{"id":435114,"date":"2026-01-24T20:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T20:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435114\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T20:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T20:14:15","slug":"technology-vintage-sensibility-collide-at-pga-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/435114\/","title":{"rendered":"Technology, vintage sensibility collide at PGA Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"Attendees and exhibitors pack the floor at the PGA Show. Scott Halleran, PGA of Amerca<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: GGP+ is providing golf-industry coverage in conjunction with this week\u2019s PGA Show in Orlando, Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ORLANDO, FLORIDA | Golf\u2019s business mecca, the PGA Show, once again roared to life this week, hosting more than 30,000 attendees to mingle with upwards of 1,000 vendors and exhibitors. From humble beginnings as a slapdash trunk show in Dunedin, Florida, the self-proclaimed \u201cmajor of golf business\u201d has grown into an international destination that sprawls across 1.1 million square feet of convention space.<\/p>\n

While the gathering\u2019s showcase of technological innovation was stronger than ever, this year\u2019s edition saw a healthy dose of tradition sprinkled throughout the Orange County Convention Center. The resulting blend of retro styling and cutting-edge development produced an atmosphere wholly unique and utterly representative of golf\u2019s current cultural landscape \u2013 an enticingly strange mix of the game\u2019s storied past and its battery-powered future.<\/p>\n

The show\u2019s opening day on Wednesday was one of the most well attended and vibrant in recent memory, with some of the aisles virtually impassable at times.\u00a0For the club junkie, the show floor was nirvana.<\/p>\n

All the major manufacturers showed up to debut new product lines with the exception of TaylorMade, conspicuous by their absence since 2018.<\/p>\n

\"\"The PGA Show is nirvana for a club junkie. Scott Halleran, PGA of America<\/p>\n

Titleist once again served as the anchor of the show\u2019s equipment section. Holding the same sprawling booth space for decades, the brand\u2019s central location often makes it the first port of call for industry professionals interested in the new gear hitting the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe PGA professional is rooted in our business and our route to market as an instrumental connection to the golfer,\u201d said Jeremy Stone, senior vice president of golf ball marketing and U.S. sales for Titleist. \u201c[The PGA Show] is a great place for us to see so many of our great partners and connect with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, the company\u2019s signature white-coated reps introduced the new Vokey SM11 wedge line, a refresh on the well-traveled tour favorite that promises a more consistent center of gravity across the series\u2019 nearly 30 varieties of grind and bounce options. Putter guru Scotty Cameron emerged from his garage with a variety of low-torque putter models in both his Phantom and Studio Style lines, a prime example that timelessness is not immune to the temptation of modern trends. Titleist rounded out their offerings with a smattering of new golf balls, including an updated Pro V1 Left Dash, Tour Soft, and AVX.<\/p>\n

Stationed right next door, Ping\u2019s booth spotlighted the new G440 K driver. Playing into the brand\u2019s position as leaders in forgiveness, the model promises record-setting moment of inertia via weight-saving measures in the sole, crown, and hosel. The visual profile of the G440 has also been lengthened with the goal of inspiring confidence on the tee.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the overall category and space, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been more exciting. I think the planets are aligning in terms of the new audience and the new generation of golfers that are coming through \u2026 data and insight is really important for them.\u201d \u2013 James Murphy of simulator maker Uneekor<\/p>\n

Callaway furthered its reputation as a technically minded manufacturer with the debut of its Quantum line of clubs, featuring a whopping five different driver models aiming to serve the entire spectrum of swings. With the release, Callaway joined their absent competitor TaylorMade as the only two major brands to offer a carbon-integrated driver face. Callaway\u2019s new Tri-Force surface is a proprietary mix of ultra-thin titanium supported by a sheet of carbon fiber and bonded together by a lightweight polymer, promising consumers faster ball speed off the tee \u2013 at least if you can afford it.<\/p>\n

A common theme with this year\u2019s driver rollout was a potentially exclusionary price tag. As the equipment industry continues to boom and R&D budgets rise in tandem, MSRP for drivers in particular has reached an all-time high. The big sticks from Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, and Ping all retail for $645.99 in stock configuration. Throw in a custom-fitted shaft and choice of aftermarket grip, and spending four figures on a new driver is by no means out of the question.<\/p>\n

An industry sector on the rise since COVID, indoor golf and its associated technologies made a big splash on this year\u2019s show floor. A unified block of simulator brands spanned much of the convention\u2019s midsection, ranging from large players such as Trackman and Foresight to smaller, more regional brands like Fullswing and Uneekor. This year saw a dramatic uptick in square footage consumed by the sector, representative of steady growth for off-course playing options.<\/p>\n

\"\"Show visitors line up to register in Orlando. Darren Carroll, PGA of America<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of the overall category and space, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been more exciting,\u201d said James Murphy, head of global marketing for Uneekor. \u201cI think the planets are aligning in terms of the new audience and the new generation of golfers that are coming through \u2026 data and insight is really important for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the ancient game could not escape discussion of artificial intelligence. Integration with AI was a prominent theme throughout the show, with machine-learning models leveraged in everything from club design to business analytics to golf instruction.<\/p>\n

With all the buzz around new technology, walking onto the apparel floor was like stepping back in time. The vintage revival within golf\u2019s soft goods sector was on full display this week, showcasing a world of polished wood, leather, and stitched canvas. Breakout brands such as Malbon, Hudson Sutler, and Tremont Sports have positioned themselves as the torchbearers of retro style, emphasizing design elements made famous by names like Palmer, Miller, Couples, and Woods. Pleated pants, a looser fit, and traditional materials like knit wool and cashmere have become vogue once more, with brands leveraging this visual connection to history for mass-market appeal.<\/p>\n

Outside the showcase of golf\u2019s latest goods, the PGA Show also serves as a hub for professional education and nationwide networking. Conferences for organizations such as the Association of Golf Merchandisers, National Golf Course Owners Association and Golf Fitness Association of America ran all week, offering a chance for industry members from across the globe to meet and mingle. The week culminated Thursday with the 2026 Winter Jam, a free-entry concert featuring country music artist Dustin Lynch.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2026 Global Golf Post LLC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Attendees and exhibitors pack the floor at the PGA Show. Scott Halleran, PGA of Amerca Editor\u2019s note: GGP+…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,118557,227255,85],"class_list":["post-435114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-pga-of-america","tag-pga-show","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}