Lasting Impressions Back Meeting with Mr. Miura A few weeks prior to the Show, Bill Holowaty of Miura Golf contacted me and wanted to know if I would be interested in meeting with the company’s namesake, legendary master craftsman Katsuhiro Miura. For those that are not aware, irons crafted by Mr. Miura are known throughout the golf industry as some of the best feeling irons produced. Recently, he decided to expand his business by establishing North America operations and we will see this company emerge within the United States in 2005. Mr. Miura rarely travels to the United States so I jumped at the opportunity to meet with him and discuss golf equipment. It was truly an honor and humbling experience for me to be able to talk to him regarding Miura’s superior forging process and his lifetime of experience in crafting forged irons. Mr. Miura began his career at the young age of 16 and has spent the past 47 years perfecting the process. While visiting with him, I was able to see and hold samples of their existing product line as well as some new prototype models that are set to debut in 2005. You have to see and hold these clubs to truly appreciate the works of art that they are. We also discussed the quality aspect of equipment and the attention to detail that so many companies today seem to lose sight of. I really did enjoy my time with Mr. Miura discussing golf equipment, tradition, and family. It became obviously clear to me that the reason that Miura Golf produces the best feeling and highest quality forged irons today is due to the passion, pride, and honor that Mr. Miura brings to everything he does. These are common characteristics that underlie the pursuit of perfection. Expect for Miura Golf to make its mark on the industry this year. I would like to publicly thank Mr. Miura for his time and willingness to meet with me.     The Return of Jesse Ortiz As I was making my way through the Apparel section of the PGA Merchandise Show, I strolled past the Bobby Jones Apparel booth. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a familiar looking man holding a driver and I did a double-take. Normally one does not see any equipment in the apparel section and vice-versa. As I approached the booth, I realized that the man was Jesse Ortiz, the club designer responsible for developing the popular Orlimar TriMetal fairway wood. It turns out that after a few year hiatus from the golf industry Jesse has returned to golf with the new Bobby Jones Golf Company. It was a pleasure getting to hear about his latest creations, a set of woods that had the look of old persimmon woods with some high-tech enhancements to increase playability. I also had the opportunity to attend a luncheon held by the company during the show where Jesse spoke about his return to the industry. It was very insightful to hear one of the games great designers speak passionately and frankly about a profession that he loves. Jesse was introduced by Bob Jones IV, grandson of the legendary Bobby Jones. 2005 marks the 75th anniversary of Bobby Jones’ historic Grand Slam accomplishment. The new woods will be geared toward selected green grass accounts across the county. Look for Booby Jones Golf to create some noise in the industry this year with their new products and as they celebrate one of the game’s greatest accomplishments.     The Force behind Macgregor Golf On the eve of the Show I attended a social and press conference for Macgregor Golf. President Barry Schneider delivered a passionate and powerful message while introducing Macgregor’s new products for 2005. Joining Schneider was their newest staff professional Greg Norman. After getting an exclusive viewing of Norman’s new commercials for Macgregor, the packed crowd was treated to listening to Norman discuss the state of his game and his desire to be associated with Macgregor Golf. Norman indicating that he is currently playing the Macgregor MACTEC driver with a 7.5 degree loft, a set of V-FOIL irons 2-PW, and a GT putter by Bobby Grace. As Norman turns 50 it was clear that he still has a passion to play the game and he is now lined up with a company that equally shares that passion about creating golf equipment.     A Putter Collector’s Dream While there were new products at every corner of the show, we also found a couple of booths that would be the envy of any putter collector. Tablerock Golf and Jim Butler have an extensive putter inventory that is full of classic originals and modern collectibles such as original Scotty Camerons, Scottsdale Pings, Wilson 8802's, and new Titleist Cameron Tours. Many of these were on display within their booth and were a joy to peruse. TKS Putters run by Todd Schumaker is the exclusive tour limited Bettinardi prototype putter specialist and had their collection of rare Robert Bettinardi putters on display including a prototype putter design for tour professional Rocco Mediate called the Roc and Roll. Visiting both booths offered a unique perspective into the world of collectable putters.     Drivers, Hybrids, and Putters This edition of the Show featured three product trends that stood out to me during our coverage. Every company has a big driver. While we saw some models that were under 400cc, most that we saw were over that mark with many at the 460cc limit. In addition to the drivers, it seems as though every company has a hybrid now solidifying its permanence within the industry. New hybrids were in abundance as we went from booth to booth in an assortment of designs to replace your endangered long irons. The final trend came from the putter category. Here we found putters of all shapes and sizes as well as weight being placed everywhere within the head, shaft, and grip. We even found one belly putter from Puku Golf that allows you to adjust the length of the putter with a special adjustment tool. The putter category is as crowded as ever with many exciting designs to choose from.     Demo Day and the ETC The addition of the Demo Day to the PGA Merchandise as well as the indoor Equipment Test Center has added an element to the experience that should be here to stay. There is no better way to experience the benefits of new equipment than hands-on testing. Both of these venues support that and offer much more by having on hand the designers and manufacturer representatives to answer questions and properly fit attendees. The popularity of these two venues was very evident by the crowds in attendance and these are two key elements that will play an integral part of the show’s future success.     Optimizing Equipment Performance through Technology If there was an overall observation on this year’s show it would have to be the increasing emphasis on the optimization of equipment to a golfer’s game through the use of technology. Launch monitors were in abundance with Accusport, Golf Achiever, FlightScope by EDH, and Zelocity all having constant crowds within their booths. Additionally, several of these companies’ products were being used within the Equipment Test Center as well as other booths. Mitchell Golf debuted their Putter Fitting Studio, a “launch monitor” for putters. The dual high-speed camera system allows the precise fitting of putters. Balance-Certified Golf continues their rise within the industry with their unique counter weight system allowing fitters to balance each club to a golfer’s swing characteristics. Congratulations go out to Balance-Certified’s Jeff Lindner and company for winning an award for Product Ingenuity at the 12th Annual ING Industry Awards announced during the Show. I feel we are just beginning to scratch the surface of this trend and feel that the best is yet to come as we continue to learn how best apply the use of technology to improve performance.     On the Way Back It was good to see several old companies resurface with new products for 2005. Among those we were glad to see back at the Show were McHenry Metals, Founders Club, and Orlimar. Welcome back and good luck in 2005.     Smaller Companies on the Rise Each year at the Show we come across several smaller companies that we feel are on the way up in the industry. Each of these companies already has a following among golf equipment enthusiasts but we think that in 2005, each of the following companies are poised for breakout years. Among those identified this year are SMT Golf, Nickent Golf, Innovex Golf, Nakashima Golf, Ashton Golf, Bang Golf, and Infiniti Golf. Each produce fine products and have even finer people associated with them. Congratulations on a good Show and good luck to all of you in 2005.     Apparel and Equipment As I spent time in the apparel section of the Show and after meetings with two specific companies, I realized that there is a similarity between the apparel and equipment categories. To create functional and high performance products in each, attention to specifications, quality, and detail is paramount. This became very clear when discussing outerwear with Sunderland of Scotland’s Warren Sunderland. Their jacket is high-tech with many innovations that most consumers will benefit from but not really realize. These details are what make Sunderland products stand out on the crowd. I also spent time with Tracy Provost of Fairway and Greene and came to the same conclusion. Fairway and Greene is among the best in balancing time-honored style and good looks with function and performance. High quality apparel and outerwear, just like equipment, is a direct result of passionate people striving for perfection by paying attention to every detail in the material and process of creating new products. The bottom line is the ability to produce quality products is driven by each company’s passion, process, and people. These two companies have that ability down pat.