From A Distance, Orlando Is Relevant

I haven’t been fortunate enough to attend the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.

It’s difficult for me to go on two levels. We run a very bare bones ship in the winter and, secondly, it’s a long way to go from here.

I did have the chance to go to the PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas back in the late 1990s. From my standpoint, all I had to compare it again was our B.C. show, so Vegas seemed much bigger.

There were a lot of unknowns in Vegas. There seemed to be a lot more of the newer companies that were trying to get into the market, get a presence felt or trying to introduce themselves.

I remember there was a lot of stuff that I had never seen before and a lot of it isn’t around anymore, but the entire experience was fun. Back then, I was in my mid-20s in Vegas, so I think I probably enjoyed the experience more than the show itself.

I would love to see the Orlando show because I’ve been hearing a lot about it for 15 years. I would like to see what it’s all about and, in a perfect world, I would be there.

As far as relevancy goes, as long as the suppliers are going and spending the time and the effort to try and write orders, I think it’s still relevant.

Out here on the west coast, you hear more about Orlando from the private club people because they can see a lot of things that you wouldn’t normally see here, so they might be able to separate their inventory from some of the other courses in the area and set themselves apart.

It’s tough, the way shows are going these days and the way ordering is now done, but I would like to think, as an association member, there’s still a place for something like the Orlando show. From our own show’s perspective, I like to think that our members still find it relevant because it’s important for us.

The Orlando show is the king. It’s what everyone looks up to and, while I can’t speak to how a lot of American courses do business, you watch The Golf Channel during the Orlando show and you can tell there are still a lot of people there.

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