Tifosi Shwae Aviators - Old School, New Cool

September 23, 2019  

     According to the current "Star Gazers" episode on PBS, today is the Autumnal Equinox when at sunrise and sunset roads like the one in front of our house become perfect test grounds for protective eyewear.  If your destination is a morning round of golf that lies to the east, then home in the afternoon to the west, we can honestly say that Tifosi Shwae Aviators are up to the challenge, even driving directly into the sun!

     Designed and tested by sports enthusiasts for sports enthusiasts, Tifosi eyewear is affordable, comfortable and backed by a lifetime warranty against manufacturer's defects.  Their new Shwae Aviators have glide technology and smooth nose pads for a "no-tangle" transition from top of the head to securely on the bridge of the nose.  The classic tear-drop lens is shatterproof polycarbonate and provides 100% UV protection.  And the stainless steel frames are surprisingly lightweight.

     We also had the opportunity to try them last week at one of golf's most challenging courses.  Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard every spring but is kept in tournament condition all year long with fine, rolling greens that run about a 10 even on a normal day and long, sweeping fairways rising up to the lodge.  Built along a geologic feature call the Florida Crest, Bay Hill invites swift-moving weather that can make its way across Florida in any season.  Fall, especially, can present every conceivable type of weather, often all in one day!  We were happy to find that Tifosi Shwae hold up and hold on during wind, rain, heat, humidity, instant cloud cover and blinding sun - all with comfort and retrostyle that we're sure Arnie, world-renowned golfer, aviator and all-around classy guy, would have appreciated!

Sporty Track or Classic Shwae,

Tifosi has you covered!

Shwae Aviators by Tifosi Optics start at $35.00 US MSRP for non-polarized lenses or $59.95 US for polarized and come in a variety of lens and frame colors to match your style.

Golf History Mystery - Alex Taylor Putter

June 2019

     We have quite a collection of putters for our back porch putting green.  Most have been flea market finds and none have cost more than $5.  We probably didn't need any more but there was something about this Alex Taylor putter that said "take me home" - the smooth old leather grip, the shiny blade, the fact that the guy would take $4 for it.  We did take it home and what it did was take us on an unexpected treasure hunt.
     We thought as first - Taylor, as in TaylorMade.  But a search online led us to, of all things, The Classic Fly Rod Forum, where a member had quoted a most remarkable article, "Zzunk" by Brendan Gill from the April 19, 1947 issue of  The New Yorker.  In his entertaining article, Mr. Gill interviews Alex Taylor, of Alex Taylor & Co., a sporting goods store at 22 East 42nd Street in Manhattan, at the time already entering its 50th year at that location.  We hope you enjoy this classic interview, itself the treasure:

                In 1897, Mr. Taylor told us, the best sporting goods invariably came from England,
          but for the past 25 years, American-made golf clubs, tennis rackets and so on have been
          considered as good as anybody else's.  "Different sports tend to rise and fall in popularity,"
          Mr. Taylor said.  "Back in '97, basketball was just beginning to catch on, lacrosse and
          fencing were very popular, and golf and tennis, which had been rich men's games, were
          beginning to be played by everybody.  Now lacrosse and fencing are fairly unimportant,
          while skiing, to which nobody paid very much attention in the old days, is one of our major
          sports.  Styles in equipment change, too.  Tennis rackets used to be more rectangular in
          shape, and footballs were dumpy.  Since 1912, when their measurements were first
          standardized, they have lost a bit more than an inch around the waist.  Shoe skates were
          practically unknown in 1897 and golfing irons were all hand-forged, with wooden shafts.
          The rubber-wound golf ball hadn't been invented, so we used "gutty" balls, made of gutta
          percha.  The gutta was easier to putt with, being heavy and dead and consequently more
          true on the green than a modern ball, but you couldn't get much distance with it.  Baseballs
          were also dead.  They got a cork center in 1909, which speeded them up a trifle.  It was the
          switch from American to Australian yarn in 1920 that made them really fast.  Baseball bats,
          on the other hand, haven't changed at all.  I have a new magnesium bat in my office here,
          but I doubt if it'll ever take the place of wood.  Just doesn't feel right."
       

