Published December 2003 Main Menu

Left-Tee Golf sets sights
on U.S., Canada

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

If Mark Johnson has his way, Left-Tee Golf.com will become a household name, or at least a clubhouse staple, across North America as early as next year.

Infomercials for the Everett-based Internet company, which caters to left-handed golfers, were scheduled to begin airing in late October on cable and broadcast television stations across the United States as part of “The Competitive Edge” series produced by Platinum Television Group.

The five-minute infomercial, scheduled to run through the first quarter of 2004, features Left-Tee founder and president Johnson, Everett dentist and lefty golfer Kirk Smith, LPGA Tour member and Left-Tee affiliate Angela Buzminski, and Left-Tee’s resident golf pro and author of “On the Other Hand,” Steven Anderson.

Shot on location at the Everett Golf & Country Club and in Fort Myers, Fla., in July, the infomercial runs as a “Handicap Helpers” segment of “The Competitive Edge” program, Johnson said. It includes an overview of the Web site, which provides informational resources for lefty golfers, online auction and classifieds for lefty golf merchandise as well as an e-store for golf equipment, books and videos.

Media exposure of the production in southwest Florida already has garnered attention — and sales — for Left-Tee, Johnson said. And though the infomercial’s effect on the bottom line won’t be clear for a good 60 days after its initial run, Johnson is already satisfied with the deal struck between his 3-1/2-year-old business and the Deerfield Beach, Fla.-based media company.

“I see it as an asset to the company,” Johnson said of the infomercial, which cost just under $20,000 in production and licensing rights.

While the “Handicap Helpers” segment airs across the United States, Johnson has mapped out a marketing campaign aimed at the Great White North, including an agreement with Score Golf Media, the Canadian-based golf media giant that operates print, television and radio productions.

Already, Left-Tee has booked advertising in the fall 2003 western Canada edition issue of Score Golf Magazine, with more to follow. Ads for Score Golf’s eastern edition are also planned for the future, Johnson said.

“It’s been a part of the business plan since day one,” Johnson said of entering the Canadian market.

The reason? There is a greater percentage of left-handed golfers in that country: 18 to 20 percent compared to 8 to 10 percent in the United States, he said.

Left-Tee also has teamed up with National Event Management to serve as an exhibition sponsor for the Vancouver Golf Show in February and is working with Kristina Gargaro, a teen-age golf phenom from Canada, on a sponsorship agreement, Johnson said. That deal, which requires Gargaro to provide journal entries on the Web site, could draw not only Canadian interest, but attract the junior market as well, he added.

Yep, if Johnson has his way, 2004 will be the year that left-handed golfers across the continent find a home at Left-Tee Golf.com, where, according to the company tagline, “left is all right.”

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