Unfortunately the clubhouse itself wasn’t so lucky. Thanks to windy conditions, the flames quickly spread through the structure, collapsing the roof and razing much of the building down to the foundation. CFA district 13 assistant fire office David Renkin called the clubhouse “a total loss”. The clouds of black smoke rising from the building were so intense they forced local pilots to reroute flights and a smoke warning was issued for nearby residents as the haze dispersed.

Needless to say, it was a sad day to for employees and members of the Yarra Valley club, but it could have been a lot worse. Buildings can be rebuilt and greens resodded. The important thing is that no one was hurt in the blaze.

Main image: Josh Potts

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The cause of the fire reportedly remains unknown.

It is expected to have an impact on several companies, among them Callaway, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Mizuno and Wilson, all of whom were listed on Launch Technologies’ annual report from 2021, the Associated Press reported.

Callaway Golf issued this statement: “We are aware of the fire that occurred on Friday at the Pingtung City golf ball factory and are working directly with Launch Technologies and local authorities to gather more information. Our thoughts are with all the first responders, employees, and families of those who have been affected.”

Dean Klatt, CEO and founder of Seed Golf, a ball manufacturer, said in an email to Golf Digest that there would be “a complete shutdown, overnight, for at least 12 months.

“Whatever LT inventory we OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] have on hand or on the water [being shipped] is all we’ll have for quite a while,” Klatt said. “Moving manufacture is not easy in this case. Tooling (i.e. dimple patterns) will have most likely been destroyed, so it’s a complete rebuild at a new plant with many unknowns. Dimple tooling is expensive, and that set-up takes time, then there’s the quality control issues to consider once you get to production phase at a new plant. At best, I would say six months to re-establish supply elsewhere.”

According to Klatt, information from Launch Tech is “still sketchy as they don’t really know what exactly happened nor what is going to happen moving forward. Because it was a chemical fire, water couldn’t be used to put it out, which seems to be why it got out of hand so quickly (there’s already been an investigation announced into what happened). 600 jobs at stake, plus a lot of money/orders in the pipeline. I have no idea of the cost to rebuild, but tens of millions I would suspect.”

The Associated Press reported that Launch Technologies shipped 260 million golf balls last year, one-fifth of the global total, and that “80 per cent of its sales are in the US.”

CTV News, meanwhile, reported that Launch Technologies was fined $75,000 on Monday by Taiwan officials and possibly faces criminal charges “for storing 30 times the legal limit of hazardous material and other violations.” The mayor of Pingtung county said at a news conference that Launch Technologies had 3,000 tons of organic peroxides on site, far more than the 100 tons of hazardous material that is permitted.

Main image: Johnson Liu

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By Kent Gray
Andy Sullivan has shown a proclivity for winning going away on the European Tour, having waltzed to the 2015 Portugal Masters by nine strokes and the new English Championship by seven as recently as August.

Early in the third round of the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, it seemed the 34-year-old was intent on more of the same.

When Friday playing partner Matt Wallace stiffed it to tap in range on the 1st, Sullivan retorted with his own tight wedge-birdie of his own and seemed to be setting out where he left off in opening rounds of 61- 66.

By the turn he’d stretched his three stroke overnight lead to four over the third member of his all-England group, Ross Fisher. A big lead, perhaps even something unassailable heading into Saturday’s final round, was in the offing.

But this untraditionally scheduled moving day didn’t quite go to plan. Suddenly the free-flow of birdies became more of a holding pattern. A frustrating bogey on 10 was followed by a stretch of steady/unspectacular par golf.

Sullivan eventually signed for a 68 to get it to -21 for the championship. That was good enough for a two-stroke buffer over Wallace (67) with Fisher (68) and Italian Renato Paratorte (65)  a stroke further back on -18.

At least Sullivan will take a little momentum into the final round, if not a comfortable led with 11 players within five strokes on a course that could easily give up a low score to give one of the contenders setting out earlier a clubhouse target to make Sullivan sweat.

But if Sullivan and recapture the ball striking that marked his closing three holes, he he’ll be tough to haul in. A drive, two-putt birdie on the par-4 16th got him going again and was backed up with another gain on the tricky 17th when he rifled a 5-iron in tight in a near carbon copy of his second round shot of the day on the same hole Thursday. There was some final frustration when the master chipper was unable to get up and down for birdie from the front of the 18th but neither Fisher or Wallace were able to covert on the reachable par-5 either, limiting the damage.

“I’m happy with four under,” said Sullivan who will chase a fifth European Tour title on Saturday.

