RENO, Nev. -- Taking its “SuperRegional” format and stretching it to the Tiger-like limit, West Coast golf, travel and lifestyle magazine Fairways + Greens has a brand-new look and feel for 2006, with expanded and much improved distribution, more editorial excitement and an attitude certain to attract a younger demographic to the game.
“We’re really a national publication that happens to focus on the West Coast,” says Vic Williams, publisher and executive editor. “After eight years of steady but unspectacular growth, we decided to go for the pin in a big way this year, and by all accounts, the new-look, bigger and better FG Magazine is attracting the attention we’d hoped for.”
Now available on newsstands at participating retailers, including Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, 7-Eleven, Safeway, Vons and Wal-Mart, and read by tens of thousands of golf travelers through direct in-home distribution, the February-March 2006 issue features Tiger Woods on the cover, along with an in-depth feature on golf weddings in the West; an exclusive visit with Jack Nicklaus as he designed golf holes for a new development at Coyote Springs just north of Las Vegas; interviews with Bobby Jones golf club designer Jesse Ortiz and LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens; a “Sticks and Stuff” driver comparison; and a visit to the courses and resorts of Northern England, dubbed “the other West Coast.”
A new “Slice of Lifestyle” section goes off the course for looks at wine, cigars, fashion, books, fitness and more, while “At the Turn” offers celebrity and player news, rules, travel tips and humor. The magazine’s second half covers seven major western regions — Southern and Northern California, Las Vegas, Reno-Tahoe, the Southwest, Northwest and Hawaii — with opening features on courses and resorts, plus an opinion piece from guest writers. “Beyond” takes readers to far-flung destinations, in this case Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut and Amelia Island Plantation in northeastern Florida penned by Fairways + Greens Publishing CEO Darin Bunch.
“We have a much more well-rounded and interesting product now,” Williams says. “We’ll let other publications do golf instruction while we’ll take readers to the most fun and memorable places to play and outfit them with everything they need to get the most out of their adventures. The cover will always focus on a Tour star or entertainer, giving FG a more powerful newsstand presence.”
Maryland-based Bates Creative Group developed the magazine’s progressive new logo and polished, flowing, national-caliber design. “As a newspaper designer for more than a decade, I realized we needed to hire some big guns to help FG compete with the hundreds of magazines on racks today,” Bunch says. “And the new look has surpassed even the lofty standards of what we set out to accomplish.”
Next up is a complete redesign and re-positioning of the magazine’s website, FGmagazine.com. Beginning in April, the site will work in concert with a brand-new golf portal, Golf-the-West.com, to provide online visitors an unequaled interactive experience including full-service travel concierge, online superstore, listings for preferred golf facilities and resorts in the West and more.
The new FG Magazine is also available on newsstands in major West Coast airports, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego, Seattle and Salt Lake City. To subscribe, visit www.fgmagazine.com or call (877) 399-4733 for additional information.
