince him to move to digital for most of those 25 years. “I guess he just moves a little slow,” laughed Linda Jo. She and her husband Brian own Higher Images and they are helping take this magazine to the next level. “I’m excited about this and I know I’m in good hands with Linda Jo and Brian,” Poljak added. Higher Images is an award winning Digital Marketing Agency specializing in innovative and integrated online services with all-encompassing solutions for SEO, Web Design, PPC and PR.

The move to digital will be like that first drive you hit with the revolutionary TaylorMade Burner Bubble. All of a sudden that 240 yard carry over water wasn’t even an issue. Now four award winning issues will be instantly available to avid golfers in the Tri-State region. Let’s face it, if you can’t access something on your phone, tablet or PC, does it even exist? This move to a digital platform is really going to open up all sorts of opportunities for the magazine’s loyal fans.

In addition to easy access, the digital magazine will now have embedded links and videos in the various pages of the magazine to help further promote the businesses that they partner with. Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine is also in talks with some organizations to better serve the golf community by linking you to additional instructional stories and videos.

“The beauty of this transition is that our mission statement remains exactly the same. Golfer’s Lifestyle Magazine has always existed to promote the great game of golf. Our goals are still to lend a hand on the business side of the game as well as the golf courses themselves. While the pandemic hurt so many businesses, there is no question that it somehow resurrected the game of golf,” said Poljak. “We are so excited for our loyal partners who are continuing to grow the game. This is an exciting time for one of Pittsburgh’s longest running sports magazines and our resurgence will soon be a swipe or two away. Thank you so much for being with us this last quarter of a century. We truly believe the next 25 years will be even better.

The magazine will continue to focus on everyone’s favorite aspect of golf, traveling to and playing some of the best courses in the world. Poljak has been hosting golf trips to the Dominican Republic for the last 15 years. The Dominican is the home of some of the greatest golf courses in the world. That’s not hyperbole. That says a lot when it’s coming from someone who hosts 48 players every March at historic Pebble Beach.

In addition to Pebble Beach and Punta Cana, other locals include Cabot Links Golf Resort, Champions Retreat (just outside Augusta, GA) and Ballyhack (Dormie Network). Poljak loves to make golfers’ dreams come true. If you are interested in playing some of the most interesting and incredible golf courses in the world, make sure you check in with Tom Poljak to see what tee time is next. Ever dream of playing Old Head in Ireland? Reach out to see what he has planned for the upcoming year.

Fall 2023

There are a lot of exciting things happening in the golf world lately. The PGA Tour is getting ready to go to East Lake for the FedEX Cup and Tour Championship, the LIV and PGA Tour stuff is hard to make sense of, mostly because I really don’t think that we are getting the full story on what is going on. Plus Billy Walters and Phil Mickelson simply can’t control themselves since Walters wrote his book.

Phil was always one of my favorite players especially after he won the PGA Championship at 50 years old at Kiawah. I hope you did what I did and placed a little wager on Phil at 303-1 odds.

I didn’t get a chance to read Mr. Walter’s book, “Gambler: Secrets from a Life at Risk”, co-authored by Armen Keteyian. However, I’ve heard that Billy claims that Phil has placed over $1 billion… with a B, I think that is 9 zeros and he says he doesn’t know anyone that has bet more individually than Phil.

Unbelievable betting tales are no stranger to golf. Don’t forget about the rumors that Eli Callaway bailed out John Daly when he owed over 600 million dollars from betting. It is just hard to fathom that kind of money, maybe it’s just inflated for the shock value, who knows.

According to a search on google, Phil has career earnings of over 800M and currently has a net worth right now of 300M, I guess he has put some of that in play. 300M at just 2 percent interest is 6M a year. It is hard to believe that someone would put that much money in play, but I guess at some point it starts to feel like Monopoly money for those who have so much wealth.

Since 2005, East Lake has been the home of the Tour Championship and two years before the FedEX Cup. The grand opening of this 18-hole course and the Clubhouse took place on July 4, 1908. Young Bobby Jones and his father were there and Donald Ross was later hired to redesign the golf course in 1913. As they say, the rest is history. I enjoy the history of golf and hopefully you do as well. As always, hit them straight and I hope to run into many of you while doing what we enjoy the best. Playing the game we all love.