“I didn’t think I played brilliant golf. Started off really nicely front nine, played really solid. Ten through to 14 I didn’t swing it that great, didn’t give myself that many chances. Found some good swings coming in, which was really good, dug deep there and managed to get a few birdies coming home. Four under is a pretty fair reflection on how I played.

??????? -21 Sullivan
??????? -19 Wallace
?? -18 Paratore
??????? -18 R. Fisher
?? -17 Laporta
?? -17 Rozner

With one round to go at the #GolfInDubai.

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 4, 2020

“All in all, stayed patient and got my just desserts coming in with those two birdies. That’s what we were talking about before we got out there, it’s about being patient and I’m sure it will be the same tomorrow.

“There’s a lot of golf to be played, a lot of birdies to be made tomorrow. Just got to go out there and play golf. If I play as good as I did the first two days, I’ll be a confident man.”

THEY SAID IT…

Matt Wallace (ENG), 63-67-67 (-19)
“It was alright, didn’t swing it as good today. I felt a bit nervous, if I’m honest. Not at the start, but then a few tee shots didn’t feel as comfortable, didn’t strike it as well.

“Had to tell myself to let it go and struck it better coming in. Frustrating to miss that putt on the last. The grain really gets quite strong as the day goes on. On 17 it broke more, 18 broke a lot. I wouldn’t have given it outside the hole from that distance, and I would have had to.

“The birdie on the next hole (after bogey on nine) settled me down, but I knew I could hole that putt. I knew good drive, middle of the green to a back pin that was quite dangerous, I knew that I could hole that putt on a hard hole. Then I hit a great shot into 11. Staying patient, waiting for my run, a little bit. I hit a really bad shot on nine, which could have got to me – and would have probably got to me in the past – but I know that I’m swinging it well and I know I’m going to give myself loads of chances. Same tomorrow, I’m going to have loads of chances tomorrow.

“I’m not thinking about that (winning tomorrow), if I’m honest. I had a chance in Scotland and was in a better position in Scotland to win and I didn’t. I’m two behind a Ryder Cup player, someone who is playing really well. I’m going to have to go really low tomorrow. It’s not just him, someone could come from 15, 16 and shoot nine or ten under. You’ve seen out there, Robert Macintyre was seven-under through nine, so that can happen. Hopefully it can be me, but I’m just going to relax now and get ready for the fight tomorrow.”

Robert MacIntyre (SCO), 66-68-66 (-16)
“Happy with six under par, I’d have taken that before I went out but with the start I had I should have scored a lot better. That’s the way things happen and I have another day to fix it.

“It happened the other day. It’s nothing new. It’s part of the game and it happens all the time. You want it not to happen, but it’s part and parcel of the game. I enjoyed it as much as I could but to finish the way I did wasn’t so sweet.

“There’s still going to be pressure. If I’ve not go nerves on the first tee, I’m not in the right job. It’s going to be like a shootout again. It suits my game and I’m putting good, I just need to tidy it up a bit and see where it ends up.

“[Eagle on seven] 256 yards to the pin. Sitting alright in the rough. I hit a perfect five wood. It normally goes 250, slightly downwind I hit it perfect – right where I was aiming it – and it left me a nice putt.”

Par save of the day…

That’d be @RossFisher.#GolfInDubai pic.twitter.com/TeqVpZwdCj

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 4, 2020

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By Kent Gray
With two internationally-acclaimed, Greg Norman-designed golf courses on your doorstep, Jumeirah Golf Estates is one of the world’s most desirable golf communities. Mind you, scribble on the dotted line to own “The Signature” at Wild Flower, and your game is in serious danger because you may never want to leave home. Drawing inspiration from authentic Tuscan design, this bespoke, custom-built five bedroom (all en-suite) villa offers sweeping views over your infinity pool, across JGE and beyond to Dubai’s Marina skyline. But the real magic is within this 9300 sqft property with all the mod cons to complement the stylish Italian design including fully integrated home automation systems. There’s even an integrated fragrance system. Fancy.

Below the bedrooms, a huge lobby leads into an expansive combined living and dining room with two standard kitchens, family room and guest room. Externally, there’s a maid and drivers room. Maybe rustle up the chauffeur to get you to Earth or Fire for some world-class golf, or head straight to JGE’s European Tour Performance Institute where they’ll work on that neglected game of yours. The Signature has that on its doorstep too.

For more information, contact:
Byron Kraemer, Managing Partner
Tel: +971 4 347 9954, Mobile: +971 50 644 2305
Email: byron@landhouse.ae

golfhomes.ae

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