By, Brian Beaky, CG Editor
Without a doubt, the single most significant event of the year in the golf world is not the Masters, the U.S. Open or any of the game’s major tournaments. Indeed, the event that does more to shape the way the game will be played over the next 12 months does not even take place on a golf course, nor is it held during the peak summer months, when the total number of recreational rounds played is at its highest and the battle for major championships dominates the airwaves. No, the golf world’s most significant event of the year takes place largely off the mainstream media radar, in a convention hall in late January, when the Northern half of the country is still digging out from under snowdrifts, donning the rain gear for another cold, wet round, or planning a winter getaway to warmer climates. We’re talking about the annual PGA Merchandise Show, at which the golf world’s leading manufacturers and exhibitors engage in an annual game of one-upsmanship, each rolling out their newest clubs, balls and bags in an attempt to capture the attention of worldwide golf writers and consumers, and establish their product as “The Must-Have Product Of The Year.” Imagine one million square feet of space filled with more than 1,200 exhibits from the biggest names in golf, massive indoor hitting cages featuring clubs hot off of the manufacturing line, indoor putting greens, chipping areas, lesson space with leading PGA pros and more. With more than 10 miles of aisles to walk, the PGA Show is like Disneyland for driver buffs, or the Louvre in knickers and argyle socks – you literally can’t see it all in one day. For merchandisers, the PGA Show is a make-or break weekend – with an attendee list that reads as a “who’s-who” of the golf world, the excitement generated by a strong debut for a new club can lead to increased publicity, increased demand from consumers and retailers, and, ultimately, millions of dollars in profit. For the rest of us, the show represents a first look at the clubs and equipment that will define the golf landscape in the coming year, and a renewed hope that the industry’s top developers have finally designed that club that will permanently fix the various swing ailments that keep us from consistently breaking par. All the buzz at last year’s PGA Merchandise Show was about interchangeable-shaft drivers, and we dedicated two pages to the technology in our April 2008 issue. At Cascade Golfer, though, we pride ourselves in keeping our readers ahead of the game. Maybe it’s the Northwest in us – like you, we’re not content simply reacting to trends, preferring instead to make our own informed decisions about what’s best. That’s why this winter, rather than wait to see to what the world tells us to be excited about at 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, we picked up the phones and dialed a few of our favorite manufacturers to get the inside scoop on the new releases they’ll be showcasing in January. They’ve given us a sneak peek at the technology that will redefine the golf landscape in 2009, and we’ve selected a few of our favorites for review. Without a doubt, the products we’ve chosen to list here — from Callaway’s sports-car evoking FT-iQ driver to SunMountain’s ongoing mission to create a weightless golf bag — will be among those you’ll be reading about in the pages of Golf Digest and seeing on the Golf Channel next spring. Whether or not they fix that slice … well, that might still be up to you.
