Top 10 Serious Equipment Picks from the PGA Merchandise Show

Every year, the biggest show in golf takes place in Orlando at the end of January: the PGA Merchandise Show. Unfortunately for you, it’s mainly a trade show for professionals and those who can somehow figure out a way onto the convention floor, although we are told they allow outsiders on the last day. 

The show is like the biggest candy store ever for golfers, but it’s mainly for golf professionals to purchase equipment and clothing and accessories for their shops, not for you to buy like you would in a store. That’s the problem. You can see, but you mostly can’t take it with you. 

However, if you want to hit the latest clubs, there is a special hitting area for you to do that. A few of the exhibitors will sell samples rather than pack up their merchandise and ship it home. But typically, it’s not the big companies. So, the whole ordeal is rather like pressing your nose against the candy store window all afternoon. You get a sore nose, tired feet and not much else.   

But here are some finds that you should look for at your local golf shop or on line. 

Photos, where not identified by source, from Kathy Bissell.

10. Linksoul Clothing

John Ashworth, the man who reimagined golf clothing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is at it again. His new line is called Linksoul Golf, and Ashworth says the inspiration is the coastal lifestyle. 

“I wanted to design clothes that I would want to wear,” Ashworth said about the new pieces. 

His promotional “campaign buttons” include one that says, “Make Par Not War.”

http://www.pimadirect.com/

9. San Soleil UPF 25-50 Clothing

In this era of health and wellness, finding clothing with sunscreen included can be important to your health. If you or a loved one has had skin cancer, it may be more than important. It may be essential.     

http://www.sansoleil.com/index.html

8. Ping Drivers

Ping has made headlines two ways in 2012. Mark Wilson won the Humana Challenge using the new Ping I-20 driver, 8.5 degree loft with Grafalloy Tour X shaft.

Bubba Watson has the Ping G-20 in pink. Let’s face it, you have to be a manly guy to go pink. In Watson’s case, he’s doing it for charity with his “Bubba and Friends Drive to a Million.”

Karsten Manufacturing will donate $300 to charity for every drive Watson hits over 300 yards for up to 300 drives in 2012. It’s going to take him a few seasons to get there, but when Watson makes a commitment to charity, he sticks with it. He also  averages about 315 off the tee, so you know he is lock to hit a lot of 300-plus drives.

Watson also has a pink shaft on the driver. His grips are Ping 703 Gold with 10 wraps of tape under his right hand, 12 wraps under his left. 

http://pinggolf.com/

7. Adams Fast Driver

It just looks quick. The Speedline has a tapered end that the company says results in 14 percent less drag and three MPH faster clubhead speed. From 8.5 to 12.5 driver lofts.

http://www.adamsgolf.com 

6. New Titleist Ball

They call it Velocity DT SoLo, but I call it Velociraptor because it is fast, long and my guess is it has enough spin for a good player to yell “grow teeth” and have the ball to stop on the green. Plus, it has nifty orange-aid color numbers, the already printed lineup aid and a great price per dozen, under $30. Use it to scare the competition. 

5. Putters

There’s a flock of them this season. Nike has the new D-shape putter. TaylorMade has the Ghost. And every manufacturer has them in long, belly and regulation lengths.  

4. Buh Bye Spikes

Forget steel spikes or softspikes. Several companies are getting rid of changing the way we have come to think about golf shoes. Oakley has jumped into more than sunglasses with shoes that have the most innovative idea in decades. They have what looks like coarse sandpaper areas plus what they call nanospikes ( nubs, basically) on the bottom of their golf shows.

Instead of using a spike removal tool to change out the gripping surface, you peel off the gripper stuff and put on new. It’s supposedly held on with a super Velcro. They come in some wild colors, too, like bright red and turquoise. 

Barefoot B.E.R.B.S. are a whole new way to think about golf shoes. They are like walking barefoot, but there are five spikes, soft pads under the ball of the foot and the sole of the shoe has little “ bear claws” under the toes. Two Velcro closures hold the shoes on. The toe box is exceptionally roomy. 

Men’s and women’s sizes available.

3. Cross Rain Suit

One of my golf pals is a photographer who swears this rain suit is the best ever. The best.  Photographers are out in all weather, so this is high praise. The manufacturer, Cross, guarantees it rainproof for three years. The fabric is a secret blend that actually is some kind of membrane with nanoparticles that let sweat out but keep rain away from your skin. Pants available also.

Full suits are available for a lower price than tops plus bottoms. It’s a European cut, so if you are not a slim, you may want to order at least one size up. Supplier to the Swedish National Team.   

http://www.crossgolfusa.com/catalog/index.php

2. Belly Putt

Maybe you want to try a belly putter, but you don’t want to spend $150-$200 to experiment and maybe get a wrong length. 

Neither did Clay Judice. He invented the adjustable Belly Putt, which you can attach to your own putter to test out whether the club is right for you. Belly Putt is only $39.99. 

www.bellyputt.com

1. RocketBallz

They may have taken the bleep out of the commercial, but they didn’t take the distance out of the Rocketballz 3-wood. Its “hotness” has led to a line of Rocketballz woods and other fairway clubs. They say the 3-wood goes as much as 17 yards farther, and to show that, they put a 17-yard tunnel into the massive Taylormade area at the PGA Show.