2019 PGA Merchandise Show Outdoor Demo Day

January 21, 2019

     

     

    

     The crossroads of golf never cease to amaze us and no where are those crossroads more evident than at the PGA Merchandise Show and Demo Day.  

     

     Each January the golf industry's leading trade-only event hosts nearly 1,000 top golf companies and more than 40,000 golf industry professionals and media, presenting nearly one million square feet of exhibit, demonstration and meeting space at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

     

  

     

     

     We enjoy starting our week with Demo Day, a mile's walk around the 45-acre circular driving range at Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge where clubmakers, golf cart manufacturers, a vendor village and classes offer the perfect opportunity for professionals, course owners, pro shops and media to test the latest equipment in a real green-grass setting.

Even in hiking boots, Epon offers ultimate performance!

At Folds of Honor, new player packs, event boxes

and counter displays will enhance participation in

the 2019 Patriot Golf Day.

A Garden Variety Golfer waiting to test drive
the new Tour Edge Exotics.

Wittek - Innovative, quality course equipment

that is right at home on the range.

     By chance, our lunch partner was Ramon Valdez, Jr., PGA - Director of Golf at Isleta Golf Club, a course we've enjoyed when visiting family in Albuquerque.  We talked about what the biggest






challenge is to his golf course and, not surprisingly, it's water, or rather the lack of water.  It's
a challenge that's also felt by courses in many environments, even here in Florida, making course maintenance equipment and scheduling all the more important.

The new Sigma 2 Fetch joins the Ping Putter Family

whose Sigma 2 Dual Durometer is a softer outer face

backed by a firmer layer and the shaft is also adjustable

up to 4 inches.

The Party's always on at Cobra-Puma, where Chippo brings

the Tailgating Fun.

And Red Bull adds a little Bass to the Cobra Party.

Superstroke - The #1 Putter Grip in Golf.

Tour Edge - Worth the Wait.

   

     Our lunch partner, Ramon, also confirmed what many have told us through the years - that what draws him to this show is the opportunity to network with colleagues that he wouldn't ever get a chance to see in what is always a very busy year.  And that network expands exponentially when you walk into the Orange County Convention Center.

For a look at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show, please see our review at:

2019 PGA Merchandise Show

2019 PGA Merchandise Show

January 22-25, 2019
Orlando, Florida
   
     The crossroads of golf converge each January at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida where the PGA Merchandise Show presents 10 miles of merchandise aisles, equipment testing, training seminars and fashion, travel and fitness pavilions.  Golf's leading trade-only event hosts nearly 1,000 top golf companies and more than 40,000 golf industry professionals and media, giving them first look at new equipment and products, access to improvements in best practices, and an exponentially expanding network through the business of golf.

   

K-Motion - Human Motions Learning Systems like K-Player and K-Coach conform with

many software platforms, including those developed by TPI - Titleist Performance Institute.

     As technology approaches the stratosphere, the PGA Merchandise Show offers an opportunity to see products in action and speak with reps who can explain applications that may never have occurred to us.

       

With AR Glasses from vGolf, reality mixes with virtual golf.

Full Swing is redefining the future of putting practice with Virtual Green

setting the topography and Puttview projection calculating the line. 

   

One of our favorite new exhibitors in 2018, 

AfterShokx open ear headphones are now incorporated into stylish, 

blue-tooth-ready sunglasses, leaving the wearer visually protected,

entertained and still situationally aware.

LaserWorks brings recording

and playback to their

rangefinder modes.

Precision Pro Range Finders - All the features at competitive prices.

     Products that support clubhouse management systems also offer extensive course marketing tools and there seems to be no end to the products that can be customized.

PTE Golf - Professional Tournament Enhancements - Bringing detail and excellence to your properties and events.

ForeTees - Modern course marketing and management tools, simplified.

Gallus Golf talks with the Garden Variety Golfer about the seemingly limitless future of AI in course marketing software.

Their dynamic and direct interface platforms keep players and members engaged and coming back for more.

Evolve Golf merges high-tech customizing with hand-forged metal tools, personalized tee packs and quality woven 

products all created with the customer and the environment at the forefront of their business model.

