Click on the title to read more about happenings on Dr. Phil's show.
---Katie
Monday, October 23, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
New ELCA Hymnal Contains More than Favorite Hymns
For what it's worth:
New ELCA hymnal contains more than 'favorite hymns'
by Gracia Grindal
The new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hymnal,"Evangelical Lutheran Worship" is appearing from the publisher as I write. It is being sold with great hoopla throughout the denomination. People who think a hymnal contains only hymns will look first to see if it includes their favorite hymns and they probably will not be disappointed. It will include favorite gospel hymns long banned from traditional Lutheran hymnals, fewer old classic German chorales and lots of songs from around the world, especially the southern hemisphere, with few new ones from the north, where Scandinavian Lutherans, especially, have been in the midst of a hymn explosion for the past 40 years.
There will be many Eucharistic hymns that reflect the theology of the Lord's Supper ruling today: that worship is the people's time to give thanks to God and celebrate unity and community with each other. No longer is the Supper chiefly about the forgiveness of sins. Most people, however, will only look for their favorite hymns and miss that a "hymnal" today is much more than the old black or blue hymnal of their childhoods.
I suspect that the ELCA committee that formed this new resource was much less interested in the hymns than in the worship services it prepared. My guess is that the committee is hoping that while people like these popular hymns, they will begin to use the new liturgies and continue to be shaped away from the classic Lutheran theology of the worship service as proclamation, a time where God speaks directly to us. The Sunday morning service is one of the few places in our lives where we know that we are receiving the one true God, as Christ has promised,"Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am also." This is being changed by the romantic work of Gregory Dix, an early voice in the ecumenical/liturgical movement, whose book, "The Shape of the Liturgy,"continues, after 60 years, to beguile those who write these new liturgies for us.
One of the old rules often cited by this movement is that the way we pray will, after some time, become the way we believe--lex orandi, lex credendi. It has already happened with many of our fellow Lutherans. They are beginning to think a service is not complete without the sacrament of the altar which they are being taught is the highest way to receive the Word of God. Luther argued against this notion at every opportunity, noting frequently that the highest work of the pastor was preaching rather than prating and mumbling through the Mass.
Ever since we knew this ELCA book was going to appear, many of us have tried, but not succeeded in convincing faithful Lutherans that because of the inevitable truth of the rule lex orandi, lex credendi and the "mischief" of the liturgical "experts" who were writing the new worship resources for the ELCA, we needed to provide another,alternate evangelical Lutheran resource for our people for their daily devotional lives and Sunday services. Since most Lutherans think of a hymnal as simply a collection of hymns to be sung on Sunday morning, with some liturgical pieces written in either traditional or contemporary music, they are defenseless against this ecumenical/liturgical movement. Now that the new book is out, I fear, the same opinion will allow this new book to erode the confessional foundations of our tradition. People will talk about liking or not liking liturgy, they will define themselves as Lutherans because they like liturgy, which is usually about whether or not they like the music, without looking carefully to see what kind of words and actions the new liturgies are beguiling them to perform. It is the words that need the most careful perusal.
You will be able to tell if the new ELCA hymnal(Evangelical Lutheran Worship) is evangelical by asking yourselves a few questions as you look at it. It will contain new emphases on the "work of the people"--away from the centrality of Scripture and the work of the Word in its new services. I believe the funeral service has strayed from Scripture to put more emphasis on the deceased especially in the prayers that God receive the dead. This is a subtle movement toward the Requiem Mass of the medieval church.
Do ELW worship settings offer the elements as a sacrifice to God with the words of institution inside a Eucharist prayer? If they do, they are not in accordance with the Lutheran Confessions. The words of institution must be free-standing proclamations. Do the hymns focus on telling God what we are doing in the service--walking up to the altar, celebrating community? Do they urge us to social action? Lutheran hymns usually have been about proclaiming to the congregation the marvelous deeds of our Lord.
Are the texts of the Psalms changed so as not to offend the ears of the politically correct? Sit with a version of the Bible you know and compare it carefully with the version in the new ELCA hymnal. Have the pronouns referring to God been changed, from the original "he" in the Hebrew, to"you" in order to avoid "he," the third person pronoun for God? One can see it in ELW\'s Psalm 95 that has changed the great line in verse 5: "The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands have molded the dry lands" to "The sea is yours, for you made it, and your hands have molded the dry land."This change is a serious matter for a movement that believes in sola scriptura (Word alone). Should we allow the Word to be mistranslated in order to be politically correct?
