BogeyLounge: MERCHANDISE SHOW Archives

August 29, 2006

It's never too early to start thinking about the PGA Merchandise Show

It may only be August, but my mind is already wandering to next year's PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. That's where you'll find ~~just about~~ every possible piece of golf gear, apparel, instructional aid, and golf related service on display for the golfing industry.

I recommend it for any of you interested in golf gear because my experience at the Show was akin to my first trip to Disney World as a kid (ironically both milestones were in Orlando and just 25 years apart).

This year, me and Mrs. Bogeyman are expecting our first born during the same time, so my associate Robert may get the Orlando nod. Lucky for him, unless that is I decide to bring a few day old little BogeyBaby with me to the show.

Anyway, I've started a category dedicated to the 2007 PGA Merchandise Show, and fittingly Callaway is the first topic to be covered. I say fittingly because Callaway had one of the bigger exhibits at last year's show.

This year's show is scheduled for January 25-28, 2007 at the Orlando Convention Center.

Read: Callaway Golf to Participate in 2007 PGA Merchandise Show

February 2, 2006

QOLF: Improve your game while putting one over the wife

Sure you could spend time with the kids playing horse shoes, gathering fireflies, or shooting clay pigeons but what good would that be for your golf game.

QOLF is the golfer's answer to stupid lawn games that do nothing to help you win junk bets from your weekly foursome. You set up the course, and using your own wedges, play a round of golf in under 30 minutes. The wife will be suspicious at first, but once the kids get gigglin', she'll see your intentions are honorable.

Finally a product that improves both your game and family harmony.

More info: Qolf - The off-course golf game!

February 1, 2006

Nickent Golf : What are they thinking?

Based on what I've seen, Nickent Golf is heading in the right direction. Great looking clubs (although the jury is still out on the Pipe Putter) backed by some serious engineering and technology. Good design in regards to logos, brochures, website, retail displays, and trade show booths.

Nickent Golf has every ingredient needed to get golfers excited about their products save for one very important detail. The big name endorser.

An endorser. A real, honest to goodness face of the company that says, "this gear is ready for the big time!" Sure they can put out all the press releases they want about Darrell survey results and being the #1 hybrid on the Nationwide tour or #3 on the PGA Tour. That's all great and a testament to their "Cinderella" story, but when you've got a chance to get to the next level, you gotta grab it, and having a hockey player (Jeremy Roenick) as your lead endorser does nothing for "Joe Golfer" who looks to pro golfer validation to feel good about club selection.

Regardless of how stupid it is to buy clubs based on what some guy (or gal) gets paid to associate their name to, it is an important detail, particularly for a new (and relatively unknown company).

Somewhere there is a Nickent marketing executive telling his bosses that they don't need to follow what everyone else has done in order to be successful... I beg to differ.

Here are some quotes from Nickent's website regarding their association with Roenick. Read them and tell me how any of this would help persuade you to play these clubs. He's not a golf pro, and his not your common weekend hacker, so I don't see where he fits in connecting with your typical golf consumer.

I really hope this isn't the case of someone at Nickent being a hockey fan smitten with the idea of a Roenick association... It would be a shame for a company that is so close to the top of the mountain.

"Jeremy represents the kind of customer that is buying our golf clubs,” said Lee. “He’s been playing a lot more golf lately due to the NHL lockout and he was looking for clubs that provide feel, forgiveness and power all in one."

"Not that Roenick needs any help with distance. He hits his driver well over 300 yards on average. He stated that he needed clubs that could handle his 135 mph swing speed, but that also kept him in the fairway."

"This success on Tour led to numerous celebrities playing their clubs, and the Nickent Marketing Department stated they thought they could get more mileage from a celebrity than by following the industry norm and signing a Tour player."

More info: Nickent Golf [official website]

Always RedE to play?

So you're on a trip without your clubs or shoes and you get a chance to play. Sure you can rent clubs, but how about shoes? You gonna be one of those clowns who play in their sneaks or dress shoes?

With RedE Golf there's no need to buy another pair of golf shoes or slip and slide around the course in your loafers.

Just keep a sheet of the tacky (i'm talking about the stickiness of the product, you make your own judgements about how they look) RedE nubs handy and you're just a few minutes from turning any shoe into a pair of golf shoes.

Just when I thought I had seen it all.

More info: RedE Golf - Always RedE to Play!

January 31, 2006

Big Break V: Meet the ladies and enjoy the show

First of all, when I posted "Sex Sells... but should it have to?" on December 9th, I was taking the Golf Channel to task for using their contestants in a swimsuit calendar to promote the upcoming Big Break V from Hawaii.

