Industry Needs Agreement/Action To Grow The Game

In a setting such as the PGA Merchandise Show, which gets underway Thursday morning, there is no shortage of opinion about the challenges facing golf, particularly participation.

“The most important thing we can do as an industry is to grow participation,” said Nike Golf president Cindy Davis on Wednesday at Demo Day.

“We’ve been told the same three things about the experience of golf for at least the last decade — it takes a lot of time, it’s hard and it costs a lot,” she said.

Identifying the problem is one thing. Doing something about it is another. Read more

Orlando Show Is A Good Venue For Team Building

The PGA Merchandise Show may have changed over the years with our Canadian reps doing some a great job of getting to us, but I also look at the Orlando show as a good team-building session.

Some of our guys are going down and I’m going to join them for a couple of days. The club takes care of some meals and accommodation and we try to have some fun, along with the business side of it.

We have a member down there, so we play with him one day. We also try to get to a Tampa Bay Lightning game. These are fun things and they allow us to talk business while we’re at dinner or playing golf.

We encourage them to take a little vacation around the show by going in early or staying a little later. They drive down and take time to stop and play some golf along the way.

It gives everybody a chance to hang out together, get some business done and talk shop in a relaxed atmosphere because once they get back, we’re in full swing in preparation for the season.

When you’re in the golf business, you have to take advantage of down time and the Orlando show is a good business/pleasure opportunity.

Off To Orlando

Depending on when you read this, I could be 30,000 feet over North Carolina or Georgia on my way to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.

It’s been a tradition for years and while the show has changed dramatically since I first started going, one thing that doesn’t change is a crazy schedule. Read more

Find Your Way At The Orlando Show

As most people within the golf industry will attest, attending the PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center requires planning to get around the huge show floor.

To plan your days at the show, click here for an alphabetical list of show exhibitors with booth numbers

Canada Night Set For Friday In Orlando

Canada Night at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando will be presented by the PGA of Canada, PGA Worldwide Golf Exhibitors and Sunice (Fletcher Leisure Group) on Friday, January 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 304 C/D of the Orange County Convention Center.

RSVPs are required.

Education In Orlando

This link is a list of education seminars that will be available to attendees at the PGA Merchandise Show later this month.

 

It starts with the Thursday sessions, with links to Friday and Saturday sessions

Is Golf Short-Sighted Or Visionary?

Just before the PGA Merchandise Show a couple of weeks ago, I was inundated with press releases about new products and tidbits that may have been applicable in the United States, but certainly not in Canada.

As a result of being put on several mass e-mail lists, my Delete button was put into overdrive and that took place before I even looked at the release. If I took the time to look at every release I’m sent, I wouldn’t have time to write this blog or anything else on GNN. Read more

Orlando Will Be A Quicker Trip

Orlando, Fla. – I arrived in Orlando on Wednesday for this week’s PGA Merchandise Show and, for the first time ever, I’ll be staying very close to the Orange County Convention Center instead of a location that requires a rental car or shuttle for the daily commute to the show. The brisk morning walk will do me good.

What’s also different this year is my time of arrival. For years, I would come down the weekend before the show began and spend about 10 days in Florida, many of those consumed by golf events held prior to the show, which was a four-day event at the time, getting underway.

This year, I’ll spend 10 days in the sun, but that also includes a trip to Scottsdale, Az., where I’ll play some golf and attend next week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. I leave for Scottsdale on Monday out of Tampa. Read more

One Day, I’ll Make It To The Orlando Show

I’ve never been to the PGA Merchandise Show, which gets underway this week in Orlando, but I’ve always wanted to go and not just to see the new products that are there.

I’d like to take a look at the size and scale of the show just to see how it’s done, especially with what’s going on with the golf shows in Canada. I’ve love to see the pinnacle of what shows can be, with the quality of companies that are in Orlando and the people it attracts.

It would be great to see it and form a comparison. I know that, in Canada, each zone has its own show and each is a revenue source for the zone. I know there’s been talk about a Western Canada show and a Canadian show, but I don’t think there are many zones that are too keen on that because they are revenue sources.

It may end up going that way because some of the shows may end up combining.

Where we are, there’s a Pacific Northwest show and it’s a small, little hotel show, but Orlando is a PGA of America show, so it’s definitely different, with various components such as education seminars and networking. One thing we can learn from is the marketing of the event itself.

I would think after reading about it, an individual can take a lot away from that week and it’s definitely something I want to see in the near future.

There Are Gems To Be Found At Orlando Show

I’ll be at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando on Thursday and Friday.

It seems that it’s just so busy nowadays, so I’m going to fly in really early on Thursday and get to the show all day and again Friday morning and then, play golf Friday afternoon and have a nice dinner with the rest of the Coppinwood crew that’s going down.

Most of the staff is going Wednesday through Saturday. They don’t want me involved in the buying – I don’t know why, but they don’t want me. Actually, that’s fine because they do a great job and they take pride in it.

I do sit in on some of the buys because it’s always good to have different people’s opinions on fashion. Not everyone has the same tastes and they do it as a team and they do a good job.

By the time we get to Orlando, we’ve already done our spring buying because it’s a different cycle, so we’re looking at summer-fall and that’s not a huge buy. You might also find a little gem down there that’s a complement to the merchandise that will be out in April.

