Thanks to my wonderful editors at Odyssey, I got a week off from writing in order to attend one of the best conventions to ever be a thing for golfers around the world: The PGA Merchandise Show. So I can safely assume you are asking this to yourself, what exactly is the PGA Merchandise Show? I am very glad you asked.
Long story short, the PGA Merchandise Show is a convention that happens once a year that gathers PGA professionals, golf retailers, golf media outlets, and many more people related to golf into one place to showoff all the new products that companies have to offer the golf consumer. This also gives the chance for PGA Professionals to network with other PGA Professionals to learn about new coaching, retailing, instructing, golf operations, and many more things related to golf clubs they would have never known in the past. Also, since is the one time a year retailers get to show off their new products to club pros, you'll often see meetings take place where the retailers will try to convince everyone to sell their products at their own clubs, all of this taking place in the West Concourse of Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, and since the entire building is used just for this convention, there are miles upon miles of things to check out golf wise when you get here. The reason why this convention is unique is that it is not open to the general public. You must have some sort of credentials to enter this amazing place, if not, you can pay a hefty amount to get in. This was the first year I actually received media credentials for this event, and with any type of credentials, you get in free, and the experience was definitely worth the application.
However, even before the PGA Merchandise Show starts, it begins on Tuesday with PGA Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Club and Lodge. With a 360 degree driving range, equipment manufacturers from all over claim a space for the patrons to experience their brand new products. I got the chance to go to every booth hitting every sort of new product, and the options out there for golfers is absolutely mind boggling. The crazy thing is, this is not even the start of the actual convention. Just as I thought it could not get better than this, oh boy I was incredibly wrong.
The next day was the 1st day of the convention, and remember when I said that the entire concourse is used for this entire event? Yeah, I never realized how big this building was. Miles upon miles of golf booths and exhibits to check out, from setups as large as Taylormade, to the even smaller newer manufacturers, the amount of companies to check out was honestly overwhelming. I used the 1st day to get fit into the newest equipment, and to check out all of the new products, and I would use the 2nd day for the rest of things I wanted to do. Although the conference was three days, I couldn't go that long without an ounce of practice.
The 2nd day was more geared to seminars and actual product testing. I attended a seminar by NextGenGolf CEO Kris Hart on coaching opportunities at the junior golf level, and it was probably one of the most interesting talks I have ever been to. Along with more product testing, I ended my time at the PGA Merchandise Show with a sense of wonder and motivation to stay in the game of golf.
The people I met during the convention, the knowledge I have learned, the products I have seen and tested, if you ever get the chance to go to the PGA Merchandise Show, please go, you will absolutely not regret it at all, or the $15 you have to pay for a daily parking pass.
