An idea worth promoting
Aiming high has never been a problem for Michael Goldstein. The promoter behind next week’s first LPGA Tour event in New Zealand - starring Lydia Ko and seven other major winners once requested Barack Obama join him and a mate for some golf in Washington DC during their epic world tour of 365 rounds in a year, in 2010.
Whether the message reached the US President is unknown, but he was unavailable, as was the boss at Trump Tower when Goldstein and Jamie Patton wandered in and asked the concierge if Donald was free for a hit.
Future British Open champion Henrik Stenson was, and played nine holes with them in Dubai and arranged Goldstein tickets to The Masters. So was Robby Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, at the plush Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. They played St Andrews, Wentworth (with former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick), and Queen Elizabeth’s private course at Balmoral in the ultimate golfing adventure.
‘‘It was pretty fun, obviously, but when I finished I was still pretty green and thought ‘you can do whatever you want’,’’ Goldstein said. ‘‘We saw the world and learned a heap about golf, but it was more a growing up exercise than anything.’’
The pair were excited enough when former PGA Tour pro Phil Tataurangi joined them for a round in the first fortnight of that year. He’s now on the board of Goldstein’s company The Clubhouse, and was co-designer of Windross Farm in South Auckland where Ko and company will tee off next Thursday for a McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open purse of $1.85 million.
As tournament host, Ko flew in yesterday and for Goldstein, 32, his dream in early 2015 to bring the world’s best women golfers to Auckland is reality.
Ko was the obvious selling point for Goldstein’s pitch to the LPGA Tour, when she was the hottest topic in world golf, and they were convinced.
So when Ko hit a rough patch in form this year there were worried glances at home base, as she adjusted to swing changes and new equipment. The best phone call Goldstein received was last weekend from Ko and sister Sura in France, after she’d roared into contention for the Evian Championship (she finished tied for third, after a late bogey).
‘‘The last few weeks have been great for her. Nobody would have seen that; she’d won 14 times in three years then she hasn’t won for 12 months so we were obviously a bit anxious about her results.
‘‘I got a phone call on Sunday morning at 7.30 from Lydia and her sister and I haven’t heard them that positive for six months. They were genuinely excited about winning and I was quite surprised she didn’t win because her head was in such a good space.’’
World No 8 Ko has pulling power, too, and 90 LPGA Tour players will be in next week’s field of 132, headed by American Solheim Cup winners Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome and Danielle Kang. Goldstein and the LPGA Tour have a deal for three years and he hopes plenty more big names will front.
‘‘That’s what we’re all about: legitimate sporting events. It’s not hit and giggle, it’s not pre-season, it’s legitimately part of the tour with world ranking points.‘‘
Goldstein was schooled in Christchurch, played Canterbury under-19 cricket against the likes of Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder and gained a law degree. After his 2010 world tour he worked for Ricky Ponting’s sports business in Melbourne, then cold called Michael Glading, the former NZ Football boss who combined with former All Blacks coach John Hart to bring the New Zealand Open to Queenstown.
Goldstein learned the ropes, formed The Clubhouse then took over the NZ Open’s management contract.
Hart’s influence has been massive, in a world where luring corporate backing for big sporting events is a constant challenge.
‘‘He [Hart] is pretty canny and a lot of people can see that. I’ve enjoyed learning about this world from him. That’s where the springboard came from,’’ Goldstein said.
There’s been setbacks, too. Goldstein pushed hard for New Zealand to host a round of next year’s World Rally Championship with strong backing from driver Hayden Paddon, but they missed out and will try again to snare a 2019 round.
‘‘I feel so gutted for Hayden [Paddon] for that. There are similarities with him and Lydia who are both genuine stars and competing at the very top level. Hayden desperately wants the WRC to come to New Zealand, and over the last two years we’ve tried to make that happen. There was a huge amount of support from the Kiwi motorsport and business community but it didn’t happen.’’
For now, it’s all about the golf, with the LPGA event followed by the Asia-Pacific Amateur in Wellington next month, then the men’s NZ Open in March. He’d like to lure Stenson but the men’s game is all about hefty appearance fees.
Goldstein hopes to secure a long-term relationship with the LPGA, in New Zealand and potentially offshore. Still aiming high, The Clubhouse boss will deservedly feel a sense of pride when Ko strides onto the first tee on Thursday.
"That's what we're all about: legitimate sporting events. It's not hit and giggle."
Michael Goldstein