Advertising and Golf
After a brief stint at selling duplicating equipment in New York City, I landed a job at Newsday on Long Island. Bill Moyers was the publisher at the time. I started as a golf writer and then opted for a larger salary and a wonderful opportunity for advancement in the advertising dept. It suited me perfectly. I could write great copy and turned out to be an excellent salesman. I quickly became a territorial advertising manager for the newspaper. I eventually became Advertising Director for The Suffolk Sun, a paper owned by Look Magazine – one of the top magazines of that era.
The great thing about the Newsday job was that I was out of the office most of the time presenting advertising programs to clients. I would also take an hour out of every day to wolf down a sandwich and go to a driving range to hit as many balls I could in the rest of the hour. Then, like my Dad, I would spend the weekends playing golf at Bethpage and other clubs on Long Island with a slew of friends and clients.
Golf is a great sport for business; it’s fun and enables you to spend a few hours getting to know your clients on a personal level. Then you get a chance to know them a little better over a few beers after the round. I can’t tell you exactly how many deals I closed because of golf, but I assure you it was many. Also the friends I made back in those days through business or pleasure often come to visit me in Myrtle Beach.
During all my time at Newsday I still continued to write about golf on a freelance basis. I have been involved in golf and advertising my entire life. I am a partner in one of the most award-winning advertising agencies in the Carolinas – Lesnik, Himmelsbach, Wilson and Hearl, based here in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. I’m also founder and chairman of Himmelsbach Communications, the publishers of On The Green, Myrtle Beach’s Golf Magazine and Myrtle Beach’s On The Beach Magazine.
Myrtle Beach is the number one destination for friends and families to gather for a week or a weekend to spend some quality time together bonding on and off the golf course. It’s no different for the gals who have become a big part of the Myrtle Beach golfing scene. What makes Myrtle Beach golf so special is the variety. There is a course for everyone no matter what your handicap is, and a price to fit every golfer’s pocketbook. The courses range from top-ranked, nationally known courses to easy-to-play well-conditioned courses for the higher handicapper who’s just looking for a pleasant round of golf. When you add 2,500 hundred restaurants and all sorts of entertainment it becomes a visiting golfers dream. Just check out Myrtle Beach’s On The Green Magazine’s web-site for the best selections.
Well, until next time, be safe and hit them straight. The next post will give you the skinny on how I got to Myrtle Beach with a dream to publish my own magazine.