Look at some of your favorite hymns and compare the texts carefully with an older hymnal, especially as regards the language referring to God with a masculine pronoun. Here is an example in the great Lutheran hymn, "If You but Trust in God to Guide You," from the second line in the first stanza, "If you but trust in God to guide you/and place your confidence in him" has been changed to "If you but trust in God to guide you/with gentle hand through all your ways." There is no "hand" in the original German. The second line in the original German is "und hoffet auf ihmallezeit." My literal translation would be, "And hopes in him through all times."
Those of you who can influence your congregations should be going to council meetings and annual meetings armed to argue against the ELW and, we would hope, for what the independent ReClaim hymnal committee has done and is doing to develop a new resource for you that will be evangelically sound and available to those of the 21st century eager to access the correct Lutheran theological understandings of the Confessions for today.
Here's what you can do right now to support our efforts: Get your congregation to serve as a test site for the ReClaim Introductory Edition and upcoming settings; buy theReClaim Introductory Edition at www.ReclaimLutheranWorship.org; buy copies for your family as well as for your children and their children for daily use in the home. With its 47 favorite hymns, which I believe every family should know, alongside Luther's Small Catechism this new resource will teach the faith as it has been taught for centuries. Check the ReClaim website for study resources, including a 12-minute DVD touching on the basic issues.
---Katie
New ELCA hymnal contains more than 'favorite hymns'
by Gracia Grindal
The new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hymnal,"Evangelical Lutheran Worship" is appearing from the publisher as I write. It is being sold with great hoopla throughout the denomination. People who think a hymnal contains only hymns will look first to see if it includes their favorite hymns and they probably will not be disappointed. It will include favorite gospel hymns long banned from traditional Lutheran hymnals, fewer old classic German chorales and lots of songs from around the world, especially the southern hemisphere, with few new ones from the north, where Scandinavian Lutherans, especially, have been in the midst of a hymn explosion for the past 40 years.
There will be many Eucharistic hymns that reflect the theology of the Lord's Supper ruling today: that worship is the people's time to give thanks to God and celebrate unity and community with each other. No longer is the Supper chiefly about the forgiveness of sins. Most people, however, will only look for their favorite hymns and miss that a "hymnal" today is much more than the old black or blue hymnal of their childhoods.
I suspect that the ELCA committee that formed this new resource was much less interested in the hymns than in the worship services it prepared. My guess is that the committee is hoping that while people like these popular hymns, they will begin to use the new liturgies and continue to be shaped away from the classic Lutheran theology of the worship service as proclamation, a time where God speaks directly to us. The Sunday morning service is one of the few places in our lives where we know that we are receiving the one true God, as Christ has promised,"Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am also." This is being changed by the romantic work of Gregory Dix, an early voice in the ecumenical/liturgical movement, whose book, "The Shape of the Liturgy,"continues, after 60 years, to beguile those who write these new liturgies for us.
One of the old rules often cited by this movement is that the way we pray will, after some time, become the way we believe--lex orandi, lex credendi. It has already happened with many of our fellow Lutherans. They are beginning to think a service is not complete without the sacrament of the altar which they are being taught is the highest way to receive the Word of God. Luther argued against this notion at every opportunity, noting frequently that the highest work of the pastor was preaching rather than prating and mumbling through the Mass.
Ever since we knew this ELCA book was going to appear, many of us have tried, but not succeeded in convincing faithful Lutherans that because of the inevitable truth of the rule lex orandi, lex credendi and the "mischief" of the liturgical "experts" who were writing the new worship resources for the ELCA, we needed to provide another,alternate evangelical Lutheran resource for our people for their daily devotional lives and Sunday services. Since most Lutherans think of a hymnal as simply a collection of hymns to be sung on Sunday morning, with some liturgical pieces written in either traditional or contemporary music, they are defenseless against this ecumenical/liturgical movement. Now that the new book is out, I fear, the same opinion will allow this new book to erode the confessional foundations of our tradition. People will talk about liking or not liking liturgy, they will define themselves as Lutherans because they like liturgy, which is usually about whether or not they like the music, without looking carefully to see what kind of words and actions the new liturgies are beguiling them to perform. It is the words that need the most careful perusal.
