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CANADA’S GOLF MAGAZINE

PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION 2008 • www.scoregolf.com

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HOT OFF THE FLOOR:We unveil the best-of-the-best in golf gear.

CHRONICLES OF A PGA SHOW ROOKIE:A folly-full account of one man’s first time at the Big Show.

SHOW OFFS:The show captured in photos.

A–Z:Entering the show full of Awe and ending it off with Zero Restrictions.

Exclusive to

http://www.scoregolf.com

http://www.golftown.com/LeaderBoard/?lang=en

Hot Off the FloorFrom under the blister-ing Orlando ConventionCenter lights come the10 hottest items in golfequipment and apparelfor 2008.

Chronicles of a PGAShow RookieThe first time isalways the worsttime — or so they say. BY JEFF LeMOINE

Show OffsNine full-page photos from the PGA Merchandise Show — brought toyou big time.

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PARtnershipsDespite it being agolf wonderland forall, at the end ofthe week, it’s allabout building thebusiness. BY RICK YOUNG

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From Awe to Zero RestrictionsEmploying the alphabet to bringyou the sights from the show.

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To those who have never beenthere, it’s almost impossible to

describe the gargantuan eventthat is the PGA Merchandise Show.

Figures — one million squarefeet of exhibit space, 40,000-plusattendees – don’t do it justice.

The world’s biggest golf equip-ment orgy might be a better, simpler description.

Each January, golf professionalsand the rest of us hangers-on,gather in the land of the Mouse to check out the new wares, seesome old friends and generallyratchet up the expense account.It’s a far cry from the early days of this extravaganza when a gaggle of equipment dealersopened up their trunks to sellsome new clubs to a few golf pros who showed up.

By my count, this was my 18th visit to the Big Show and

over the years, I’ve seen the debuts of items that have nowbecome commonplace in golf. It was in Orlando that I first metEly Callaway. At that time, he was hocking some hickory-shafted wedges from a 10-by-20foot booth. He was certainly the consummate salespersoneven then.

And a few years later, some-one pressed some small plasticcleats into my hand and told methat in a few years, everyonewould be wearing these on thesoles of their shoes and thatthere’d be no more metal spikes.I laughed at the very thought.

It was at this particular showthat I realized titanium was on the Periodic Table of Elements,much to the mortification of allmy chemistry teachers. And itwas here that someone told me

that a square driver really wouldhave me hitting straighter drives.

Of course not everything that’s unveiled in Orlando provessuccessful. One year, the exhibitspace was dominated by a largevolcano-like structure that housedwhat was to be the future ofbooking golf times. Bookfor-golf.com thought everyone wouldbe going to the Internet for tee times. Oops.

Lots of other companies haverisen and fallen over the years.Remember Orlimar and the tri-maraging face? They couldn’t keepthem in stock for a while. Samefor Adams’ Tight Lies fairwaywoods. They debuted here andeveryone had to have them. Butthey’re nowhere to be seen now.At least Adams is still around asa company, thriving actually.

These days, the golf business

has become a little more con-scious of the bottom line andsome of the obscenely lavishshindigs are no more. But therewas a time when every companytried to outdo the next.

One of the first years I ven-tured to the Sunshine State, there was a massive party host-ed by Spalding. (It’s not aroundanymore, having been swallow-ed up by Callaway.) Spladingrented a huge ballroom andthrew a casino night completewith dancing girls. About 5,000customers gambled and drank all night. About the same time,TaylorMade held a golf day andplanes carrying TaylorMade banners flew above the course.That wasn’t all — parachutersjumped out of the planes, descending on the course withsamples for everyone to try out.

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BY BOB WEEKS, Editor

http://bookforgolf.com



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Before Cobra was a part ofAcushnet, it had a booth thatcost more than $1 million thattook six days to erect. It had twofloors, a 60-foot high video wallon which it showed a RollingStones concert.