I wrote, "Yes, sex sells... but if you are a golf network that needs to show women in bathing suits to get ratings for a golf competition reality series, maybe you should be coming up with different programming."

That being said... I don't have a problem with swimsuit calendars. I don't have a problem with women competing in a golf reality series. And after getting a chance to meet the ladies of BBV at the PGA Merchandise Show, I certainly don't have a problem with the very fine (and fine looking) ladies of the BBV. I was so impressed, in fact, that I've added a BBV category to the Lounge where I'll link to all the stories I can find on the contestants.

After spending some time with their bios it is clear that TGC has compiled a strong list of accomplished golfers for their semi-annual golf competition.

At the PGA Show, the six ladies signing autographs and meeting golf fans were cordial, sincere, and just thrilled to be a part of all the excitement.

I wonder if you can read anything into just 6 of the 11 being at the show? Could it be that the others were early exits? Anyway, I'll be watching and rooting for all of them as the show kicks-off Tuesday, February 7 at 9 PM/ET.

I know, what would a Bogey post on the Big Break be without talking about the "hottie" level of the contestants? That being said, of the 6 ladies there (Jeanne, Katie, Ashley, Kristina, Kim, & Jo D) all were cute, but I thought Jeanne and Kristina were certainly the cream of the crop.

I still don't think TGC should have gone the swimsuit route to promote great golfers, but I'll be the first to hang one on my wall. My principles may be high, but not so much that I can turn my back on hot golfers.

As always, Stay Tuned...

Read: Big Break V Preview [The Golf Channel]

January 30, 2006

Back from Golf Nirvana (Next year, a better game plan)

For someone like me who really enjoys a trip to the local golf shop to putz around and waste some time (and usually money), a trip to the PGA Merchandise Show can be quite an out-of-body experience.

My initial intentions were to roam the show floor and go find a quiet space to post from every couple hours, but that just didn't work out due to the overwhelming nature of the show. A better plan would have been to cut up my days into half or quarter days with predetermined topics being covered (i.e. Training Aids, Putters, Drivers, Balls, Apparel, eyewear) and posted on said topics.

Since I was only able to be at the show for a day and a half and wanted to see everything, I instead took a different approach and wandered about taking it all in and coming back with over 200 brochures for products and services that I have no doubt will serve as great content here at the Lounge for many a weeks to come.

I was able to meet a ton of vendors with great (and some not-so-great) products and plan to follow up with them in the next few weeks in order to do some new product features here at the Lounge.

Until I'm able to settle back in here today and edit some of the photos and info into posts, here are some story links from the media who covered the event.

PGA Show displays new merchandise
Larry Durland - GalvestonDailyNews.com
"It’s necessary to study the show directory to get a feel for what’s here and ideas for what to visit. Time does not permit visiting a lot of them because of sheer numbers. For example, the directory lists 33 exhibitors under the tees classification, 30 exhibitors under grips and 23 exhibitors listed under ball retrievers. A golfer in good condition could spend days looking at exhibits and trying out equipment on the huge driving range and putting green in one end of the hall."

PGA Show is a circus-like atmosphere
Jason Sobel - ESPN.com
The event covers 1.1 million gross square feet of the Orange County Convention Center. And if you were to walk every aisle, you'd log a total of 10 miles -- all while being weighed down by more brochures, handouts and tchotchkes than you could ever hope to pore through.

Little guys pitching ideas at Show
Chris Stevenson, OTTAWA SUN
Get off the beaten path and away from the glitzy displays put up by the industry's well-known names and you find the little guys whose unbelievable passion in their idea and product consumes their lives -- and their bank accounts. Joe Curkovic figures he has spent $1.4 million to get his Swingscope teaching aid to market. The Montreal native has developed Swingscope (swingscope.com) to help teach golfers the proper turn in the backswing.

Sex, golf and rock and roll
Chris Stevenson, OTTAWA SUN
One golf company that bears watching is Heavy Putter, which we told you about for the first time last year at this time. An update: The company has attracted interest on the Tours and has been used by Nationwide Tour star Troy Matteson, who won the money title last year and is on the PGA Tour this season. He went from 110th in the putting stats to eighth using the Heavy Putter. The name explains it. The putter is about twice as heavy as a normal putter with weight under the grip to give the club balance.

Tracking the hottest products for 2006
Jason Sobel - ESPN.com
After a stint at this week's PGA Merchandise Show, the Weekly 18 departs from its usual take on Tiger and the gang to deliver news on some of the hottest, coolest and craziest golf equipment on the market for the 2006 season.

