36 The Green Magazine, Golf Beyond the Links

My brother is a golfer--so is my son. It is hard for me to find the attraction. Walking in the sun with nails in your shoes, carrying a heavy, awkward bag, squinting into the sun at a little ball with dimples, making your way through grass, weeds and water that could be put to better use for housing or agriculture. We live across the street from a lovely course and I enjoy the vistas and the tress and the club house lunches. But it is still a mystery to this non-athlete.

Rafael Marinez, the publisher, writes in Volume 1, Issue 1, June/July 2004: "The Green is not simply a golf magazine; it is a lifestyles publication that brings together the passion we share for our careers, travel, financial life, fine living, and yes, golf. But we intend to be your source for golf beyond the links."



If you thought it was about rich, white guys, look again. The publisher, the cover story, and three of the five main contributors are noticeable minorities. Vision Media & Communications has targeted the Black and Hispanic communities with this magazine. Martinez is Dominican Republic born and a business man who loves golf; he noticed some years ago that golf magazines were "lily white."

According to Folio, lifestyle magazines (264 magazines in 2004) are led by crafts, taking the stats from the 17th edition of the National Directory of Magazines. Crafts led category growth, up 25 percent to 129 publications, followed by Golf, up 24 percent to 135 publications. So that's a pretty crowded field for chasing a little white ball.

The introductory article includes interesting (marketing) statistics for blacks, Latinos and Asians. Over 14 million of them play golf, 15% of them for the first time in 2003; half of all minority golfers are under 30, and 9% are under 12; 20-30% of all minority players earned upwards of $100,000 a year, with blue-collar workers accounting for 17% of all minority golfers; Tiger Woods may earn $6 billion during his career and his popularity has resulted in many blacks taking up the game. The ads in The Green include a lot of bling.

I saw the second issue on the newsstands, but am unsure if this journal is still published. The website is not active. One web article noted that three minority golf magazines were launched in 2003-2004. Another confusing point for a launch is similarity of titles. There is another popular golf magazine titled, On the Green Magazine, and a financial guide called The Green Magazine.

Update: I saw Volume 2, issue 1 at Barnes and Noble Feb. 24, 2005. So it is still being published. This issue appears to be historical and the cover has some nice photographs.

The Green Magazine
June/July 2004, Volume 1, Number 1
ISSN NA
Subject: Lifestyles, Golf, Minorities
Publication schedule bimonthly
Vision Media & Communications, LLC
48 West 37th Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10018
$4.99 single; $29.99 one year
http://www.thegreenmagazine.com/
President: Ina J. Samuels-Martinez
President, CEO: Rafael N. Martinez