At golf outings surrounding theshow, I’ve played with everyonefrom Alice Cooper to Jim Thorpe.And I’ve interviewed the likes of Karsten Solheim (he startedPING), held the Claret Jug and partied at Mark O’Meara’s house.

But saner heads have prevailed, perhaps as a direct result of customers tighteningtheir belts or maybe just bymarketing departments workingsmarter. Some companies don’teven attend the show, prefer-ring to use their dollars in different ways. Titliest, PING,TaylorMade, Cleveland and

others have at various timestaken a pass, although Titleistwas the only one fully absentthis time around.

Even with some of the playersbeing MIA, it would still be hardfor anyone who walked throughthe doors of the Orlando CountyConvention Center to think for a

nano-second that the golf business was going through arough patch. Row after row afterrow of clubs, balls, training aids,clothing, shoes, gloves, shaftsand a few indescribable items arethere, with someone hoping tosell his or her story and productto those who are perusing.

And that’s the bottom line of why this show keeps going.Golfers are always looking for the next best thing, the solutionto their particular problem. Untilsomeone comes up with that,we’ll all keep going to Orlando.

The crowd’s at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show shouldhelp quell any fears that the industry is going through a rough patch.

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Hot off the floor We unveil our picks as the best-of-the-best from the Big Show.

CALLAWAY I-MIX DRIVER SYSTEMWhy we like it:Callaway’s version ofthe latest trend in driver adjustability gives youlots of choice — pickone of 22 heads and70 shafts to create thedriver for you.

WILSON STAFF FYBRID Why we like it: Addressesthe need for a club with thedistance of a wood and the playability of a hybridfrom the fairway.

ZERO RESTRICTION WHISPER SOFT TOUR LITE TRAVELER’S JACKET Why we like it: Obviously verywater proof (just ask Woody Austin)and when they say ‘Whisper Soft’ they mean it.

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MOMENTUS GOLF EEZ-READWhy we like it:The EEZ-Read workslike a level that you cantake with you to thepractice green. Just readthe direction bubbleand it will tell youwhich way the puttbreaks. It’s small, cheapand easy to use.

NIKE SUMO SQUARED 5900 DRIVER Why we like it: Reportedly Nike’s most accuratedriver yet with an even highermoment of inertia (M.O.I) forstraighter shots. New sound atimpact is more pleasing to the ear.

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PING NFLIGHT CUSTOM FITTING SOFTWARE Why we like it:The video game-likeanimations make club fitting easy for the average golfer to grasp.

ADIDAS POWERWEB COMPRESSION CLOTHING Why we like it: With specially placed power bands that help support posture and improve muscle alignment while helping to reduce fatigue, it’s like a nutritional supplement that you wear.

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PUMA SWINGGTX WITH SMART QUILL TECHNOLOGYSHOE Why we like it:A company likePuma, rich insoccer cleat history andtechnology, isbound to knowa thing aboutcreating a stable golf shoe. Plus it’s clearly stylin’. DUNNING GOLF

INTERFACE FX PIQUE POLO

Why we like it:Dunning’s seamless

marriage of technology and fashion comes

through in this shirt which features

UV protection and permanent moisture

management in an array of modern colours.


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http://www.redrockgolftrail.com

HONOURABLE MENTION Ashworth Organics

Callaway itour Golf BallClicgear Pull Cart

GEL PuttersCallaway Marx-man Chipper/Putter

Nike Golf IC PuttersSun Mountain Zero-G Golf Bag

BrushPro by FroggerThe Golf Mat

WINN PCi GripsGraphite Design YSQ Shaft

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Get your golf season off to an early start with Bob Weeks

and Canada's best Golf Magazine Show.

Beginning February 13th on

Check local listing for actual airtimes or visit ScoreGolf.com.

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By Jeff LeMoine

Welcome to the

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In mid-January I ventured toOrlando, Fla., to attend the

single largest golf equipmenttrade show in the world, thePGA Merchandise Show. Whatfollows is a first-person accountof that trip and an inside lookat an event that many golf fans never get to see.