You will be able to tell if the new ELCA hymnal(Evangelical Lutheran Worship) is evangelical by asking yourselves a few questions as you look at it. It will contain new emphases on the "work of the people"--away from the centrality of Scripture and the work of the Word in its new services. I believe the funeral service has strayed from Scripture to put more emphasis on the deceased especially in the prayers that God receive the dead. This is a subtle movement toward the Requiem Mass of the medieval church.
Do ELW worship settings offer the elements as a sacrifice to God with the words of institution inside a Eucharist prayer? If they do, they are not in accordance with the Lutheran Confessions. The words of institution must be free-standing proclamations. Do the hymns focus on telling God what we are doing in the service--walking up to the altar, celebrating community? Do they urge us to social action? Lutheran hymns usually have been about proclaiming to the congregation the marvelous deeds of our Lord.
Are the texts of the Psalms changed so as not to offend the ears of the politically correct? Sit with a version of the Bible you know and compare it carefully with the version in the new ELCA hymnal. Have the pronouns referring to God been changed, from the original "he" in the Hebrew, to"you" in order to avoid "he," the third person pronoun for God? One can see it in ELW\'s Psalm 95 that has changed the great line in verse 5: "The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands have molded the dry lands" to "The sea is yours, for you made it, and your hands have molded the dry land."This change is a serious matter for a movement that believes in sola scriptura (Word alone). Should we allow the Word to be mistranslated in order to be politically correct?
Look at some of your favorite hymns and compare the texts carefully with an older hymnal, especially as regards the language referring to God with a masculine pronoun. Here is an example in the great Lutheran hymn, "If You but Trust in God to Guide You," from the second line in the first stanza, "If you but trust in God to guide you/and place your confidence in him" has been changed to "If you but trust in God to guide you/with gentle hand through all your ways." There is no "hand" in the original German. The second line in the original German is "und hoffet auf ihmallezeit." My literal translation would be, "And hopes in him through all times."
Those of you who can influence your congregations should be going to council meetings and annual meetings armed to argue against the ELW and, we would hope, for what the independent ReClaim hymnal committee has done and is doing to develop a new resource for you that will be evangelically sound and available to those of the 21st century eager to access the correct Lutheran theological understandings of the Confessions for today.
Here's what you can do right now to support our efforts: Get your congregation to serve as a test site for the ReClaim Introductory Edition and upcoming settings; buy theReClaim Introductory Edition at www.ReclaimLutheranWorship.org; buy copies for your family as well as for your children and their children for daily use in the home. With its 47 favorite hymns, which I believe every family should know, alongside Luther's Small Catechism this new resource will teach the faith as it has been taught for centuries. Check the ReClaim website for study resources, including a 12-minute DVD touching on the basic issues.
---Katie
Do you watch Dr. Phil?
Ok, so I am only hearing this second hand, through one of my homeschooling lists, but his show sounds like Jerry Springer (I have been corrected...he is not like Jerry Springer). I don't even watch Oprah, so I am ignorant about what happens on those shows. A local homeschooler got invited to be on Dr. Phil's show to talk about homeschooling and it was an awful experience (my hubby said from the start that it was a set up. We have experience in how the media covers homeschooling.) I think the show is going to be aired on Oct. 27. Here is what she is doing locally for damage control:
The Great School Debacle: Learn the Truth behind what you will see next week on The Dr. Phil TV show entitled, "The Great School Debate."
