Editor’s Note: Brickyard Crossing PGA Head Professional Jeff Schroeder attended the 55th PGA Merchandise Show from Jan. 17-19 in Orlando, Fla., a huge gathering of PGA Golf Professionals to preview new merchandise for the upcoming season. This is the final installment of Schroeder’s blogs sharing his impressions of “The Show.”
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The 2008 Show is in its last day, and, as usual, a lot of the attendees come early and then try and sneak out and play some golf if their schedules allow. Today the aisles are not as crowded, so moving around is a lot easier. I’m going to head down to the new product display area and see what’s new.
The new product section is always kind of fun because you see some good new products, and you also see some products that make you wonder, “What are they thinking?”
In the new product area, you see everything from teaching devices to facial masks for skin care. Some of the more innovative products come from the teaching aid area.
Launch monitors seem to be abundant this year. The launch monitor enables a teacher to analyze his students’ swing with some key points. The teacher can see at what angle the ball was launched off the clubface, along with the spin rate of the ball. It also will tell the swing path of the club.
Players do not realize how important it is to have the correct launch angle and spin rate to play better. Launch monitors can range in price from $2,000 all the way up to the most expensive, which is Track Man at $35,000.
Other items being promoted this year are tees. Yes, tees.
Companies are producing tees that guarantee 4 to 8 more yards of distance. Some are very thin, like the Stinger tee. Others are made of biodegradable materials for the environment. Most of these tees have little or no lip on the top of the tees to prevent friction.
There also was a whole table full of health care products for golfers. Included were a facial mask you put on before play that leaves a coating of sunscreen, and there was a small bottle of energy drinks along with energy bars for the front nine and back nine.
And now for my favorite, which gets the “What are they thinking?” award. The product is called At Your Feet. It’s a small LED digital readout that you attach to the top of your golf shoe that scrolls across golf tips. I have a tip for you: Go see your local PGA Professional for a lesson.
After moving out of the new product section, I walked up and down the aisles to see if I had missed anything that we might need for the upcoming golf season. After a few miles of walking, I did observe something. About five to seven years ago, there were only about two GPS companies providing products for golf courses. Now there are about 10 or more. The Brickyard was one of the first courses in Indiana to have GPS on its carts.
There also seems to be a resurgence of smaller golf club companies promoting and selling their products. It looks like the interchangeable club systems might have brought a lot of these companies back.
Remember, you as a consumer can buy clubs with interchangeable shafts that are within the rules of golf. Although this seems to be the rave this year, some larger companies are only offering in their club fitting systems for the professionals to custom-fit their customers.
The 2008 Show has ended, and it is has been a pleasure bringing you a few of the highlights this year. There is everything here imaginable for a golfer, from new clubs to shirts that keep your body 2 degrees cooler.
Who would have thought that some 50-plus years ago, a gathering of golf professionals and vendors selling their goods out of the trunks of their cars would turn into 500,000 square feet of showplace with the latest and greatest from the golf industry?
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing