What a crazy week! The 2020 PGA Merchandise Show is finally in the books, and I’m here to tell you all about it. My 5th year covering the PGA Merchandise Show and it never gets old. Like a kid in a candy shop, I’m always excited to see what’s around every corner and judge who has come up with the next great product idea.
Last year I said CBD manufacturers dominated the show; multiple companies pitched their products, hoping to convince club pros to carry their product in pro shops. Well, guess what? This year there were twice as many CBD companies as last year. I’ll start with CBD; we talked with several different companies at the show, every year I get more educated on the CBD industry.
CBD, feel good, play good.
I started with the O.G. of CBD in the golf industry, cbdMD, the brand that made big news when they signed Bubba Watson to an endorsement deal. cbdMD offers a quality product and considers themselves as the masters of broad-spectrum CBD products. What I’ve learned with CBD is that there are three types; full spectrum (includes THC), broad-spectrum (includes all benefits of Hemp minus THC), and isolate (CBD molecule only). I encourage people to experiment and see what works best for them, but most US residents will have to choose between broad-spectrum or isolate.
The next stop on the CBD train was a small upstart company, High Falls Hemp, based in upstate New York. I was impressed with the High Falls product line, best known for its Broad-Spectrum Tinctures. When you hear tinctures, that’s CBD in the liquid form. What separates High Falls Hemp is the fact that their tinctures have little to no taste when compared to competitors. They offer a great starter package on their web site for $50 that allows you to try multiple products.
Tiger has a new ball!
Enough about CBD! Now you know how I felt after hours of walking around the convention center. The big news around golf and at the show is the new golf ball Tiger’s playing, which he helped develop in conjunction with Bridgestone. Bridgestone launched their new line of tour golf balls at the show and has already seen success with John Smoltz using the new ball this past weekend to win the celebrity portion of the Diamond Resorts LPGA Tournament of Champions.
We had a chance to test out the golf balls Monday night and couldn’t have been more impressed with the distance and feel. The new Bridgestone ball fitting system allows you to submit a video from your phone and email it to Bridgestone to find your perfect ball.
I’m Hungry!
After hours on the show floor, I was hungry, so it was time to test out the food. Chef’s Cut was back at the show again this year. They have a big product line and are starting to invest in developing products with less sugar and sodium. As they attempt to catch up to consumer demand, a new kid was on the block, Kingmade Jerky. The brainchild of professional tour caddy Jeff King, Kingmade, is crafted from flank steak, which naturally has less sugar and sodium than the traditional top round used by jerky companies. The official jerky of the PGA Tour, Kingmade, currently offers three flavors, original (a bit dry), sweet chili pepper (not bad), and buffalo style (this stuff is awesome). Right now, you can go to their website and order a sample pack for only $10, shipping included with code PGASAMPLE.
Cork and Sunbrella
I ventured over to the Under Armor booth to see what was new in 2020, and the HOVR golf shoe made with a cork insole, and Sunbrella material on the exterior not only looked sharp but promises to offer comfort and longevity. After the first three rounds of golf, the cork insole will mold to your foot to offer a custom fit. The golf course can be tough on shoes, and nothing holds up better than Sunbrella material, so I’m excited to see how these shoes do on the market because they look amazing and offer a lot of unique benefits.
Juniors meet Larry the Lynx
I spent a few minutes with Lynx during the show, not a normal brand that I follow, but I was excited to see what they’re doing for junior golfers. Lynx has spent a ton of time and money developing an entirely new line of junior golf clubs designed to grow with children while keeping swing weights and frequency the same as your child grows. Imagine learning to hit a club as early as two years old and keeping that same feeling as you progress to longer clubs throughout your junior years.
Pump up the VOLUME!
Bushnell is always worth a stop, but this year their booth was pumping tunes. Bushnell was showing off the new Wingman Speaker. This thing sounds awesome and integrates with your phone to become your on-course GPS. The price is right, at only $150. I think this speaker is going to do extremely well. It features the Bushnell bite technology, so the powerful magnet promises to keep the speaker on any metal surface, including the rail of your golf cart. Top-quality sound and an integrated GPS makes this one a no-brainer. Available in March.
Simple but effective.
It seems like every year, I stumble upon a great new product making my way from one appointment to another. This year was no exception as I stumbled upon Desert Fox Golf and their Phone Caddy. I’m a tech guy at heart and always love to have my phone handy during a round of golf. I’ve tried several phone holders in the past, but they always took up too much room and seemed to disappoint in the end. The Phone Caddy by Desert Fox Golf is simple, easy to store and use, and effective. At only $25, it’s the best deal I found at the show.
Finally, a great golf scooter!
For the past several years, I’ve been amused by the different battery-powered golf vehicles that have been on demo at the PGA Show. This year a new scooter hit the show floor, and I think someone finally got the design right. Finn Scooters launched with an innovative design and might have created the ultimate golf machine. The genius behind Finn Scooters is the positioning of the golf bag along the centerline; this promotes incredible riding comfort and stability, with great maneuverability. A scooter, I would be willing to purchase and ride on the course!
That’s it for the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show; I think I have enough CBD samples to last me until next year.
Rob Spellman, is an avid golfer and publisher of Golf Aficionado Magazine, he is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and the Golf Travel Writers of America.