It’s been two weeks since the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show and I’ve had some time to process all the amazing new products I saw at the show. Trying to cover the PGA Merchandise Show in three days is a herculean feat, but I was able to come away with what the big trends were for the show.
Adjustable Drivers
In terms of Drivers this is by far the biggest trend in golf clubs, the ability to adjust the clubs face on the fly. Yes, TaylorMade has a adjustable weight system in the r7 Limited Driver, but now they are offering a driver where you can also adjust the face, in the R9 Driver. While TaylorMade was not at the PGA Show exhibiting, it should be interesting how well it sells in the current economy. Cobra Golf also has an adjustable driver, in the L5v. The face of the L5v can be adjusted to three positions: draw, fade, or neutral.
The standout in this category, has to be the Nike SQ Dymo STR8-Fit and SQ2 Dymo STR8-Fit drivers. Just like the other drivers from TaylorMade and Cobra Golf, you can adjust the face of the club. But with the Nike STR8-Fit you can adjust the face in eight different positions, to produce eight different types of shots. The ease at which you can make these adjustments and the audio feedback provided by the torque included when you tighten the STR8-Fit Driver, make it my pick in the Best Adjustable Driver. The club hits so straight and long, that you’ll fall in love with this driver.
GPS,GPS, GPS
The next trend at the show had to be the proliferation of Golf GPS, I have never seen so many GPS units for golf before. Last year, there were only a few well known companies, now there is at least six or more companies putting out a GPS. Two of the notable units I saw had to be from Bushnell Golf and OnPar GPS.
Bushnell has teamed up with iGolf in 2009, under the expanded partnership, Bushnell has acquired the rights to iGolf’s line of handheld golf GPS devices. The Yardage Pro XGC, with an MSRP of $349.99, features a large 2.2” transreflective color screen. The XGC utilizes custom color maps which provide distances to any point on the hole, including landing areas, hazards, and greens. The compact lightweight design allows golfers to slip either device comfortably into their pocket or golf bag.The Yardage Pro XGC comes equipped with the latest advancements in GPS technology, including the advanced SiRF Star III GPS receiver and a long life rechargeable lithium ion battery.
OnPar Touchscreen GPS from Savant GPS is dubbed the iPhone of golf GPS, with the use of touchscreen functionality. With the touchscreen functionality a user can zoom and pan the golf course with their fingers. But what makes this truly a remarkable GPS is the ability to track statistics for your rounds, golf clubs, and score tracking. All of this with zero membership fees to download course maps. Truly an amazing device.
Value Driven Golf Clubs
We all know how bad the economy is, it’s impossible to pick up a newspaper or watch the news without some story being reported about how bad it is. The one bright spot of the slow down in spending, is that some of the big golf club makers are responding by selling quality golf clubs at a very affordable price. One stand out in this category goes to Cleveland Golf and their line of Classic Series Putters. The Classic Series putters come in three models and are all under $70. The average cost for a putter is around $110 and up. I applaud Cleveland Golf for coming out with such a quality product, at a great price point. I was impressed at the quality of the Cleveland Classic Series Putters, they looked really nice in person and didn’t feel cheap at all. The next company in this realm of value driven golf clubs, is Callaway Golf and the Big Bertha Diablo Driver. The Diablo driver is a new shape and look for the Big Bertha driver, featuring all titanium construction, but at a remarkable $299 price point. Most good drivers start at $299, but with all titanium construction and unique shape, it will strike a chord with golf enthusiasts.
Fashion
Even though attendance was down at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, the number of apparel booths were up 20 percent from 10 percent, according to my sources at the show. The biggest trend in apparel had to be functional crossover/lifestyle apparel. This is the type of clothing you can wear to the golf course and wear the same outfit out to dinner, and not look like you finished a round of 18 at the country club. Several companies that stood out in this front were:
Puma Golf, has probably some of the best contemporary golf clothing on the market, that’s fun, colorful, and functional. The Spring/Summer 2009 Collection from Puma Golf, really reflect the spirit of the brand, with its bright colors and prints. You feel very youthful and alive when you wear their clothing and you look great, without breaking the bank. The construction of their golf shirts now feature, Invisabond seams, the same technology used to make Puma Soccer Jerseys. Invisabond seams, create a flat seam that won’t chaff your skin on your body, when playing golf.
Ashworth Golf, has been really making a lot of changes and focusing on the being a lifestyle brand in the golf industry. It wasn’t to long ago that Ashworth was synonymous with being your typical oversized golf shirt, that dad would wear. Over the past year Ashworth has made a big push in the direction of creating a lifestyle type image for it golf clothes, by introducing new slimmers styles in the ASHW33 line, more texture to the fabrics, and most importantly more use of natural fabrics like cotton. The clothing coming out of Ashworth definitely has a nice classic vibe, that’s not stuffy, with nice little details.
This next company that really surprised me is Dunning, which is known for making very traditional golf clothing-the kind of apparel you see in the pro shop at the country club. That’s changing for 2009, Dunning is coming out with a super high-end preppy line of clothing that not only uses amazing fabrics (CoolMax, merino wool, cashmere), and it’s 100% golf friendly. Dunning uses nothing but the finest materials, that have Coolmax or Lycra integrated into the clothing, so you won’t stink and get wrinkled. You’ll be amazed how the entire Dunning collection of clothing looks just like normal apparel, I guarantee you that you won’t be able to tell the difference between Dunning’s clothing and your normal work attire. The Performance Woven Gingham check button down dress shirts have Coolmax in them, so you can go to the driving range at lunch and return back to the office and no one would no any different. I also loved the Cotton Coolmax Seersucker golf shorts, great for those hot summer days. Classic Flat Front Wool/Polyester/Lycra pants, so you can play on those cool spring and fall days in and your pants won’t get bagged out or wrinkled. The entire Classics Collection features classic look and feel with technical performance. I really think that this is a great segment to be in, especially for those golfers who put fashion before function. In this case you get both with Dunning’s new Classics Line. It’s going to be a smash hit.
The Ladies
A common question asked my wife (who also does camera work for me) how to get women involved in the game of golf? What types of clothes or clubs do they want? The trend here is that the golf industry is trying to figure out how to tap, the largest growing segment of new golfers. They want to know what women want and how to get them to play more golf, etc. I know in the case of my wife, she would like to see a more fashionable clothing, that’s not pink (she has nothing against the color, it’s that she finds it to be to stereotypical) and functional at the same time.
One company that seem to get this in the golf bag and accessory market place is Keri Golf. The golf bags and accessories from Keri Golf are not your typical pink golf bag, instead they have great patterns and prints, that remind you of something that Kate Spade or Tory Burch would make. Influenced by modern American style, the matty collection combines a chic palette of red, black and white with exaggerated geometric prints – including stripes, ovals and florals.
The other company mentioned earlier in this realm is Puma Golf. Puma women’s clothing line has a lot of personality with its bright geometric prints and comfortable stretch materials.
Besides clothing, the footwear from Puma Golf, Adidas, and Ecco shoes all are making great strides (no pun intended) in providing quality shoe styles for women.
Overall, the PGA Merchandise Show had some great new products and 2009 does not look like its going to disappointing year for the golf industry. I look forward to seeing where things are headed.
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Great post. I will read your posts frequently. Added you to the RSS reader.