In an effort to share my experiences at the 2010 PGA Merchandise Show, I had a blast filming some brief video clips from Orlando. I attempted to cover several aspects of the industry event and well as a cross section of products and services, and I tried to keep the length of each clip to a minute while still conveying a complete thought or idea. You can see all of the clips on my YouTube channel, or you can click the following links to see any of the individual posts and videos:
While I enjoyed my experiment at lifestreaming, I did encounter some technical difficulties in uploading large video files from my Blackberry Storm 2 to the web. For future lifestreaming, I am currently learning a great deal about mobile file compression!
I appreciate all of the requests that I received to cover specific companies. If I did not have a chance to visit with a business that you represent, please feel free to contact me. I am planning on adding product reviews in future blog posts on a regular basis.
This afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting actor John O’Hurley and real-life catalog entrepreneur John Peterman at a small booth on the floor of the PGA Show.
A multi-talented actor for film, television, and voice as well as a classically trained music composer, pianist, and vocalist, O’Hurley has enjoyed a long and successful career in show business. Most notably, he portrayed a fictionalized version of Peterman on Seinfeld from 1995 to 1998. More recently, he was the runner-up on the 2005 version of Dancing with the Stars. He is an avid golfer who plays in a number of PGA Tour pro-ams and celebrity golf events, each year.
In an amazing case of fiction meets reality, O’Hurley became an investor of The J. Peterman Company. After declaring bankruptcy in 1999, Peterman sold his company, but when the acquiring firm also went out of business, the entrepreneur bought back the rights to his name with the help of O’Hurley and re-launched the brand name in 2001. Peterman wrote a fascinating account of the story in a book titled Peterman Rides Again.
On the floor of the PGA Show, the two gentlemen graciously greeted attendees in a modest booth that displayed their classic-styled shirts and sweaters. With the combined talents of O’Hurley and Peterman, I would not be surprised to see the J. Peterman name develop into a well-known golf brand similar to Clint Eastwood’s wildly successful Tehama apparel company.
Launched at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, Cleatskins are back on the show floor in Orlando, again this year.
Cleatskins are designed to slip over shoes and take golfers quickly and conveniently from the golf course to the street. The revolutionary design is crafted from SKINTEK, a ground-breaking flexible formulation of compression molded rubber. For someone like me who wears golf shoes on a daily basis, this footwear innovation is safer than plastic spikes for walking on hard pavement and eliminates the wear and tear that street-walking causes to soft spikes. Plus, Cleatskins look super cool!
Developed by former college athlete and father of three children, Rich Kay, with his wife Marianne, Cleatskins are a must-have for the athletic-minded family and are available in different models and sizes for various sports.
A couple of years ago, I met Susan Greene, who has written a series of children’s picture books about golf. Very graciously, she personalized and autographed copies of all of her books to Charlie, and his favorite is Consider It Golf. Reading these books together is a perfect way to introduce your toddler to the game.
Launched in 2009, SUMI-G is a line of fine golf accessories. In this video, I talk with Tony Korologos, the company’s new national sales manager. Tony is also a blogger at his long running Hooked on Golf Blog and the founder of The Golf Space, one of the most popular forums for golf on the Internet.
In the 1980’s, STX — the Baltimore, Md. company that pioneered the modern lacrosse stick — also introduced the first patented soft face insert in the game of golf. The USGA-approved inserts are comprised of proprietary materials engineered for various playing conditions and cradle the golf ball longer than metal face and other insert putters. This increased dwell time means better control, less skidding, and a truer roll to help make more putts. Over the years, STX putters have been used to claim several tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the 2002 PGA Championship won by Rich Beem.
This year, STX is launching several new putters, including the ProFIT series. In this video, I talk with Jason Goger, a fellow alumnus of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland who is now the general manager of STX.
I am a big fan of the SKLZ line of golf training aids. A smart golfer always sets-up a practice station when hitting balls on a driving range. Most people simply try to lay down a few golf clubs parallel and square to the target line. In this video, I introduce you to the Practice Pod Pro, which is a lightweight alignment aid that establishes a perfect and quick practice station for every session on the range. The new and improved product now includes a reflection mirror so that you can also easily monitor shoulder alignment.