Golf firm shooting high with space-age element
Chris Stevenson - Ottawa Sun
Element 21 is staking its potential success on scandium, the 21st element on the Periodical Table (titanium, the metal it hopes to replace as the material of choice in golf, is 22nd). The company's pitch is scandium, which has been used in the Russian space program and missile technology (hence the tie to the ISS yesterday). It has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any material used for golf clubs. It's 25% better than titanium, 50% better than graphite and 70% better than steel, says the company.

January 26, 2006

Why you should support David Leadbetter Golf products...

It only took a few minutes at the PGA Merchandise Show for my head to start spinning. Thousands of clubs, balls, gadgets, toys, clothes, etc... etc... etc... and not enough hours in the day to take it all in.

So we'll start slow and cover as much as is possible over the next few days (or probably weeks).

I picked up lots of sales brochures and business cards for followups, and there's still more research to do. But for now, I've got plenty of material to give you a glimpse of the goings on at the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show.

My biggest impression of the day wasn't any of the shiny new toys or cute booth models, but a relatively old golf standard. David Leadbetter has been around for a while, and while most of us know him from infomercials and appearances on the Golf Channel, I got a chance to see a different side today.

After a short demonstration of his latest training aid (the SwingSetter), Mr. Leadbetter proceeded to, in his own words "get on his soapbox", and tell the audience that everyone associated with the golf industry in America needs to find ways to get kids learning and playing golf. Leadbetter, stated that the single biggest difference between this country and every other is lack of accessibility to affordable golf for kids.

According to Leadbetter, a youngster can join some of the premiere clubs in Australia for around $100 (without his parents being members). Coincidently, I was told a story the other day by a friend of mine who lives in Florida. He took his 10-year-old son out for a round to a very cheap ($20) and not very well maintained course in Tarpon Springs, Florida. It was around noon and while there were available times, the dude at the pro shop looked at the youngster and said to my buddy, "I'm worried you guys might hold up some of our regulars, why don't you come back at three".

Needless to say, my friend and his son went home. Sometimes it's easier to just shoot some hoops in the driveway than feel like a bother at your local course.

I agree with David Leadbetter about needing to do something about kids being embraced by the golf industry. I know his words were from the heart, I could see it in the way he spoke to kids afterwards and signed autographs for them. The Leadbetter golf machine is gaining some momentum with the launch of quality products, services, and association with high-profile clients... I wish them well, because I think they'll use some of that power for the good of the game.

I'll be reviewing Leadbetter's latest instructional DVD "Leadbetter Interactive" very soon. It is (hands down) the best production I have seen in the area of sports instruction, and I've seen them all.

As always, Stay Tuned...

Associated Links:
David Leadbetter's Official Site
Leadbetter Interactive Instructional DVD Series
The SwingSetter - Training Aid

Golf-a-Palooza recap is coming... but first a moment of silence

Tony (also known as Media Guru from Hooked on Golf Blog) is mourning the loss of a golf buddy. Earlier today, Bobby Drabner, Tony's golf buddy and good friend lost a two and a half year battle to cancer.

Our thoughts are with you buddy. I'm sure Bobby is in a better place up there playing pain free golf.

January 24, 2006

Bogey Lounge is going to the Super Bowl ... of Golf!

What could be better than traveling to Detroit, Michigan in the middle of winter to see the Steelers play the Seahawks in the Superbowl? How about a trip to sunny Orlando, Florida for a visit to the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show and Convention?

Yup! I agree, golf it is... so tomorrow, I'm packin' up the Bogey backpack and heading south to O-town for what is sure to be an awesome experience for a gearhead like me.

The bags are packed and the camera batteries are fully charged, so be sure to check in at the Lounge this Thursday and Friday as I attempt to bring you an insider's look at the PGA's annual orgy of golf gear goodness.

While I've covered many a special event for an internet audience (from NFL and NHL drafts to Major League Baseball post season games), I'm looking forward to this experience more than any because of the uniqueness of the event.

So if you've got any ideas about things at the show you'd like to get a closer look at, let me know and I'll try and do some posts geared towards your comments.

2006 PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW LINKS:
Official Show News Coverage [PGA.com]
Live Internet Video Coverage [GolfCenter.tv]
Official Show Website

Also, the Golf Channel will provide two hours of live show coverage Thursday through Saturday from 1pm-3pm, with one-hour highlight recap shows each night at 10:30pm. Read More