In an announcement that should be viewed as nothing less than an indication that women’s golf is not nearly as healthy as some would argue, Conde Nast announced late Monday that it is shutteringGolf For Womenmagazine.
The announcement, by e-mail after the close of business Monday, came from Chuck Townsend, president and CEO of Conde Nast. Conde Nast is the preeminent publisher of glossy lifestyle titles, a 26-magazine empire that includes everything fromArchitectural DigesttoVanity Fair. It publishesGolf DigestandGolfWorldas well asGlamour, Vogue, W, Allure, LuckyandThe New Yorker.
Simply put, if a publishing empirethis lush with cashcouldn’t provide proper incubation for the title, it’s unlikely that any publisher could sustain the losses needed to moveGolf For Womeninto a period of healthy self-sustaining profitability. WithGolf DigestandGolfWorld,Golf For Womenhad the ability to reach any endemic golf marketer. Corporately, it could be cross marketed with a slew of other women’s titles.
Historically, however, Conde Nast has had difficulty nurturing publications with circulations under 500,000, and has never hesitated to close those that are either marginally profitable or unprofitable.
MediaWeek reported that year-to-date,Golf For Women‘s ad pages were down 7.3 percent to 336. Circulation was reported to be 549,919, up slightly. The editor, Susan Reed, is leaving to take the same position at O, The Oprah Magazine, a powerhouse publication at Hearst.
OddlyGolf For Womenmay never have been stronger editorially. Purchased from women’s publisher Meredith Corp. in 2001,Golf For Womenput out its first ever ever style edition in July-August. With Spanish actress Ines Sastre on the cover, it included efforts by Holly Brubach and was tasteful, feminine and reasonably hip. With a few notable exceptions, including Ralph Lauren Polo, Nike and adidas, it failed to attract a sizable number of golf sportswear advertisers. [Editor's Note: Golf sportswear advertisers also included Lily of Beverly Hills, Puma and Titania.]
Nevertheless, the publication seemed to be nimbly bridging the digital divide with a robust website and a small group of dedicated bloggers who were able to communicate an immediacy and personality that has largely eluded women’s golf.
The group includes Patricia Hannigan,blogging in The Golf Girl’s Diary, and Ashley Mayo, who contributed tothe editor’s blog on the GFW homepage.Other editors had heightened the magazine’s profile by appearing on The Golf Channel, most notably Stina Sternberg in Big Break Ka’anapali. — Robert Lohrer