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Newsletter Date: February, 2007

2007 PGA Merchandise Show Report

The PGA Merchandise Show is the world's largest golf merchandise trade show.  For three days each year (January 26th through 28th, in 2007) over 1200 golf manufacturers and service companies display their latest products to 40,000 + PGA pros and buyers for off-course golf shops and resorts, from all over the US, as well as overseas.  If that sounds like fun, you're not a buyer!  

For us, it's an exhausting schedule of meetings with about half of the nearly 60 golf manufacturers we represent, and taking at least a quick peek at the new offerings of as many others as we possibly can.  The sheer size of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando dictates that we research in advance which manufacturers have booths nearby our other vendors, and schedule appointments in advance of the show to group meetings by area.  

Because the newest products will often not be appearing in retail pro shops for up to a year, it's the perfect opportunity for advance trend-spotting.  Our goal is to offer the very best, so we look for innovative products from new companies as well as established manufacturers.  Which means that our "free time" (translation: the occasional 15 minute gap between appointments) is spent traveling up and down the aisles hoping to spot something fresh and different that will appeal to our corporate clients and/or tournament buyers.  

Top trends for 2007:

In apparel, the top trend is golf shirts (and other items) in performance fabrics.  Even many brands long famous for 100% cotton are now offering at least a few models in 100% polyester, and most of the rest have a "performance" collection in cotton blended with polyester.  This is not your father's polyester - these are truly miracle fabrics that wick moisture, dry quickly, keep you cool in hot weather, have anti-microbial properties, and launder and wear beautifully.  Some of the most handsome feature ottoman or ribbed textures for extra interest. 

Though Ashworth put the ban on Banlon, and brought out one of the first all-cotton collections in the "modern" age of golf, their Weather Systems line includes some great-looking 100% poly polos, including the Performance Mesh Tonal stripe shown right, and the Ottoman Texture Performance polo and women's Performance Mesh polos shown on our Ashworth page.

Tehama's 2007 line also included some real beauties in 100% polyester and cotton/poly performance fabrics.  We apologize for not yet having the images, and we look forward to updating our Tehama page soon.

Cutter & Buck's has replaced even its venerable Tournament pique polo - their top-selling model for years - with the new DryTec Championship polo, a cotton/poly blend.  For men, they've gone 100% poly in some models, like the DryTec Poly pique shown far right, though the companion women's model is a cotton/poly blend.  More DryTec models are shown on our Cutter & Buck page.

Even the Ben Hogan luxury line, long distinguished by its phenomenal collections of 100% Egyptian double-mercerized cotton, now has a Performance collection with Egyptian cotton blended with polyester.  (And the collection is gorgeous - wish we had images to post!)  

Adidas, the first line to offer all performance fabrics - not a 100% cotton shirt in the line - had a great-looking 2007 collection.

There's also plenty new In equipment, including Callaway's hot new FT-5 and FT-i drivers, neither of which is out at retail yet.  We'll be writing an equipment report first chance we get.  So stop back again!

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This page last modified: March 18, 2007