I’d love to ask a PGA Tourrookie exactly what he wasfeeling after teeing off for thefirst time on Tour. I’d also like to think that his answer wouldmirror what I might say if heasked what I was feeling justafter stepping onto the floor ofthe 55th PGA Merchandise Showfor the first time.

Let’s take last year’s rookie of the year Brandt Snedeker andemploy him in a little fictionalconversation to illustrate thispoint:

ME: Thanks for doing this Brandt,good seeing you at the Orlandoshow.SNEDEKER: Do I know you? Youwere at the show?ME: Yeah, don’t you rememberme and my photographer, Chico,

blinding you from two feet awaywith dozens of camera flashes? SNEDEKER : Uh, yeah, whatever.Let’s get this over with, OK? ME: Sounds good Brandt, you daman!SNEDEKER : Right. So Jeff, the moment you stepped into theaisles of the PGA MerchandiseShow, can you describe what you felt?ME: I’ll do my best Brandt. It’s astrange high when you step upto the first tee. I mean … throughthe doors of the Orange CountyConvention Center. Exciting andnerve wracking at the sametime. You know?SNEDEKER : Uhh, right. You knowyou’re a golf writer and not anactual golfer, don’t you?ME: Ha — sure, sure. But isn’t thathow you felt the first tournamentyou played on the Tour? I bet itis, isn’t it?SNEDEKER : Since this is your fictional conversation, I’d have to say yes, yes that is exactlyhow I felt.

OK — back to reality. WhileBrandt Snedeker was at theBridgestone booth and while we

did capture his ultra-friendlysouthern portrait, he and I neverhad this conversation. But hadwe, my answers would havebeen the same.

For those in the golf business— retailers, pros, distributorsand others — this is theindustry equivalent toplaying alongsideTiger Woods in thelast group on Sundayat Augusta.

To help you understandthe scope of the world’slargest annual golf trade show,try this:

Imagine someone taking yourgolf bag into the middle of anNFL-sized stadium. He then poursa super-growth concoction — sortof like the one Roger Clemens isalleged to have taken — on yourgear. Suddenly your golf bagexpands, bulges and ex-plodes into over one millionsquare feet of interactiveexhibits covering every-thing from clubs andballs, to industry pre-sentations and apparel,all surrounded by a seaof hitting bays.


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Brandt Snedecker was just one of many tour players to make an appearance at the 55th PGA Merchandise Show.



Similar to playing your firsttournament — or any tournamentfor that matter — the weekstarted at the range.

You’d hit the range for theDemo Day to warm up a bit andget a feel for how you were hit-ting the ball. The big differencefrom a tournament? You leaveyour golf bag at home, you hit asmorgasbord of clubs and get at-tacked by every self-proclaimedswing aid guru out there for aslong as you can muster.

The reality of this week is that,similar to a tour player, you needa caddie.

And guess who wore the bib? Intrepid photographer Chico

Taeuschel snapped shots for thisonline digital magazine and Ihelped him decide whether topull a wide angle lens or normalone; whether to take a few extrasnaps in any one direction orwhether one was good enough.

While looking around for thebest picture we started to noticethat every tent and hitting baywas unique with colours repre-senting the various camps of themajor and minor players in theindustry. With all of the grandeur

of such tents as PING, which wasa massive area covered by a mo-bile roof, it is easy to lose sight ofthe diamonds in the rough at theOrange County National GolfClub’s oval range.

Case in point was GemspotJewelled Putters who literallyused diamonds to glam up theirflat sticks. The hope was to at-

tract the corporate gift giver’seyes although they were success-ful in catching many others. Theputters themselves left a lot tobe desired in performance, butwhen you adorn your productwith rare gems it becomesquickly evident that performanceisn’t your main selling feature.