Motionwool Socks from Evolve Golf blend

incredibly soft Merino wool with supportive high

tech fibers for a product your feet will thank you for!

With custom canopies and new Endeavor frame designs, 

 banners and flagging, EZ Up covers your

event needs.

 

Custom X products - making your course,

tournament or business memorable.

     As we transition to a digital age, there also seems to be a growing appreciation for hand-crafted feel, personalization and custom-fitting.

Master Wedge Maker Bob Vokey says if he could have only one,

it would be the 56.  We say all his Titleist SM7 wedges are beautiful.

Classic Gifts and Awards of Pinehurst, North Carolina

know a thing or two about distinctive tournament awards

and gifts.  Their hand-embroidered crests and framed artworks

are incredible memories of distinctive golf courses and events.

ERG brings metallurgic skills into play with components

for every club and swing type.

Bridgestone's 2.0 Ball-Fitting Program uses 

Foresight Sports GC Quad Launch Monitors and

12 years of collected data to fit a wide range of

swing types, assuring that the e-12 series has a

ball to fit you.

Lynx Golf is pulling their newest cat out of the bag.

The Prowler VT Driver with SwitchFace Technology allows

a player to adjust loft and face angle to accommodate for anything

from course style to weather conditions and even changes in swing.

After nearly a century of experience in the world of sports,

you can trust that time spent talking with reps at Wilson-Staff

is well worth it.

    

     Products made from natural components could make your life easier and are finding changing attitudes and acceptance over harsher chemical and medical options.

Para'Kito - Insect-repelling bands and pendants

that look good while protecting you out in the wilds.

No DEET, made with essential oils.  

 

SCNS Sports Foods - Wholesome goodness with

sport-specific nutrition baked in every bite.

Medterra CBD, made in the

USA, is Non-GMO, Zero THC,

and is finding acceptance with people

looking for alternatives to traditional

wellness medications.

     Travel, Adaptive Golf, Performance Textiles and Fitness all have pavilions within the show.  This year also paired with a showcase of Raquet and Paddle Sports, natural fits to resort and club activities.  Also introduced were Innovative Sport Startups within its New Products Zone.  Hosted by Chippo Golf, one of our favorite new products at the 2018 PGA Merchandise Show, the New Products Zone gets much attention through the week, gaining notice for inventors from large and small manufacturers alike.

The Adaptive Golf Center at the PGA Merchandise Show

brings together products and associations that focus on making golf

inclusive for players with cognitive or mobility challenges.

Serge Gauvin, inventor of the 

RecTeeFier, designed his product to accentuate loft and eliminate side spin.

With a Dash Caddie, all your gear is in one place and snaps on the

steering column, be it golf cart, water craft or 4-wheeler!

   













   

     A walk through the apparel aisles at the PGA Show offers a preview of new designs for 2019 and reminds us that classics and versatility in golfwear will always be in style.

Zero Restriction, a Summit Golf brand, 

blends comfort, style and innovative design,

including lock-dot closure technology.

Brad Faxon sporting Zero Restriction.

Greyson Clothiers showed off their beautiful 2019 cashmere blends and 

gave us an early look at their Den Of Thieves polo line.  Greyson finds intriguing

ways to integrate their iconic wolf logo into the design.

Shanghai J & L Fashion Hat Co. - Incorporating natural fibers

into stylish hats that are washable, foldable, packable and still

 return to their classic shapes.

                                                                     

Extend the life and look of that favorite cap with replaceable liners

from No Sweat.

Katherine Way presents classic styling in exclusive pattern and

color selections that are easy-care, 50+ sunscreen rated and 100% made in the USA.

Tee2Sea - Fun, fresh and eco-friendly with fabrics made of

16% spandex and 84% PETE - polyester from recycled beverage bottles! 

     The uniqueness of golf is evident here at the PGA Merchandise Show.  It's rare when a sport played by individuals receives so much thought, design, engineering and artistry.  Such is its power, this game of golf.

For our look at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show Outdoor Demo Day, go to:

2019 PGA Merchandise Show Outdoor Demo Day