Finally. A serious magazine for serious golfers.

Pro golfers spend their entire lives honing their skills for the right to compete with the best players in the world. They do it for a living. They do it for money.

An amateur golfer, however, is the purist kind of golfer. You play simply for the love of the game, just as the great Bobby Jones did. You perfect your talents on the side - using your free time and your disposable income - while making a living at your day job.

Houston Links is all about you.

Make no mistake. This is a serious local golf magazine for Houston-area golfers like you who are serious about your golf game. Serious about improving your game. Serious about the history of the game. Serious about the rules of the game. And hungry for information that will help you achieve your goals.

It has been a long time coming. Most newspaper, magazine and TV coverage perpetuates the misconception that the golf world revolves around the axis of pro golfers. But it really revolves around you.

Think about it for a minute. The reason Tiger Woods gets multi-million dollar endorsement deals is that his sponsors are banking on you buying their products. The reason pros play for multi-million tournament purses is because you buy the tickets or you watch every minute on TV or you buy every instructional video they produce.

The pros you see on TV, on the other hand, never pay a dime for a set of clubs, a dozen balls, green fees or monthly dues, and never pay to get their clubs fitted or re-shafted.

Lastly, here are a few stats from the National Golf Foundation for you to consider. Core golfers - adults who play at least eight rounds a year - make up just 47 percent of the nation's 25 million adult golfers. But, get this: you account for 91 percent of all rounds played and 87 percent of golf-related spending. That equates to more than $20 billion in market clout that you wield.

Our goal at Houston Links is to provide you a monthly publication that informs you, educates you, profiles people like you, and, in general, makes you proud to be a part of this great game. Houston has such a rich golf history and is home to thousands of golfers who consider golf - and the friends they play golf with - a very important part of their lives.

There are so many great stories to tell, and we can't wait to share them with you. Stories about how golf plays an important role in the lives of them and their families, and how it has contributed to their success.

We want to provide value to you in your pursuit of a better game, and we want you to look forward learning something new, something valuable, with each edition. Our staff is comprised of career journalists and career amateur golfers. This is the kind of magazine we always dreamed of reading. From that standpoint, we are in the same boat with you.

Houston Links is all about you.