Published on January 26, 2017

Orlando, United States: The 64th PGA Merchandise Show is welcoming more than 40,000 golf industry professionals from around the world to discover the newest trends and technology from more than 1,000 exhibiting golf companies and brands.
The industry’s annual ‘Major of Golf Business’ features a packed four-day schedule that began with the PGA Show Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Centre and Lodge on Tuesday.
From Wednesday through Friday it was onto the Orange County Convention Centre for PGA Show exhibits, industry presentations, education seminars and special events.
At the PGA Show Demo Day, thousands of PGA Professionals and invited golf retailers previewed and personally tested the newest equipment, training aids and accessories from more than 100 top golf companies within 200 hitting bays, putting greens and a vendor village of the 42-acre practice facility, creating the world’s largest professional golf demo event.
World Golf Hall of Famers Colin Montgomerie and Annika Sorenstam were joined by 2016 PGA Professional of the Year Cary Cozby and PGA officials to help open the PGA Merchandise Show, live on Golf Channel’s ‘Morning Drive’.
Montgomerie and Sorenstam are among a long list of celebrities, renowned golf instructors and specials guests who are participating in the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show.
Following the opening ceremony, the PGA Show floor exhibit doors opened to more than 1,000 top golf manufacturers and brands, creating the world’s largest business-to-business golf event. The very best names in golf, along with some 250 companies new to the PGA Show, are introducing thousands of new products to drive golf retail in 2017.
In addition to the busy marketplace among nearly 10 miles of exhibit aisles, PGA Show days are full of professional learning opportunities during industry presentations.
The PGA Forum Stage , presented by OMEGA, offers a full schedule of compelling speakers and diverse programming to enlighten and entertain attending PGA Professionals and industry leaders.
Presentations began yesterday with the event’s keynote programme, ‘The Impact of Charitable Efforts in Golf – A New Report from the World Golf Foundation’.
Additional first-day programming highlights included a major announcement from PGA Junior League Golf, a presentation on digital content and technology enabling a better connection with consumers, a SiriusXM State of the Game Town Hall presentation with PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua, and manufacturer programmes by PING, featuring Bubba Watson, and Cobra Puma Golf, featuring Greg Norman, Jesper Parnevik, Blair O’Neal and Holly Sonders.

Additional PGA Show Week programming on the PGA Forum Stage includes a SiriusXM Teachers Town Hall with renowned PGA instructors Hank Haney, David Leadbetter, Jim McLean and Michael Breed, and programming on junior golf, growing the game, golf employment, plus additional golf manufacturer presentations.
Also, the comprehensive PGA Education Conference, PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit, Outdoor Instructional Workshops, the Golf Fitness, Wellness & Instruction stage, sponsored by TPI and the Club Spa Association, and the Performance & Sports Textile Sourcing area will offer many educational programmes featuring a diverse spectrum of golf, retailing, fitness and business topics.
Attendees will experience a dynamic PGA Show floor, featuring interactive exhibits, hundreds of vendor show specials and promotions; plus some 47 testing bays at the indoor Equipment Test Centre, a centralised New Product Zone for a one-stop shopping of the newest golf merchandise; an Inventor’s Spotlight Pavilion for patented products not yet available at retail; and numerous specialty exhibitor pavilions including a PGA Golf Travel Pavilion, PGA Partners Pavilion, Women’s Accessories Pavilion, New Exhibitor Discovery Zone, and several international exhibitor pavilions.
More than 1,000 media from some 25 countries are attending the Show while the Golf Channel will deliver nearly 20 hours of coverage.