At the other end of the spec-

trum there were companies forwhich function was the only aim,like Nickel Putters. The creation ofGerman engineer Werner Nickel,the putter plays well but there is


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The 100-plus hitting bays lining the circular range at the OrangeCounty National GC Demo Day were seldom empty.



much more to it. It not only re-trieves your ball from the hole orgreen, it also includes a self-in-serting and self-retrieving ballmarker to prevent you from everhaving to bend over. Obviouslyaimed at elderly golfers withphysical limitations, the R&A- andUSGA-approved putter could be

the next best thing. Of course, itcould also be the next best dealat your local flea market.

No matter, the Demo Day waseye-opening and a great warm-up. But the tournament portion ofthe show (if you will), housedwithin over one million squarefeet of real estate, awaited.

Badges scanned, you aresucked into the vortex of over 10miles of show aisles. Industry pro-fessionals from around the world(the largest foreign contingentcomes from Canada) budget forthe world’s biggest show to armthemselves with the latest knowl-edge, equipment offerings andapparel there is to offer.

Despite the hurricane of over-whelming activity that sat beforeus, we ran headlong in.

When you have one day to ex-plore a show this size you don’tbrowse, you power walk. Fromthe indoor range area with over40 hitting bays, through the clubarea, gadgets-carts-and-indefin-able section and into the apparelsection, it’s a full-out race.

Like the sense of calm thatmust overcome a PGA Tour rookiewhen he sees a familiar face inthe gallery for the first time, I’dbe lying if I said that the sight ofa Canadian company amidst thesea of booths wasn’t comforting.Sunice provided this beacon oflight. The well-known Montrealcompany has made more stridesthis year in its apparel offeringsand the bustle of business withinits bright white booth reflectedthat.

But as welcoming as the viewwas from within the booth it wastime to jump back into the on-coming traffic and continue ourjourney. It was time to get off thefloor and into the rafters.

Bill, a semi-retired securityguard working the show with asense of humour about heights,would be our guide to the cat-walks well above the show floor.


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ABOVE: Bending over to mark andretrieve your ball is a thing of thepast with the Nickel Putter.

LEFT: A view from high above thefloor puts into perspective the truesize of the show.



Like a sherpa, Bill escorted usup, way up. Chico had insisted wetry to get onto the catwalks andthat “these would be greatshots,” but once we began tra-versing the narrow passagessome 50 feet above the showfloor, I began to wonder — justhow much different the Sundogbooth would look from up here. Ialso wondered if danger pay wassomething I needed to discusswith my employer.

The view you get from abovethe show floor truly gives you anappreciation for the size of theevent as well as the complexitybehind the construction and cre-ation of the booths. Massive sig-nage must be hung from up hereby braver soles than I as well assecurity cameras to prevent theloss of product. Five-finger dis-counting has apparently beenvery common among attendeesfrom neighbouring booths inyears past.

When on the show floor (andnot playing Spiderman in therafters) the event becomes a liv-ing breathing entity. Everythingmay be swung, hit, worn andtested to your heart’s delight.

Every booth is interactive. As asmall example of this, I tried ontwo pairs of shoes (drooled over athird — the Puma Swing GTX withSmart Quill Technology, Puma’snew model that has adapted soc-cer cleat technology by addingpermanent cleats) hit six driversincluding the Wilson Staff Spineand Nickent 3DX; took two puttersfor test drives, one of whichlooked like a West Coast Chopperon a shaft but had all the feeling

of a Campbell’s Soup tin, and wasfitted for a Bridgestone ball. Andall this in just over an hour. If youwere attending the show all threedays just imagine the blisters onyour hands. It may in fact feel asif you’d just played four straightrounds. We were there for oneand it had come to an end.

