Connect with us

Equipment

2014 PGA Merchandise Show: Manufacturer Personality Comparisons

Published

on

For any golf nut, taking to the floor of the Orange County Convention Center for the annual PGA Merchandise Show is like entering Willy Wonka’s factory. It is wonderfully overwhelming. If you love golf, then your aching feet by week’s end will be a very fair trade for the opportunity to browse so much of what the golf industry has to offer for the coming year.

The Show isn’t just a gigantic interactive gallery, though—it’s a place of business. Thousands of club professionals arrange meetings with multiple manufacturers to determine how they will stock their pro shops for the following year. Significant amounts of revenue are at stake, and like male birds trying to court females with their plumage, major manufacturers are courting any potential new business and shoring up existing accounts. The rest of us get to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

As a result, each manufacturer seems to exhibit a certain personality through its presence at the Show. Here are my impressions.

151fe8801b218c9270e4c6e5cb6ca0c9

Callaway brought a big tank to their Odyssey booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Brand: Callaway

Characteristics: Social media-driven, fun, not terribly serious, bombastic

Show Presence: Given their big recent Big Bertha revival/rollout, Callaway made a big splash in Orlando. Their main booth (of three) featured a 25-foot tall Isaac Newton in the middle. Across the aisle, Callaway’s Odyssey brand promoted their new Tank putter with…a 106,000-pound military tank. Totally normal. Hung from the rafters were banners promoting Callaway’s impressive and ever-growing stable of PGA Tour players. Good contrast of whimsy and authority from the Tour.

Titleist booth at 2014 PGA Merchandise Show

Well-dressed reps at the Titleist booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Brand: Titleist

Characteristics: Professional, clean-cut, confident, highbrow, distinguished

Show Presence: There is little doubt that Titleist has the best-dressed reps. They are visible from afar; with white blazers and black pants, their ensemble is unique among exhibitor uniforms without being obnoxious. Likewise, Titleist’s (and subsidiary FootJoy’s) booth set a formal, highbrow tone that included (like its television ads) heavy support from their robust Tour staff. Their most notable new feature was their wedge section, where Titleist is clearly trying to give noted wedge designer Bob Vokey his own brand in similar fashion to Scotty Cameron.

Part of the video presentation about TaylorMade's MOAD "concept club" at their booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Part of the video presentation about TaylorMade’s MOAD “concept club” at their booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Brand: TaylorMade

Characteristics: High-energy, forward-thinking, fun, relentless

Show Presence: TaylorMade has arguably the most daring and flashy PGA Show presence each year. A key aspect of this is where they choose to situate their booth: beyond the scores of apparel dealers, at the opposite end of the enormous exhibition hall from the rest of their competitors. TaylorMade clearly intends their booth to be a destination for visitors to the Show, and they back that intention up by going all-out to create a space that is equal parts learning space and nightclub-like scene. The introduction to their booth came in the form of an 11-minute video focused on TaylorMade’s R&D department’s efforts to stretch the boundaries of golf equipment in order to explore new avenues of golf innovation. It was impressive. 

The more open-air, easy-to-walk-through PING booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

The more open-air, easy-to-walk-through PING booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Brand: PING

Characteristics: Sensible, cutting-edge, consistent, historic

Show Presence: PING almost seems to treat their presence at the PGA Show as more of an obligation than an opportunity, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That makes it one of the more accessible and simple booths on the floor, especially for a company PING’s size. They posted up right next to the large indoor club testing area, giving visitors easy access to their products. PING also hauled in one of its fitting vans, which presided over the exhibit as a reminder that PING was into custom fitting quite a while before its recent rise in popularity.

 

The brooding minimalism of Nike's booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

The brooding minimalism of Nike’s booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show.

Brand: Nike

Characteristics: Serious, minimalistic, confident, authoritative

Show Presence: Personality-wise, Nike has always been somewhat enigmatic, vacillating between über-serious ads like the infamous Earl Woods voiceover ad to their recent turns with Rory McIlroy and Wayne Rooney and their excellent “Play in the Now” ad. Their main Show booth was minimalistic and rather serious—almost brooding—with a great deal of emphasis on the new RZN golf ball series. As always, the famous Swoosh was everywhere, as was Rory McIlroy’s curly-headed visage.

The Cobra/Puma booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show had a DJ loft.

The Cobra/Puma booth at the 2014 PGA Merchandise Show had a DJ loft.

Brand: Cobra/Puma

Characteristics: Trendy, cool, bright, young

The up-and-coming tag team of Cobra and Puma is golf’s most obviously hip major brand. Whether or not you like their aesthetics is one matter, but it is undeniable that they have a vision for the image they want to portray, and they’re pursuing it hard. That’s admirable in itself, and indicative that golf is becoming “cooler,” which bodes well for the game no matter what. The outside of the booth featured both mannequins and live models, side-by-side, showing off the newest outfits. There was, by the way, only one way in and out, while many other booths were much easier to wander through. The middle also contained a tower where a DJ was presiding over the musical selection. The white walls of the booth and the brightly-clad, trim staff within gave off a distinctly European vibe.

 

If you had a chance to visit the Show and have opinions to add about these brands, their personalities and their products, make with the comments.

Tim grew up outside of Hartford, Conn., playing most of his formative golf at Hop Meadow Country Club in the town of Simsbury. He played golf for four years at Washington & Lee University (Division-III) and now lives in Pawleys Island, S.C., and works in nearby Myrtle Beach in advertising. He's not too bad on Bermuda greens, for a Yankee. A lifelong golf addict, he cares about all facets of the game of golf, from equipment to course architecture to PGA Tour news to his own streaky short game.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

Published

on

Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game. 

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag. 

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026. 

Continue Reading

Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

on

In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly. 

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
  • MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
  • dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

Continue Reading

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

Published

on

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo.  4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades.  5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft.   Standard Length, Lie and Lofts.  These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me.  Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Facebook

Trending