CarrieLynn, an Orlando, FL resident and veteran Home Educator, was on the Dr. Phil Show and shares her opinions with the Home School Community:
"The Dr. Phil Show CREATES CONFUSION and FEEDS FEAR with this upcoming show featuring sensationalized segments highlighting problems with home school and public school, and worse yet, offers no hopeful alternatives."
a.. Get answers to many questions posed by Dr. Phil regarding the "legitimacy of learning" through home education. (He posed 3x as many questions as he allowed answered!)
b.. Veteran Home Educators speak candidly about the changing landscape of Home School, and how we can champion those changes despite the bad press like the upcoming Dr. Phil Show.
c.. Listen to a passionate Home School Dad talk about his discovery of "The Gift" of home education, after years of passively and actively opposing his wife's decision to home school their children.
d.. Hear the life changing journey of Jamie, as she describes her "magical years" as a Home School student . She was in the public school system until the 5th grade and then home schooled until college; where she is now studying to become a nurse. (Jamie will be speaking in rebuttal to the 26 year old woman who appears on the Dr. Phil show claiming that she has not been able to attend college and is a "Social Retard" because her parents home schooled her.)
e.. Bring your questions! We will have a diverse group of Veteran Home Educators available to answer ALL YOUR QUESTIONS at the end of the presentation.
f.. Receive a comprehensive list of area Home School Support Groups.
g.. Our Aim: You will leave ready to move deeper into your home school journey with confidence, that you are more than able to educate your child; delightfully refreshed as you listen to the stories of fellow home educators detailing their latest triumph in the face of adversity; and hopefully inspired as you come to understand how much support you really have in this community!
Do you know someone who is considering Home School for their child's education? Invite them along! This presentation will focus on the "best of" Home Education. Please feel free to forward this invitation.
Location and Time is as follows:
Please join us for an informational meeting about the upcoming Dr. Phil Show, "The Great School Debate" which airs October 27.
Downtown Library -- Albertson Room --Thursday October 26th TIME: 2:45p to 4:00p.
The presentation will begin promptly at 3:00p. Families are welcome. You might want to bring playthings for the little ones who will most assuredly tire of our ramblings before the hour is up!
***There will be absolutely nothing for sale at this presentation. Solicitation of any kind is prohibited during this event.
***Please direct questions & comments to carrielynnthornton@cfl.rr.com
----Katie
The Great School Debacle: Learn the Truth behind what you will see next week on The Dr. Phil TV show entitled, "The Great School Debate."
CarrieLynn, an Orlando, FL resident and veteran Home Educator, was on the Dr. Phil Show and shares her opinions with the Home School Community:
"The Dr. Phil Show CREATES CONFUSION and FEEDS FEAR with this upcoming show featuring sensationalized segments highlighting problems with home school and public school, and worse yet, offers no hopeful alternatives."
a.. Get answers to many questions posed by Dr. Phil regarding the "legitimacy of learning" through home education. (He posed 3x as many questions as he allowed answered!)
b.. Veteran Home Educators speak candidly about the changing landscape of Home School, and how we can champion those changes despite the bad press like the upcoming Dr. Phil Show.
c.. Listen to a passionate Home School Dad talk about his discovery of "The Gift" of home education, after years of passively and actively opposing his wife's decision to home school their children.
d.. Hear the life changing journey of Jamie, as she describes her "magical years" as a Home School student . She was in the public school system until the 5th grade and then home schooled until college; where she is now studying to become a nurse. (Jamie will be speaking in rebuttal to the 26 year old woman who appears on the Dr. Phil show claiming that she has not been able to attend college and is a "Social Retard" because her parents home schooled her.)
e.. Bring your questions! We will have a diverse group of Veteran Home Educators available to answer ALL YOUR QUESTIONS at the end of the presentation.
f.. Receive a comprehensive list of area Home School Support Groups.
g.. Our Aim: You will leave ready to move deeper into your home school journey with confidence, that you are more than able to educate your child; delightfully refreshed as you listen to the stories of fellow home educators detailing their latest triumph in the face of adversity; and hopefully inspired as you come to understand how much support you really have in this community!
Do you know someone who is considering Home School for their child's education? Invite them along! This presentation will focus on the "best of" Home Education. Please feel free to forward this invitation.
Location and Time is as follows:
Please join us for an informational meeting about the upcoming Dr. Phil Show, "The Great School Debate" which airs October 27.
Downtown Library -- Albertson Room --Thursday October 26th TIME: 2:45p to 4:00p.
The presentation will begin promptly at 3:00p. Families are welcome. You might want to bring playthings for the little ones who will most assuredly tire of our ramblings before the hour is up!
***There will be absolutely nothing for sale at this presentation. Solicitation of any kind is prohibited during this event.
