PGA Merchandise Show Blog – The Exhibition

Day Two

While day one of the PGA Merchandise Show is all about hitting clubs at the demo day, days two and three are about the major manufacturers showing off by seeing who can make the most noise and essentially seeing who has the biggest stand.

As you might expect, after dominating the driver market in 2011, TaylorMade were at it again at the PGA Show. Not content with a stand, they opted for their own exhibition hall to show off their new Rocketballz line – including a 17-yard long tunnel to highlight their claim that the RBZ fairway wood is 17 yards longer than its predecessor. They also had interactive touch screen functions and a feature where you could get your photograph taken alongside a digital Dustin Johnson or Sergio Garcia as their caddie. In addition to the exhibition space, a backstage pass got TaylorMade’s closest friends and partners (about 1,500 of them in total) to their very own rock concert. To get a flavour of the day see the video by TaylorMade at the bottom of the page.

Cobra also looked to make a real statement of their younger, trendier image with a two-storey booth which featured a slide into a pit of orange balls and a resident DJ on site promoting the AMP range, while staff player Lexi Thompson looked the part in Puma’s clothing range.

Callaway’s catwalk to showcase their new 2012 clothing line-up was also well received. Callaway also had short-game guru and Odyssey ambassador Dave Pelz on site to give presentations and speak to the media about two new putter ranges – Metal X and FlipFace. We’ll have more information on both in an upcoming issue but as the name suggests, the FlipFace features a face with two inserts that can be swivelled round to suit a particular course and was certainly one of the more innovative concepts at the show.

At the Titleist and FootJoy area they were showcasing the new range of Titleist balls – two new NXT balls, a replacement SoLo and the new Velocity – as well as a new range of FootJoy clothing to be launched next month.

One of the most popular ranges at the show was the new Ping i120s with golfers queuing up on the indoor range to hit and see the product for the first time having seen it already make a splash in print and online media.

Wilson Staff also looked to catch the eye with the appearance of brand ambassador and self-styled “World’s Sexiest Golfer” Sophie Horn as well as fictional character Guy Johnson who appears alongside Padraig Harrington and Ricky Barnes in Wilson’s new TV advertising campaign.

Day Three

Once the manic nature of the opening exhibition day dies down, you get more of a chance to see something other than metal on the second day. Chief among the new launches is some new laser rangefinders coming from Bushnell which feature greater clarity and a much more visible targeting system.

The rest of the distance measuring device industry also got in on the act with GolfBuddy announcing two new devices – an update to their World Platinum and the Voice, a small clip-on GPS system with sound notification so you don’t even have to look at the screen.

SkyCaddie have announced an update to the SGX with the SGXw – a system with built-in WiFi to make updates easier while the Garmin G6 Approach already looks an improvement on their previous version.

The good news for GoreTex lovers is that Sunice also have a new range of waterproofs hitting the UK and they’re also bringing with it a stylish apparel range, which impressed. Druh Belts are also getting in on the act with a new apparel range hoping to capitalise on the success they’ve had on the waists of Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn and Robert Karlsson among many others.

More celebrity appearances included LPGA star Natalie Gulbis for Winn Grips and Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney for his new line of Crocs golf shoes, although these won’t be available in the UK for the moment.

Day Four

The final day of TG’s Orlando adventure included an appearance at the Cleveland/Srixon media day. The brand have recently launched a host of new product including the 588 Forged wedge and the Classic Driver and the media day at Shingle Creek GC allowed journalists to test product out on the course for the first time.