The PGA Merchandise Show

The first day of the PGA Merchandise Show was yesterday, but the true start of the show actually happened Wednesday at Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Club. If you have never been to Demo Day, imagine taking the biggest golf superstore and placing on a 35 acre 360 degree driving range and you have a little slice of heaven for the golfer who loves to hit every new club with every new shaft, as well as test out every teaching made to man.

While I feel there was nothing new that wowed me, the excitement of Demo Day was the return of Titleist. Titleist has been missing in action at the show for the past 4 or 5 years and this year made a comeback and came out swinging. Attendees had the opportunity to be a part of the Titleist experience by being able to hit all the entire 2009 product line, including the new 909 drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and the exciting new Vokey wedge line. If you want to make a difference in your game in 2009 I would suggest getting fit for a new driver with the Surefit System and getting fit for one of 14 different wedges each of which comes in three choices of bounce. Bob Vokey outdid himself this year.

The one thing that was clearly not missing from Demo Day was the presence of Trackman. Trackman is a radar based launch monitor that tracks the flight of the ball from impact all the way until it lands. Truly an awesome piece of equipment but at a price tag of $25,000 out of reach for most facilities. A few companies have produced less expensive models but the verrdict is still out on the quality of the data.

As in years past I had the opportunity to see Luther Blacklock the inventor of Explanar and a dear friend give a presentation. As always Luther managed to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats with his unique English humor, amazing ability to move the golf ball in any direction and his wonderful insight of the golf swing.

Thursday brought the official opening of the PGA Show which for me meant attending the official launch of the brand new ProV1 and ProV1x. While the PRoV1 family has had tremendous success since its inception in 2001 this years ball could quite possibly be the best ever. Some significant changes in material both inside the ball and the cover of the ball, both the Prov1 and ProV1x will fly further and have better control. When the weather gets nice be sure to pick up a sleeve and see the difference for yourself.

I spent the remainder of Thursday walking the show floor both visiting with companies I consider partners and looking for new and interesting products. Some of the new product came mostly from old friends. In March Fairway and Green will launch their new Dri Tech shirt. This is a shift for the company from the traditional knit shirt to a Performance based moisture wicking product. The shirt looked awesome, had a great feel and I am sure will perform well once the temperatures begin to head north. Another clothing release actually came from my friends at The Titleist Performance Institute. They released a line of workout apparel including tech t-shirts, shorts and long sleeve warm jackets that are sure to make that next workout feel that much more comfortable. If you are interested to see the new line check out www.mytpi.com. Another new and exciting product that you may have seen advertised on TV by Vijay Singh is The Golf Mat. The Golf MAt promotes more effective practice via a unique system that creates the same sensation of give at impact as taking a divot off natural grass. I hope to have The Golf Mat in both bays of the Learning Center by the end of February.

While their were many more products that were of interest the verdict is still out on how they can be included in my learning programs and so I will keep you updated as I learn more. Next week I will be at a two day seminar with the Titleist Performance Insitute completing my level one Golf Fitness Instructor certification. Look for updates around February 9th when I return.

PGA Merchandise Show Preview

Every January Golf Professionals from around the world gather in Orlando, FL for the PGA Merchandise Show. This year will be a quick trip but will give me an opportunity to spend sometime with Luther and Tony from Explanar Golf and also to visit with everyone from Titleist who are returning to the show for the first time in 5 or 6 years.

Upon arrival Wednesday I will head straight to Orange County National for Demo Day and then will spend all day Thursday at the Convention Center for Day One of the show. Be sure to check back Friday for a full update and pictures of the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show.