***Please direct questions & comments to carrielynnthornton@cfl.rr.com
----Katie
Thursday, October 19, 2006
More from the Religion of Peace
Abdul Rahman is a Christian convert who fled Afghanistan and landed in Italy. The reason he could not stay in Afghanistan is because the penalty in Islam for converting to another religion is death. Islamic mobs were demanding his death. But his escape to Italy has not settled things for the true believers. They have kidnapped an Italian journalist and are demanding Rahman in exchange for the journalist's life.
Folks, these people are living in the dark ages and our political correctness and our desire to be loving and tolerant is going to be our undoing.
To read more on this story, check out Michelle Malkin's blog by clicking on the title.
Folks, these people are living in the dark ages and our political correctness and our desire to be loving and tolerant is going to be our undoing.
To read more on this story, check out Michelle Malkin's blog by clicking on the title.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Ping (golf) says no to military discounts
I know next to nothing about golf, but this is an amazing story. The article is from the Augusta Chronicle, but I could not get my link to work.
Ping cancels accounts with local golf stores
By David Westin Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A prominent golf equipment company's stance against retailers discounting its products has angered two area golf shops that give military customers a break.
Because of the military discounts, Bonaventure Discount Golf in Augusta and Gordon Lakes Golf Course on Fort Gordon no longer receive Ping products. And even if they could, they would refuse to sell them now.
Karsten Manufacturing Corp. of Phoenix, Ariz., which has a registered trademark on the Ping brand, discontinued its Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes accounts in August. In a letter to the shops, Ping said Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes discounted Ping clubs below Ping's "Improved Fitting, Internet Transactions and Price Policy."
Both shops give 10 percent discounts to military members on all purchases. Gordon Lakes does it for active and retired servicemen; Bonaventure gives the discount for active servicemen.
Bonaventure owner L.D.Waters received his closure of account letter Aug. 7. Gordon Lakes head pro Bill Fumai got his letter Aug. 22. Bonaventure does more than $5 million in business a year, Mr. Waters said.
"They cut off Bonaventure? That's huge," Mr. Fumai said. "If they cut off Bonaventure, they probably cut off a lot of shops. It must be nice to be in the position to cut off your customers."
Mr. Waters, a 77-year-old former Marine who served in World War II and the Korean War, started giving the military discount about a year ago when he noticed servicemen in his shop who were being deployed to Iraq.
"I'm doing it for those boys putting their lives on the line," Mr. Waters said. "I know they don't get paid enough." "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life, especially now," Mr. Waters said of Ping's policy. "It just burns me up that they won't allow the military to get a 10 percent discount."
Gordon Lakes, whose membership is 98 percent military, has always given discounts to active and retired military members, Mr. Fumai said.
Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes didn't hide the fact that they gave discounts to the military. However, along with their closure of account letters, Ping enclosed a receipt from a customer at each shop who received the military discount. That led to the cancellation of their Ping accounts.
"It's like the gestapo is back; they're checking receipts to see what we sell it at," Mr. Fumai said.
In Augusta, where so many active and retired servicemen reside because of the proximity to Fort Gordon, Ping's move has struck a nerve. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and this is the first time I've seen a company do this," Mr. Fumai said. "Why do they care?"
"It's something we put in place to protect our brand," said Bill Gates, Ping's director of distribution and associate general counsel. According to Mr. Gates, no exceptions can be made when it comes to shops selling their clubs under the suggested price listed in their agreement (there is no contract).
"It's something we apply to all of our accounts consistently, and we don't have exceptions to it," Mr. Gates said. "We don't sell direct to the public; we sell to retailers, and we do have certain policies in place with them. Those policies are confidential between us and the account."
Mr. Gates did say that once a retailer buys Ping products, they own them, but must abide by their unwritten agreement with Ping.
If Mr. Waters and Gordon Lakes have been discounting Ping clubs to the military, why have they been cut off now, and both within 15 days of each other?
"It's something that's been in place for several years," Mr. Gates said of the no-discount rule.
"They have had it for years, but didn't pay attention to it because their business has been off," said Mr. Waters, who believes Ping is now enforcing the rule because "they've been hot the last few years."
