2007 PGA Merchandise Show Day 3

So as I mentioned last time, I hoped today to find a few new and/or interesting products at the PGA Show. What is funny is that the non-golf products seemed to be the ones that caught my attention, not the endless rows of swing-aides, edible tees, or game-enhancing sunglasses.

Certainly the guy rolling cigars was cool, as was the Healthy Cola (it was actually very good). I really liked the 42-foot Monaco Coach Motorhome with 4-slides, 2 flat-screen TVs, and fixtures and furnishings nicer than the best hotels in Orlando. For those of you not familiar with "The Show" it is simply AMAZING how many products can be included. There are massage chairs (good idea if you ask me), travel websites and destination representatives, and even office products (my kids loved th rubber-band balls provided by OfficeMax!). All in all there are so many products, if one is ever in need of anything remotely related to the game of golf he or she will find it here.

After all of the miles walking up and down the aisles, one thing is clear - being able to hit the ball a long way is still king. Taylor Made's new Burner driver is said to be 10 - 15 yards longer than anything else even they make. The newest golf balls all go forever. Even the training aides and fitness devices are designed to help us bomb it. Distance is cool, and everyone wants more. I believe it will be hard to put a limit on it, whether by the manufacturers or the USGA. Each restriction they put in place will only encourage the companies to find other ways to improve their clubs, so change and progress is inevitable. If I had to guess I would say maybe someday not too far from now we will end up with a second set of rules related to equipment performance - one for the Tour players and one for everyone else. Most of us realize that when you buy Tiger's brand, there is significant difference between his club and the one on the shelf. I can't say I am for or against this, only that I sense this may soon be the case. Either way, the companies realize that you and I are the people that buy and use their products, and they are going to continue to make them better and better. Each year I am amazed by the changes, and no doubt I will be again in 2007.

2007 PGA Merchandise Show, Day 2

Day 2 at the Show was similar to Day 1. A lot of people and a lot of things to see. I spent much of the day on the apparel end of things, but also got to check out some of the new golf simulators. Wow are those things cool! They have come a long way and project a very realistic image in real time. Watching some other people play, it looked like one would think it should. Even chip shots appeared to fly correctly. The only difficult part to recreate well is the putting, since the ball travels such a short distance. The ones I saw essentially duplicate the roll of your putt entirely on the projection, so as you are putting you can also see your ball on the screen. Overall the depth perception and visuals are strikingly realistic, and would sure be a lot of fun in my basement!

I am still curious to know if any of you have had experiences with the health bracelets and pendants such as Trion-Z or Q-Ray. Q-Link used to be only a pendant, but now also offers a bracelet version. Their theory is that the resonance of the bracelet help to protect us from the harmful electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) that are everywhere from cell phones, computers, wireless devices, etc. I tend to think this would be a good product and got a bracelet for myself to try. If anyone else has used one I would love to hear the results.

Saturday will be the final day of the show. I plan to spend it by just wandering as much as possible looking for things I have not yet seen. There is SO MUCH at the show it is nearly impossible to see everything (or at least remember all that you saw). Expect to hear about a few unusual and off-the-wall items from Saturday's expedition.

2007 PGA Merchandise Show DAY 1

Day 1 at the PGA Show was busy and active, yet unfortunately I was unable to find very many surprises to report on. The biggest dissapointment is that some of the companies such as Titleist or Ping do not have a presence here, so what used to be anticipated as a week of new product introductions is much less of an affair.

Taylor Made, however, is here and they were touting there new r7 driver which I got to hit yesterday at the Demo Day. I thought the look of the club was the best yet of the series, and the club felt very solid. The graphics are simple - it has a black finish all around and very little by way of color and hype. A discussion by CEO Sean Toulon indicated that with this new driver, everything in it is in the interest of distance on off center hits. "MOI" is a buzz-word in the industry meaning the effectiveness of a club on off-center hits (resistance to twisting). Taylor Made is promoting their effective MOI. His point was that MOI can make a driver go straight on off-center hits, but their effective MOI can make a driver go long on off-center hits. Length is what sells in drivers these days, and this new r7 is all about length.

The biggest change I saw in the apparel side is the mix of dark and bright colors. Last year is was all brights - pink, orange, bright greens, etc. This year there is a lot more to choose from, and the presence of technical performance fabrics keeps increasing. What amazes me is the technology in apparel, from mapping "sweat zones" on the body to performance underwear, it is all out there for the taking. Patterns are not new, but the trim and cut are continuing to evolve. Bottom line is if you haven't bought a new shirt lately, do so. They last, they are easy maintain, and they are very, very comfortable.

More to come from Orlando. Check in tomorrow for info from Day 2.

Barefoot Resort

I had the chance to play two of the course at the Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC last week. We started the day on the Fazio course, and I thought it was great. As is fairly typical for a Fazio course, the fairways were fairly generous. Although they were protected by bunkers, native grasses, or hazards, there was ample room to hit driver. The routing was interesting, taking you through marshes and pine forests, and had a good blend of short, medium, and long holes.

Even though it was my first time playing the course, not once in the 18-holes was it difficult to tell where to hit the ball. I believe this is intentional as the course is typically played by resort guests. While it may have offered many visually intimidating shots, the majority of the course enabled play to move along and golfers of all levels to enjoy it.

Course conditions were VERY good, especially considering it was January. The greens were true, and while not extremely fast they putted smoothly and rolled well. The fairways and tees has been overseeded and I never had a bad lie in the fairway nor around the greens. I have always appreciated Fazio's bunkering, and the course at Barefoot was no exception. Some bunkers framed the shots, and certainly others came into play. Especially on the par 3 holes, the greenside bunkers were deep and well positioned, as I found a couple myself. Overall it was a great experience and I would recommend it highly as a course to play if you can.

That afternoon we jumped over to the Norman course at Barefoot. Several of the holes run along the Intercoastal Waterway, and were no doubt the highlights of the course. Beyond this, however, it appeared to me that the rest of the course was somewhat disappointing. To be fair to Norman I have read that his goal was to make the course appear as if it had always been there. This was definitely accomplished, as it appears that little ground was moved in creating the holes. However, the surrounding terrain is flat and lifeless, which in my mind dictates the need to created some movement. Many of the playing areas were abolutely flat there was little definition from the tee. Several bunkers were hidden, and it was not always evident where to aim from the tee.

Course conditions were just as nice as the Fazio course. And, as I mentioned I really did enjoy the holes along the Intercoastal. The 10th hole is a great par 3 and I believe is the signature hole for the course. There was also a fun short par 4 to which my playing partner hit his drive to about 8' from the pin. Just like the Fazio there was a good mix in the length of the holes, but as I said it appeared as if there was not a lot of thougt nor imagination put into it.

For more information, check out their website at Barefoot Resort.