2016 PGA Merchandise Show Coverage

[WUTiger]

On 1/30/2016 at 6:19 PM, newtogolf said:

I heard from one of my customers who's at the show that Nike Golf was MIA?  Is that true or did they just not see them?

Nike did not attend the Orlando show. But, they are scheduled for the St. Louis Golf Expo in February.

I ran into a St. Louis area golf pro in Orlando and asked him about Nike's absence. He said on occasion a major manufacturer will skip the show, which is quite expensive and ties up a lot of employee time. 

[WUTiger]

Jeremy Stone, marketing director for Vokey, talks about the importance of wedge fitting in the SM6 era. One key the average golfer often forgets: the importance of sole grind. This interview was Jan. 29.

@boogielicious had a Jan. 27 post with lots of technical info on the SM6 wedges. See his thread for details. 

[Club Rat]

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 2:14 PM, SavvySwede said:

Thunder Sonic golf brush. Has motorized bristles to help clean your club.

Ha, Ha - another absolutely ridiculous product every golfer probably needs.

This gives me a new thought for a "thread starter"

Vince, thanks for all the coverage of the show. Looks like it was a great time.

[WUTiger]

It goes from the trunk of your car to golf-bag ready in 12 seconds.

Big Max’s new AutoFold FF combines blade technology – shifting into a compact unit for storage – with autofold technology – moving from blade package to fully extended cart with just two quick hand movements. And after the round of golf, it folds back up just as quickly.

Kelly A. Walker, CEO and director of sales for Big Max USA, demonstrated the new AutoFold FF during the Demo Day at the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show. He also showed off Big Max cart and standbags, and said that a full line of new waterproof bags will come out in 2017.

Big Max trolleys range from $189 for the autofolds to $299 for the full-size blades. The AutoFold FF comes in at $269.

Company founder Thomas Reiter invented the first three-wheel golf trolley in Vienna, Austria, in 1994. His eldest son Max lent his name for the company. After its founding in Austria, Big Max became a dominant golf merchandiser in Europe, and now headquarters its Big Max USA in Tacoma, Washington. Web site is www.bigmaxusa.

[David in FL]

Since I ride virtually all the time, I have no perspective here.  Is the folding/unfolding process of other trolleys that much more time consuming and laborious?  Enough so that it's going to be a big decision point for many consumers?

[WUTiger]

CHAMP has been in the golf business a long time, starting in 1931 when it invented the first plastic spike for golf shoes. Metal spikes ruled the market until the late 1990s, when golfdom decided that soft spikes did less damage the course than the metal ones.

 

 

 

In its current state, CHAMP offers spikes, grips and golf tees, plus other golf items such as ball markers and ball-mark repair tools. Plus, CHAMP prides itself on being the world leader in sports cleat technology.

  ← The latest  includes the new PiVix spring flex spike, which provides extra traction through flexing and rotation during the swing. Then, the spike legs spring back to their original shape. PiViX also has a wear indicator: the “C” on the bottom turns blue when the spike needs to be replace. And the spike line features several turf-grabbing designs, including the popular Stinger, of which Nick holds a jar in the picture.

In golf tees The Fly Tee by CHAMP has a lot going for it, even its own motto.

“Our motto is you’ll lose this before you break it. We estimate a lasts about 150 swings,” said marketing rep Nick Tarasiewicz.

Nick described other features of the Fly Tee: it’s biodegradable – if it does break – and the six-prong ball cup creates less total surface contact on the ball than with traditional wooden tees. CHAMP reports increased distance on drives from the lighter ball contact with tee.

New grips include the all-rubber C2, and new C-series oversize putter grips: The C1 is a parallel shape weighing coming in M and L size, while the C1X is a pistol grip coming in S, M and L sizes. Both grip models weigh between 65 and 85 grams.

Nick works closely with CHAMP marketing manager and trade show coordinator Jessica Georgenes. A former college golfer, Tarasiewicz also serves as a college accounts representative and social media coordinator.

Needs Partner to Customize

CHAMP gets lots of requests for custom golf items, such as a couple hundred golf towels for a specific tournament embroidered with the sponsoring company or school’s logo. It has faced supply chain roadblocks, however, in that current suppliers will
only do large orders. So, CHAMP is looking for companies who will do smaller custom batches of towels and golf tournament gift items.

[djfajt71]

50 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Since I ride virtually all the time, I have no perspective here.  Is the folding/unfolding process of other trolleys that much more time consuming and laborious?  Enough so that it's going to be a big decision point for many consumers?

I have a 3-wheeled push cart, that looks to be a little taller than the one pictured.  It normally doesn't take me any longer than 10-15 seconds to unfold, or fold it back up.  It actually takes longer to load my bag and strap it in.  Now, as for it folding into a blade, that looks much more compact than mine.  I'm not sure I would pay more for the benefit, but it might pique my interest at a lower price point. 

[WUTiger]

David,

First of all, I don't claim to be an expert on trollies, but I did notice a couple of things:

• The Autofold FF stores nicely into a panel about 8" wide because its wheels rotate to a flat position. In comparison, the $200 BagBoy Quad XXL (to right with red wheels) folds into a packet about three times as thick; the wheels don't rotate flat. This takes up more than twice the trunk or back-hatch space as the Autofold. 
•  Autofold deploys in 12 seconds. Some others that have manual screw locks for different parts would take a minute of so. And, the screw locks can be a hassle for smaller golfers to crack and tighten.

These are the differences. I would suggest the many people would pay extra $$ for an automatic set-up and take-down.

Can you trolley users help us on this?