Mr. Gates pointed out that Ping has more than 1,000 employees and has maintained its operation in the United States while other golf companies have moved overseas, where labor is cheaper. "We think it is very important to employ Americans," Mr. Gates said.
None of that soothed Mr. Waters or Mr. Fumai, who believe an exception should be made that allows discounts for those with military ties. Mr. Fumai was so angered when he got the letter from Ping that he took the "$3,000 to $4,000" worth of Ping merchandise in his shop and marked it down 50 percent. "I sold it all," he said.
Mr. Fumai said when customers ask him about why he doesn't have Ping merchandise, "I tell them the story.
"They are shocked that they can tell us what price to sell to soldiers. That's terrible," he said.
When Gordon Lakes was cut off by Ping, Mr. Fumai called Bill Sport, the golf program manager for Army Sports. "He said over half of the 63 military golf courses have been cut off," Mr. Fumai said.
Said Mr. Gates: "I understand the desire of Mr. Waters and the pride they (Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes Golf Course) have in being associated with the military, absolutely. Ping has the upmost respect for the people in uniform and all the sacrifices they make and their families make. This is not about any particular group."
Mr. Waters, who says he has about $100,000 in Ping inventory, plans to have a sale soon.
"I'm going to sell it close to cost," he said. "I'm going to unload them just to get the name out of here. I'm going to sell it until it's gone."
In Ping's account closure letter to Gordon Lakes, the company wrote that the account "may or may not be reopened in a year," Mr. Fumai said.
Mr. Fumai's not interested, and neither is Mr. Waters. "If they're going to dictate what I sell to servicemen, to heck with them. I don't need them," Mr. Fumai said.
"I don't want to be put back on because I wouldn't have the product," Mr. Waters said. It ends a 48-year relationship that Mr. Waters has had with Ping, which was founded by Karsten Solheim in 1962. Mr. Solheim died in 2000.
"Old man (Karsten) Solheim used to come in a store I had with my brother in Savannah in 1958," Mr. Waters said. "I've been doing business with Ping since Ping went into business."
Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
PING'S LETTER Excerpts from the letter Bonaventure Golf received from Bill Gates, PING's director of distribution and associate general counsel:
"Please do not call your field representative regarding the following ... When PING adopted the iFIT Pricing Policy, it unilaterally decided to close accounts that sell a PING product for less than its Blue Column Price. As a result, Account Number 16906 is closed effective immediately. ... Thank you for the time and effort you spent promoting the PING brand. We wish you the best in your future efforts promoting the game of golf."
From the Thursday, September 28, 2006 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
Share this with your golfer friends, if you would, please.
---Katie
Ping cancels accounts with local golf stores
By David Westin Staff Writer
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A prominent golf equipment company's stance against retailers discounting its products has angered two area golf shops that give military customers a break.
Because of the military discounts, Bonaventure Discount Golf in Augusta and Gordon Lakes Golf Course on Fort Gordon no longer receive Ping products. And even if they could, they would refuse to sell them now.
Karsten Manufacturing Corp. of Phoenix, Ariz., which has a registered trademark on the Ping brand, discontinued its Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes accounts in August. In a letter to the shops, Ping said Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes discounted Ping clubs below Ping's "Improved Fitting, Internet Transactions and Price Policy."
Both shops give 10 percent discounts to military members on all purchases. Gordon Lakes does it for active and retired servicemen; Bonaventure gives the discount for active servicemen.
Bonaventure owner L.D.Waters received his closure of account letter Aug. 7. Gordon Lakes head pro Bill Fumai got his letter Aug. 22. Bonaventure does more than $5 million in business a year, Mr. Waters said.
"They cut off Bonaventure? That's huge," Mr. Fumai said. "If they cut off Bonaventure, they probably cut off a lot of shops. It must be nice to be in the position to cut off your customers."
Mr. Waters, a 77-year-old former Marine who served in World War II and the Korean War, started giving the military discount about a year ago when he noticed servicemen in his shop who were being deployed to Iraq.
"I'm doing it for those boys putting their lives on the line," Mr. Waters said. "I know they don't get paid enough." "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life, especially now," Mr. Waters said of Ping's policy. "It just burns me up that they won't allow the military to get a 10 percent discount."