When we’re down there, we look at things such as bags tags and divot tools. We also look at a lot of stuff like boxes and paper bags and plastic bags.

In Canada, if there are three companies selling those items, there are 20 companies selling it in Orlando, which could mean a better price. The odd time you’ll get a better price down there because you’re dealing directly with manufacturers.

This year, we’ll have five people going to Orlando, besides me. The buying in Orlando isn’t as big as it used to be because the brands have done a better job in getting more selection for up here, so it’s not as necessary to do a big buy there anymore, but there are a lot of nuggets.

Besides that, the networking and seminars make Orlando a good place to be at this time of year. From here, it’s not expensive to fly to and stay in Orlando and it offers us the chance to keep an eye on the industry.

Orlando Show Gives A Good Read Of The Industry

I’m looking forward to going to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, which gets underway this week. I haven’t been down in years.

Admittedly, I get into a bubble because I do so much management and marketing, but I miss learning about the equipment and what’s new in the industry. I’m looking forward to walking around the show floor and getting a real feel for the changes the industry is going through.

It’s happening quickly and I think it’s more important than ever to be in Orlando to get the pulse of what’s really going on. I’m also going to try and squeeze a few seminars in because you can never stop learning.

I’m looking forward to touching base and seeing people again. I regularly see Alberta people and I’m in touch with the sales reps, but it’s just neat to see the show on that PGA of America scale. It’s pretty impressive how they do things and there’s just so much to take in and learn.

I’m very fortunate to have a great circle of mentors and friends, so you can keep up with what’s going on through them, but the PGA Merchandise Show offers a whole new perspective.

What Would Be Your Priority In Orlando?

As I mentioned here on Friday, I believe that even if it’s more subdued than it used to be, the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando still has relevance to the golf industry, even here in Canada.

For my own purposes, it gives me the opportunity to meet with people in the industry who I haven’t seen since the fall. The Canadians I do see are usually busy at the show, so it’s not like they’re twiddling their thumbs, although I do suspect a lot of them find time to get in a round or two, but shhhh on that one.

Depending on what your role is within the golf industry, busy can mean different things to different people, so we’re wondering in this week’s GNN Poll what your top priority is or would be if you had the chance to attend the show. Read more

I Still Look Forward To Orlando

On the heels of this blog that was published on Wednesday, I’ve had a couple of buds giving me the gears about my travel schedule that starts the middle of next week and will take me from Orlando to Tampa and on to Scottsdale, Ariz.

The guys taking jabs at me are avid golfers who look past the business side of it and go right to the fact that yes, I will be playing some golf and attending the Waste Management Phoenix Open where, I understand, I’ll have some time on the infamous 16^th party hole at TPC Scottsdale.

This is what I was talking about in the previous blog in which people with other jobs remind me about some of the plum assignments that come my way. Read more

Industry Notes: Jan. 20, 2011

The Canadian PGA has renewed its agreement with SkyCaddie as the official rangefinder of the association for the next three years.

As official rangefinder for the last three years, SkyCaddie has been onsite at every Canadian PGA national championship and over 1,000 professionals have used the company’s products at 12 national events.

“Without question, the Canadian PGA is a very important business partner and fits very well with our sales strategy of growing the green grass sales channel. We look forward to a continued association with the Canadian PGA,” said Steve Davies, president of Jancor Agencies, the Canadian distributor for SkyCaddie.

SkyCaddie representatives will be on-site at next week’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.

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PGA Merchandise Show Notes

Matt Kuchar and three-time Grammy Award winner and saxophonist Branford Marsalis will open the PGA Merchandise Show next Thursday at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Marsalis will play from 7:45 a.m. in the Grand Lobby before PGA of America officials present Kuchar with the Vardon Trophy. Kuchar will hit the ceremonial first ball from a second floor stage to officially open the event, where more than 1,000 golf companies are expected, along with 40,000 PGA professionals and industry representatives from around the world … A major announcement from the PGA World Golf Alliance is expected the first morning of the show prior to a panel discussion on the Asian marketplace that includes Greg Norman, Hank Haney and Michael Breed …The Association of Golf Merchandisers will hold its Product Preview and Reception on Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. … The Outdoor Demo Day takes place all day Wednesday at the Orange County National Golf Center … The PGA Awards Night will take place on Thursday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., while the Elations Rocks the Joint Industry Concert, featuring Lou Gramm of Foreigner will happen on Friday evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. … The 12^th Biennial PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit takes place Jan. 24-25 at the Faldo Golf Institute  For a complete list of events at the PGA Merchandise Show, click here … The PGA Merchandise Show and the Canadian PGA, sponsored by Sunice and Adams Golf, will host a Canadian reception on Friday evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Room 205B at the Convention Center.

Canucks Will Gather In Orlando

The PGA Merchandise Show and the Canadian PGA will once again be hosting a reception for Canadian golf professionals, buyers and other industry people on Friday, Jan. 28 in Room W205B at the Orange County Convention Center.

The event, sponsored by Sunice and Adams Golf, will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Refreshments and light snacks will be served as a prelude to the Elations Rocks the Joint concert featuring Lou Gramm from Foreigner.

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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