GolfSpy T’s – 10 Things I Didn’t Like About 2012 PGA Show

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2012 PGA SHOW – NOT TOP 10

(Written By: @GolfSpyT) Most of what you see at the annual PGA show is pretty good, but as with anything else, there are a few things that just don’t work. In no particular order, here are 10 things I didn’t like about this year’s show:

1. Demo Day in a General Sort of Way – Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that all the latest and greatest equipment is on display and accessible for anyone who wants to get their licks in. The thing is, year over year it doesn’t change much. In fact, so little changes that we probably could have used last years pictures and nobody would have been any the wiser. Next year, can we mix it up a bit?
2. No Big OEM Surprises – I’m told that back in the proverbial day entire club lineups would be announced at the show. With consideration for MyGolfSpy’s business model, the irony of what I’m about to say isn’t lost on me, BUT… It really would be nice if one or two of the big boys could keep the new stuff under wraps until show week. Alas, in the age of social media (and yes, Spy Pics), it’s just doesn’t happen any more.
3. Ropes – Maybe it’s to keep crowds organized. Maybe it’s to thwart would be stalkers, whatever the reason, it’s too bad that OEM sponsors feel like they have to keep big ticket stars like Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, and others roped off, and control the crowd flow around them. Toss in Table Rock rigorously controlling the traffic flow through their booth and it was all a little much. Nothing like watching PGA professionals and buyers being herded  around like cattle. It really doesn’t have to be that way. Moo.
4. The Callaway Booth – It appears Justin Timberlake didn’t get brought on-board quickly enough, because the Callaway booth could have used some creative direction. The bottom line is that apart from the annual hat-throwing fashion shows, Callaway failed to generate any real excitement. For the OEMs, the booths need to serve as business spaces, but in this guy’s opinion, Callaway put too much emphasis on building a meeting space, and not nearly enough on showcasing their products. The RAZR fit is supposed to be the driver that puts Callaway back on the map, and rather than place it front and center, the booth looked more like a cocktail lounge sans the piano and spirits. By Saturday morning Callaway central was a ghost town. The location, smack dab in the middle of nowhere between miscellany and apparel, certainly didn’t help the cause.
5. Small Companies in Small Conference Rooms – The showroom floor is center stage for the PGA Show, and when your competitors are playing on the main stage you should be too. Trying to save some cash by shacking up in a small conference room instead of a booth on the main floor is akin to choosing a seat at the kiddie table when you should be eating with grown-ups. Wilson, Adams, and Mizuno all missed the boat. Is it any real surprise they don’t compete at the highest level? Games are won by those who show up, not the guys hanging out in the locker room.
6. GolfSpy Tim’s Ass – Seriously. When you can chase a Liberian cab driver out of his own van… Buddy, it’s time to see a specialist.  Of course, after charging $10 bucks for a ride from the West to South Concourse, the guy probably had it coming.
7. Booth Babes – Using pretty girls to move product is as old as product itself. That said, the “talent” level at the booths was way down from last year (and from what I’m told has been on a steady decline for years). It’s not all bad, some of the golf companies have some beautiful women legitimately on the payroll. That’s pretty great, but as far as hired guns are concerned, there were plenty of misfires.
8. George Thorogood and the Destroyers – TaylorMade absolutely nailed their booth. Hell, they had the perfect setup in place…a VIP cocktail party wrought  with anticipation and excitement. When TMAG CEO Mark King, stood in front of a drum set and basically encouraged everyone to drink themselves stupid, myself and the other GolfSpys fully believed TaylorMade was about to knock it out of the park; party of the decade type stuff. When George Thorogood and the Destroyers took the stage, well…let’s just say we were disappointed. I get it. An entire marketing campaign has been built around “Who Do You Love”, so it makes sense. Still for many in the crowd under the age of 45 it was a huge miss. If nothing else, it shows that it’s next to impossible to please the entire golfing demographic. Next year, can we go younger? Jay-Z, Kanye? Maroon 5’s Adam Levine was just at the Kingdom, hopefully they mentioned PGAM13.
9. Missing Out on Fun – The list of events we were invited to was long. Those we actually made it to number practically zero. Though we spent about an hour at a PUMA event on the showfloor Thursday, and a little bit of time at the afore mentioned TaylorMade party, we passed on invites to offsite parties thrown by Nike, Back 9 Networks, and a reasonably intimate dinner hosted by Butch Harmon; all so we could stay up ’til 2AM getting pictures processed and uploaded.  All work and no play has this Jack feeling like a dull boy. Next year will be different.
10. Douchebags – Though we enjoyed our conversations with nearly everyone we spoke with during show week, including the guys from so-called rival sites, talk to the guys working the booths for the week and you’ll hear a totally different account of things. People walking the show floor can be rude, and demanding. More than one vendor vented a bit of frustration about what they deal with over the course of show week, and some commented about the rampant theft of product (even directly under signs that might as well read “Please Don’t Steal”). There are plenty of samples to be had simply by asking nicely. There’s no need to steal, and no need to treat the guys working the booths with anything but respect. Is it any wonder why so many no fill their displays with empty boxes, and why the guys working the show can’t wait to go home?