Gordon Lakes, whose membership is 98 percent military, has always given discounts to active and retired military members, Mr. Fumai said.
Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes didn't hide the fact that they gave discounts to the military. However, along with their closure of account letters, Ping enclosed a receipt from a customer at each shop who received the military discount. That led to the cancellation of their Ping accounts.
"It's like the gestapo is back; they're checking receipts to see what we sell it at," Mr. Fumai said.
In Augusta, where so many active and retired servicemen reside because of the proximity to Fort Gordon, Ping's move has struck a nerve. "I've been doing this for 30 years, and this is the first time I've seen a company do this," Mr. Fumai said. "Why do they care?"
"It's something we put in place to protect our brand," said Bill Gates, Ping's director of distribution and associate general counsel. According to Mr. Gates, no exceptions can be made when it comes to shops selling their clubs under the suggested price listed in their agreement (there is no contract).
"It's something we apply to all of our accounts consistently, and we don't have exceptions to it," Mr. Gates said. "We don't sell direct to the public; we sell to retailers, and we do have certain policies in place with them. Those policies are confidential between us and the account."
Mr. Gates did say that once a retailer buys Ping products, they own them, but must abide by their unwritten agreement with Ping.
If Mr. Waters and Gordon Lakes have been discounting Ping clubs to the military, why have they been cut off now, and both within 15 days of each other?
"It's something that's been in place for several years," Mr. Gates said of the no-discount rule.
"They have had it for years, but didn't pay attention to it because their business has been off," said Mr. Waters, who believes Ping is now enforcing the rule because "they've been hot the last few years."
Mr. Gates pointed out that Ping has more than 1,000 employees and has maintained its operation in the United States while other golf companies have moved overseas, where labor is cheaper. "We think it is very important to employ Americans," Mr. Gates said.
None of that soothed Mr. Waters or Mr. Fumai, who believe an exception should be made that allows discounts for those with military ties. Mr. Fumai was so angered when he got the letter from Ping that he took the "$3,000 to $4,000" worth of Ping merchandise in his shop and marked it down 50 percent. "I sold it all," he said.
Mr. Fumai said when customers ask him about why he doesn't have Ping merchandise, "I tell them the story.
"They are shocked that they can tell us what price to sell to soldiers. That's terrible," he said.
When Gordon Lakes was cut off by Ping, Mr. Fumai called Bill Sport, the golf program manager for Army Sports. "He said over half of the 63 military golf courses have been cut off," Mr. Fumai said.
Said Mr. Gates: "I understand the desire of Mr. Waters and the pride they (Bonaventure and Gordon Lakes Golf Course) have in being associated with the military, absolutely. Ping has the upmost respect for the people in uniform and all the sacrifices they make and their families make. This is not about any particular group."
Mr. Waters, who says he has about $100,000 in Ping inventory, plans to have a sale soon.
"I'm going to sell it close to cost," he said. "I'm going to unload them just to get the name out of here. I'm going to sell it until it's gone."
In Ping's account closure letter to Gordon Lakes, the company wrote that the account "may or may not be reopened in a year," Mr. Fumai said.
Mr. Fumai's not interested, and neither is Mr. Waters. "If they're going to dictate what I sell to servicemen, to heck with them. I don't need them," Mr. Fumai said.
"I don't want to be put back on because I wouldn't have the product," Mr. Waters said. It ends a 48-year relationship that Mr. Waters has had with Ping, which was founded by Karsten Solheim in 1962. Mr. Solheim died in 2000.
"Old man (Karsten) Solheim used to come in a store I had with my brother in Savannah in 1958," Mr. Waters said. "I've been doing business with Ping since Ping went into business."
Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.
PING'S LETTER Excerpts from the letter Bonaventure Golf received from Bill Gates, PING's director of distribution and associate general counsel:
"Please do not call your field representative regarding the following ... When PING adopted the iFIT Pricing Policy, it unilaterally decided to close accounts that sell a PING product for less than its Blue Column Price. As a result, Account Number 16906 is closed effective immediately. ... Thank you for the time and effort you spent promoting the PING brand. We wish you the best in your future efforts promoting the game of golf."
From the Thursday, September 28, 2006 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
Share this with your golfer friends, if you would, please.
---Katie
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