By Torleif Sorenson on 2/24/15

The 2015 Minnesota Golf Show was held this past weekend — and your humble correspondent spent almost nine hours prowling the floor of the Minneapolis Convention Center in search of what was new and interesting.

And for once, this writer actually came home with a new club — albeit a practice device. (More on this to follow.) But the big story was not so much people or equipment. Instead, it was...

The Ryder Cup!

Photographs do not do justice to this lovely trophy. It was on display for several hours at the golf show on Friday afternoon.

GolfTEC regional manager Jim McNaney (lucky so-and-so) interviewed 2016 Ryder Cup Director Jeff Hintz of the PGA of America — with the Ryder Cup itself on display for all to see.

During Q&A, I asked Hintz about whether or not the PGA of America would take a page from the NHL, Major League Baseball, and the NFL, by holding a Ryder Cup-flavored show or expo. This would be especially nice for fans who are not lucky enough to get tickets for the actual event at Hazeltine National Golf Club. And while Hintz could not make any promises, he did say that the PGA of America's Ryder Cup team and senior leadership are looking at this sort of event, so those of us who are unlikely to get tickets can, at least, get an up-close look at the trophy.

Mr. Hintz is making no mistakes during his appearances. Check out his necktie:

A better-fitting ball

One of the most popular exhibits at the show was the Bridgestone Golf ball-fitting booth. Attendees such as Jon Heyer (above) took several swings with their usual brand-name pellet, then were custom-fitted for a ball that would take the best advantage of each person's swing-speed and ball-speed...


...and received a printout with their statistics and a two-pack of the recommended Bridgestone golf ball.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

Most of you who are fans of baseball and American football remember the Metrodome, the late-but-not-lamented home of the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. The dome roof infamously collapsed at about 5:00 a.m. on December 12, 2010:


Now, a fellow named Timothy O'Phelan has created some very sharp and stylish travel bags made of actual waterproof Teflon (along with very durable leather handles and accents) from the actual Metrodome roof material — handcrafted in Minnesota, of course:


Also available are some really attractive travel bags created from the old "baggie" curtain in right field:


You can peruse and purchase your own "Domer Bag" online at ExceptionalBags.com. Because of very obviously limited quantities, when these bags are sold out, they are sold out forever.

Big help from The Little One

Also at the show were the people from Pure Solid Perfect Golf. PSP Golf are becoming known for their "Little One," demonstrated in the pictures above by founding CEO Dan Bonomo. The Little ONe is a practice club with a face that is 40% smaller than a traditional 7-iron. The concept is both simple and elegant: Practicing with a smaller club-head and a smaller sweet spot forces you to make more consistent and accurate swings.

PGA of America teaching pro Todd Kolb shows how it works:

Equipment nirvana

The largest equipment store on the floor was from 2nd Swing, which includes a large online operation, along with two Twin Cities-area stores. Their specialty is new and used clubs, but they also have several hundred rare and in-demand discontinued items, as well.

Sooch!

Confirmed golf nut Joe Soucheray, host of "Garage Logic" on 1500 ESPN made his usual appearance. The former sportswriter and longtime columnist for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press is a Friday fixture at these shows.


Have you seen an interesting golf story? Tell us about it!

All photographs by Torleif Sorenson, except as indicated