Conde Nast sinks Golf for Women magazine

Over at WorldGolf.com, I just put up a post taking a look at Conde Nast’s decision to stop publishing Golf for Women magazine, the only prominent women’s golf title in the nation.

Published bi-monthly and with a circulation of 600,000, thus far reasons speculated for the demise of GFW have ranged from the loss of its editor, Susan K. Reed, to Oprah’s Magazine “O,” as well as a drop-off in advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2008. For its part, Conde Nast has only stated that GFW did not “support our long term business objectives.”

From an outsider’s perspective, Conde Nast’s decision appears to be based more on ennui than editors and economics. Mind you, Conde Nast also published the two biggest golf titles on the planet, Golf World and Golf Digest. Cross-marketing would seem to be a no-brainer.

Nonetheless, the decision has been made, and Golf for Women next issue will be it’s last. However, I strongly encourage readers to take a look at GFW’s Web presence, a stylish site that may continue to survive and that includes personal friends Kristen Williams and Patricia Hannigan, as well as other dynamic women’s golf writers as Ashley Mayo and Stina Sternberg.

While a niche magazine, Golf for Women had a strong niche, two decades of history and a solid readership that had grown more that 200,000 in the past decade. For women who love golf and those that love women’s golf, the magazine’s shutdown is a true loss. Still, one wonders whether GFW could have survived if Conde Nast had the same dedication to it as its readers and writers.

Read more here.

–WKW