Chico’s trigger finger hadbegun to cramp and the sun hadbegun to set late in our PGA Showexperience. That and security was

beginning to usher us out. Andjust like a Tour rookie might havedifficulty explaining how he feltthe first time he played in theShow, I realized just how hard it isto fully explain what this showwas all about … if only you couldsneak in. If you decide to try,wear three pairs of socks, stretchwell before embarking and checkthe doors at the back of the con-vention centre — one may just bepropped open for you.


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RIGHT: Mark Fletcher ofFletcher Leisure Group assistsa prospective buyer at theSunice booth.

ABOVE: Wilson’s Spine driver was surely one of the most unique clubsat this year’s show.



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STEP RIGHT UP The Demo Day at Orange County National GC isno place to get shy about teeing off in front ofhundreds of your peers.

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FASHION OVER FUNCTIONTaking a break fromhitting bays withsome of the hottestnew fashions in golffor 2008.

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HAVE A BALLWith over 100 hitting bays at the outdoor demoday and 41 indoors at the convention centreballs were a flyin’ all week.

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IS THIS THING ON?PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem pays close attention to a questionbeing asked during the U.S. Golf Economic Study Forum being held onthe PGA Equipment Forum Stage.

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ANYONE SEENHAN SOLO?No it’s no thecockpit of the Millennium Falcon,but Nike’s area onthe range wassurely the mostout of this world.

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THESE GIRLS LOOK GOOD!Apparently Paula Creamer isn’t the only onewith a pink sharpie.

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A PODIATRIST’S NIGHTMARE Let’s see, 45,000-plus people at the show,that’s over 90,000 feet trying on shoes and a lot of toe jam.

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TUNE INAND TEE UP!Full-colourtechnology hashelped bringbalance to thepredominantlygreen world of golf.

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G IS FOR GOLDMINEAt least that is what the creators of The Ground, a custom,portable club stand for the range, were hoping wouldcome from the introduction of their colourful gadget.

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An A-ZGuide of the 2008 PGA Merchandise ShowWhen show organizers say you’ll find everything from A to Z at the show they’re not exaggerating. Here’s how we rounded out the alphabet when in Orlando.

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AWEThe feeling you get when you first enter the halls of the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show.A

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BALL FITTING Ball fitting from

companies such as Bridgestone gets

industry typesthinking more about

the balls they’re hitting and selling to

their customers.

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DOILY Not your average doily or your

average $10,000 diamond studded putter from Gemspot Jewelled Putters.

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COMMOTION It’s what you find no matterwhere you turn at the show’s Demo Day.

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ZELEMENT 21 Not only an emerging Canadian golf club company,E21 displayed its high-quality line of fishing rods to the industry.

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GRINDER Sundog’s latest Mike Weir

model of performance sunglasses debuted at the show.

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FASHION FAIRWAY Runway or fairway, the show had attendees covered no matter what area of the industry they came from. F


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HOT ROD Some guys just like to attract attention on the golf course. For them, Hot RodPutters presented an entirely differentkind of flat stick.

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JUSTIN ROSE Justin Rose was all smiles

signing autographs for fans at the adidas Golf booth.

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INTERCHANGEABLE Nickent’s offering —the 4DX Evolver — in the increasinglytalked about inter-changeable shaft technology category on display for all to see. I


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KINESIOLOGY Bionic takes

getting a grip onyour game to a

new level by pouring science

into its gloves and spreading

the word duringdemo day.

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MR. OGILVY TO YOU! Looking good and playing good

go hand-in-hand for Ogilvy shownhere promoting Puma apparel.

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LIJA Another in the list of Canadian clothing companies setting the trend in golf fashion from the apparel wing of the show.

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PERSPECTIVE Fifty feet above the

show floor, one’s per-spective on the size

of the show definitelychanges.

PORANGE COUNTY NATIONAL GC Talk about being in the spotlight. First the site of the 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School and now the PGA Show Demo Day. O


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QUAGMIRE One of only six companies in the ‘Q’

section of the show directory. But the onlyone with a uniquely Canadian-cool style.

Q SMART QUILL Puma’s Swing

GTX shoes withSmart Quill cleats

could also be listed under ‘P’ for

porcupine and ‘I’ for innovation.

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RAFTERS Not a place where you want to hang out for too long at the show if you hate heights. Plus how would youtry any clubs?

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VIBRANT There was no shortage of colour in the apparel

halls of the show.

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UNDERSTANDING Plenty of opportunity to gain just that atone of the many industry presentationshappening at the show.

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Wilson Spine.

XTENSOR You’ve got to hand it to the Xtensor

Grip Strenghtner (couldn’t resist) — for being one of the wackiest

products at the show.

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ZIP Nada, zilch, nothing,squat — the name of thenew zero compressionball from Wilson-Staff.

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Y YMPACT Pronounced

“impact”, True Ympact golf

presents anothergroundbreaking gizmo that will

help you keep thatwrist straight.


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PARtnerships Behind the glitz and glamour of the PGA Merchandise Show is the root of its very existence: business.

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Frank Thomas’ recommendationmade the difference. “Go see those people,” the for-

mer USGA technical director toldme when speaking of a teachingaid called Speed Stik. “Vijay lovesit. Works with it all the time.”

Teaching aids have never beenhigh on the priority list. A fewshort years ago I’d have passedoff Speed Stik as simply anothercompany selling hope, for $99.95.

I don’t think that way any-more. Improved technologies andscience have forged their wayprominently into this category.

Today, self-help swing productshave the ability to improvegolfer’s games (albeit only ifthey’re used correctly and withsome measure of consistency).

Thus, based on Thomas’ adviceand seeing it in Vijay Singh’s bagat the Presidents Cup, Speed Stikwent down on the agenda onDay One of the 55th PGA Mer-chandise Show.

What transpired from thatvisit paints an accurate portrayalof what can and often doeshappen on the floor of Orlando’sOrange County Convention Centereach January.

Along with Singh, the com-pany’s lead endorser, I learnedfrom Speed Stik co-owner NaomiElizondo that the product is usedby dozens of touring profession-als all over the world.

Jose Maria Olazabal’s companydistributes the product in Spain;Stuart Appleby has the rights inAustralia; Shigeki Maruyama hasthem in Japan and K.J. Choi hasthe rights in Korea.

No kidding? “Actually, K.J. Choi’s wife is

president of Speed Stik Korea,”smiled Elizondo. “Every pennyshe and K.J. make off Speed Stikthey give to charity in their homecountry.”

Already that morning the com-pany had firmed up agreementswith distributors in the Nether-lands and Switzerland, made akey contact in South America and

talked to two renowned teachersabout bringing Speed Stik intotheir golf academies.

However one key marketneeded addressing.

“The most calls we get aboutSpeed Stik are from people in


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With more players like Vijay Singhand K.J. Choi using self-help swingproducts the category has becomemore profitable than ever.



Canada,” she said. “We had adistributor but it didn’t work out.Maybe you can help us get theword out up there,” Elizondocontinued.

That is merely one story amid1,250 represented golf vendorsspread over 10 miles of showaisles.

With more than 45,000 atten-

dees and media representationfrom around the world, Orlando’sannual equipment fest is not justabout writing business.

It’s about networking, aboutmaking deals, breaking deals,about product unveilings, newtechnologies, tour signings, cor-porate administrative moves,mergers and changes in strategicdirection.

“If you have a new technologyor a product like I-Mix whywouldn’t you want to launch ithere,” Callaway Golf’s senior VPof product development JeffColton, explained about his com-pany’s new interchangeable club-head/shaft system. “There arethousands of pros, you guys (themedia) are here. It’s the perfectbusiness setting.”

Clearly, many companieswould agree.

Sunice, the renowned outer-wear brand owned and operatedby Montreal’s Fletcher LeisureGroup, announced at the showthat its trademarks in the U.S.had been purchased by Ash-worth.

