Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc. removed the 'interim' from the title of new CEO Martin Hanaka. Mr. Hanaka had been serving as interim CEO since January 9, 2008, and has been chairman of the board since April 2007. 
 
“I am excited to lead this high-quality organization, with its respected brands and broad geographic footprint, into the future,” said Mr. Hanaka. “Despite a challenging operating environment, I believe favorable demographic trends, coupled with our ability to lead the consolidation of the off-course retail sector, will continue to provide Golfsmith with substantial growth opportunities.”


Noel Wilens, chair of the Golfsmith board of directors nominating and compensation committees, said, “We were thrilled when he joined our Board in 2007 and are very pleased to have Marty, with his years of operational experience, lead the execution of Golfsmith’s growth strategy. We believe that Golfsmith has the right ingredients to achieve our long-term vision, and, after a thorough search, we determined along with Marty that he would be the optimal CEO.”


Mr. Hanaka became the chairman of the board of Golfsmith in April 2007. He was the chairman of the board of The Sports Authority, Inc. from November 1999 until June 2004 and was its CEO from September 1998 until August 2003. Mr. Hanaka joined The Sports Authority, Inc.’s board of directors in February 1998. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Hanaka served as president, COO and a director of Staples, Inc. Mr. Hanaka currently serves on several other public and private company boards.