PGA Merchandise Show 2014 Preview
The 61st PGA Merchandise Show opens Tuesday in Orlando and Scratch is here with your official Rock Head preview! This year the show has expanded to fill one million square feet of space – that’s nearly 10 miles of show aisles! Nearly 1,000 leading golf companies and brands will be there representing all 50 states and 75 countries. The PGA estimates that “more than 40,000 influential PGA Professionals, manufacturing executives, VIP retailers, industry leaders & top decision-makers” will attend. If you want to see what’s new in golf equipment, apparel, and accessories, it’s the place to go. It focuses on every aspect of golf – retail, operations, clubhouse utilization, course maintenance, clubhouse maintenance, financing, marketing, training and employment opportunities. It’ll also feature the country’s largest indoor golf range and equipment test center for hands-on testing of the newest and greatest equipment.
As in past years, the show will kick off Tuesday with PGA Show Outdoor Demo Day with It features more than 100 top golf-equipment companies, training aids, performance-wear manufacturers and golf-accessory companies. Over 200 hitting bays, practice greens and the vendor village fill the entire 42-acre practice facility at Orange County National Golf Center.
The show continues Wednesday through Friday inside the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. What’ll we see this year? Golf Digest suggests not just new gear, but a new vibe. Rather than bemoaning the state of the economy, writer E. Michael Johnson suggests that we’ll see an emphasis on dialogue and how to grow the game. “Conversations now include discussions about how to grow the game and engage more golfers. There will be educational seminars led by experts from Disney on customer service and Turner Sports in social media plus five outdoor instructional workshops from some of the top instructors in the game will give pros added tools to work with.” And if anyone knows how to grow and maintain a customer base, it’s Disney.
Brands have not released many details about their new products, but here’s what we know will be featured so far:
-“PING will provide an exclusive preview and demonstration of their new fitting tools and equipment, including the i25 Series, Karsten irons and Karsten TR putters…”
–Bridgestone Golf will be “unveiling its new B330 golf balls and a yet to be revealed first for the brand, in its line of clubs.”
-“Nike Golf will showcase their new VRS Covert 2.0 line of drivers, fairway, hybrids and irons, as well as their new line of Method putters and provide equipment testing opportunities on the range and putting green.”
–Cobra Golf will feature its new “BiO CELL and BiO CELL+ clubs” aas well as the new Puma LiteStyle™ footwear platform and new Puma apparel.
–Callaway Golf will exhibit its full line of golf equipment including the recently announced X2 Hot line of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons.
-TaylorMade is attending the show but has not announced what items it will be featuring.
Check out this preview from Golf Channel’s Morning Drive show below and keep an eye on the RBG blog and Facebook for all the latest PGA Merchandise Show news!