According to new AshworthCEO Allan Fletcher (also the head


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Sunice annouced at the show that Ashworth has purchased itstrademarks in the U.S. whichshould help the brand continue to flourish.



of FLG), acquiring the Sunicetrademarks shores up thecompany’s business platformand provides Callaway Golf(whose line of branded apparelis manufactured exclusivelyby Ashworth) with potentialenhancements to its outerwearproduct.

“This allows them (Ashworth)to acquire the U.S., U.K., Irelandand Europe (rights) and put out a dedicated new line of Suniceapparel in those markets,”Fletcher said. “We’re excitedabout its prospects.”

Calgary’s Sundog has routinelyused the PGA Merchandise Showas the launch pad for productunveilings. This year, Sundogstaff player Paula Creamershowed off the next generationof Paula Creamer by SundogEyewear.

“I love the new products. Iloved being involved with theirdesign,” Creamer said at thelaunch. “They’re very functionalon the golf course but they’realso fashionable. That’s importantin the women’s market.”

Previously a minor player onthe show floor, apparel and out-

erwear has overtaken hard goodsas this show’s dominant theme.

Incumbent companies suchas Zero Restriction, DunningGolf, Tehama, IZodG, Ahead, LIJA,Fairway & Greene and newcom-ers such as Quagmire Golf infuselife into this show and promi-nently showcase the technologyfabrication and fashion sensibilitydominant in the industry today.

It’s also a place to perhapsadd to a company’s tour staffand endorsement portfolio.

Toronto-based Quagmireengaged in conversations inOrlando with a number of playersand agents including Unionville,Ont., native J.C. Deacon, a formerU.S. Amateur semifinalist whoplays on the Canadian Tour.

“I love what these guys canoffer,” Deacon explained. “Theyhave a great line, very uniqueand they’re awesome to workwith. We’re going to see whereit goes. There’s a definite buzzabout them in the industry


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Sundog Eyewear’s booth whichfeatured the next generation ofPaula Creamer sunglasses, made a definite impact in Orlando.



right now.”Clearly, the merchandise

show’s biggest buzz was pro-vided by Callaway, TaylorMade

and Nickent, all of whom jumpedon the USGA’s recent club ad-justability amendment.

All three major companies willbring out their packaged versionsof interchangeable clubheadsand shafts affording golf con-sumers Tour Van capability intheir garage or basement laterthis year.

“Instead of just a fitting device,we have a commercial opportu-nity under the new rule changewith these interchangeable sys-tems,” says Callaway’s Colton.“It gives the golfer the opportu-nity to optimize their equipmentevery time they head out for agolf course.”

For a company such as PING,which is not on the adjustabilitybandwagon, the show alsoproved a windfall for a nextgeneration of its key businessfoundations — custom fitting.

PING’s ‘nTouch’ software isarguably the most intricate,detailed custom fitting platformever brought to the golf industry,one the Phoenix-based companyconcluded it required to maintainits position as the game’s customfitting leader.

“Our competition has donesome good things with fitting,”PING CEO John Solheim explained.“It was time for us to respond.For the people we’ve put throughnTouch here they can’t sayenough about it.”

Under the banner of what’sold is new again, MacGregorventured to Orlando looking towipe the slate clean and startover.

Greg Norman, who has as-sumed chairman duties for oneof golf’s most traditional names,proudly displayed the company’snew MT line of products andBobby Grace putters at a pressconference.

Vowing to return the legendarybrand to its authentic roots,Norman had this to say:

“It’s a new era for MacGregorGolf. We’re happy to be here atthe PGA Merchandise Show toprove to everyone that this brandis strong, it’s got history and it’sgot a future in this industry.”

When the PGA MerchandiseShow reconvenes again next yearyou can be certain of this much:MacGregor will be there. Why?Because it’s the place to be.


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Greg Norman was all smiles during a press conference at thePGA show announcing his new involvement with MacGregor Golf.



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