The publishing world was shocked a couple days ago with the closure of Travel + Leisure Golf magazine. I knew some of the people who were involved with the magazine when it launched ten years ago, and the magazine had a great deal of support from American Express Publishing — until recently. I wonder if there will be more casualties from this group. I know that the magazine always struggled with its circulation. The kiss of death seemed to be when they moved from ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) to BPA circulation verification — a less respected and less stringent auditing bureau. They also struggled with their identity, first starting with no instruction on golf and no product information, then adding a little here and there. All I know, in comparison, is that Golf Digest‘s April issue is chock full of golf products — every product made seems to be in there! It is still a shocker, and it makes one wonder why it could not be retooled into a more niche magazine — less circulation with more value. But large companies need large magazines, which I think helps Global Traveler react better in this economy. In the end, it saddens me, as it was a decent magazine. So, rest in peace T+L Golf. I will miss my free copy — perhaps that was the problem? -Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO