Sad news, indeed, in the media world with Conde Nast announcing the shuttering of Gourmet, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride magazines. In all cases, the large, privately-owned CN has other magazines in the same categories and the company has been suffering the same decline in ad pages and revenue that has decimated publishing the last few years. But the closing of a famous, well-regarded title like Gourmet has to put an extra scare into the already-frightened editors and business people who’ve tried, like yours truly, to make it in magazines the last few years. And for those of us of a certain age who remember a thriving, fun, and vital magazine industry, it’s just plain heart-breaking.

And what, if anything, does this mean for golf? Are the two big golf publications likely to suffer the same fate? Hard to tell, and the situations aren’t quite the same. But given what’s happening with Golf Magazine and Golf Digest (notably big drops in advertising), plus weakness in the golf biz, I would expect more changes, more scrambling, and more attempts to make those two once-successful magazines relevant again.

[Pause…] After that introduction, I spent a good hour trying to gather my thoughts about the two magazines, then decided that posting it would do no one any good at all. Whatever I write will be taken as sour grapes—a charge not without some merit—and there is no point trying to make enemies of friends, colleagues, and good people trying to make a living in a tough business.

That said, I expect changes to come in all the golf-related titles, which means not only GM and GD, but also Golf World and Sports Illustrated, as well as GolfWeek and a few others. I’m also curious to see what Links does to claw its way back and bring another voice and point of view to the table. But as the golf business has changed, so have readers and advertisers, as have perceptions of the game. (And how much of the good stuff is to be found online? A ton!) The magazines will have to change, too. A lot. And soon.

Or vanish.