By mustang6560 on 1/28/13

I'd like to thank everyone who tuned into our coverage of the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show. As a final recap, I wrote a 'Best Of' article to highlight my favorite things from the Show, plus one product I'd be surprised to see at the expo next year. If you missed any of our coverage, you can click here, here, here, here, and here.

• Mobile Warming Gear: One of the pros about living in Mississippi is I can play golf virtually all year long. But, there are days in the winter that are cold and you have to wear a few layers to stay warm. The more layers you wear the more restricted your golf swing is, and the last thing you want to do is restrict your golf swing with bulky layers. That’s why Mobile Warming Gear is so cool. You can replace a few of the layers you need to wear to stay warm with one of its battery-powered warming jackets or vests. The Mobile Warming Gear line was designed for golfers by golfers, but you can wear it for any cold-weather activity. The jackets start at $199.99 and the vests start at $159.99.
  
  
  



• ClubCrown by Vive: The 2013 PGA Show proved one thing – custom is king! The days of “one size fits” are long gone. The latest example is ClubCrown. With ClubCrown, golfers can now add some personality to the top of their drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids with a two-gram wrap (equivalent to one swing weight). The company offers over 300 designs to turn your ordinary driver into something extraordinary. It takes about 10-15 minutes to install and it won’t damage the club’s finish if you do decide to remove it. The MSRP for ClubCrown is $39.99.
  
  
  



• TMaG booth: Cobra-Puma, Nike, and a few other OEMs had solid booths on the showroom floor this year, but the best booth goes to TMaG. Like previous years, the company set up shop on the opposite side of the Orange County Convention Center away from its rivals (the perks of being #1). Inside, all of the brands under the TMaG umbrella – TaylorMade, adidas, Adams, and Ashworth – were on display for eager show goers to experience. It’s hard to explain just how big the TMaG wing was, but I felt like I was in an expo within an expo inside it. The new TaylorMade drivers – the R1 and the RBZ Stage 2 – had individual booths that were as big or bigger than the average booth. As long as TMaG continues to dominate the market, I imagine it will continue to spend several million dollars at the Show to remind everyone of its position.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



• Sidekick: The worst thing you can do on a ‘cart path only’ day when you’re riding is hit your tee shot on the opposite side of the cart path, especially on a golf course you’re not familiar with. You’re forced to either take several clubs with you on your walk or gamble on what club you think you’ll need to hit your approach shot. It’s difficult to carry a few clubs, plus your towel, rangefinder, etc., but if you gamble on one club and you’re wrong, you’re stuck trying to muscle your 9-iron or hit a soft 8 or walk back to your cart to get the right club. With Sidekick, you don’t have to pick the lesser of evils. You can neatly carry up to four clubs, a couple balls, and your towel to your ball across the fairway and it has spikes on the bottom so you can stand it up in the ground without getting anything wet. When you’re finished with it, simply slide the handle over your cart bag and you’re good to go. I wish I had the Sidekick during the rain-soaked second round of the World Am last year!
  
  
  



• #vivalabubba: The new face of Oakley apparel is reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson. And to make sure everyone knows Bubba is the new king, the folks at Oakley setup a really cool #vivalabubba display in the middle of their booth previewing four of the outfits he’ll be wearing in the upcoming majors. On display were his outfits for Masters Sunday, U.S. Open Saturday, Open Championship Sunday, and PGA Championship Sunday. I guess Oakley is confident Bubba will be around for the weekend in each of the majors. Plus, if you posted on Twitter or Instagram and included #vivalabubba you were entered to win signed Bubba swag.
  
  
  
  
  Bubba's Masters Sunday Outfit
  
  
  
  
  Bubba's U.S. Open Saturday Outfit
  
  
  
  
  
  Bubba's Open Championship Sunday Outfit
  
  
  
  
  
  Bubba's PGA Championship Sunday Outfit



• Salty Grips: I’m not going to write a ‘worst of’ article because I don’t want to crap all over someone’s idea. But, there were several products at the Show this year that I was surprised to see someone decided to invest their hard earned dollars in its creation. So instead, I’ll pick a company I’d be surprised to see in Orlando next year and that company is Salty Grips, the maker of cork grips. I know fishing rods feature cork grips but I have a hard time believing there is a market for cork golf grips. Therefore, I’d be surprised to see Salty Grips at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.
  
  
  

Again, thanks to everyone who tuned into our coverage of the 2013 PGA Show. I had a great time bringing you behind the scenes with me of the largest golf expo in the world!

no comments posted yet.