| The
event this year was an ode to the creativity and innovation of
those who love golf, are continually searching for the perfect
club and for the best way to become a scratch golfer.
In attending and identifying the best products
at a PGA Show, one faces a major hurdle – time to visit
and talk with the inventors and sales teams. This year the Show
organizers scheduled both a demo day for retailers and club manufacturers,
as well as an indoor testing area.
The Fall Las Vegas Show is gaining popularity
once again, and this year there were a total of 332 exhibitors,
a 6 percent increase over 2004. Top participating golf manufacturers
included: Antigua, Ben Hogan, Ben Hogan Apparel, Callaway Golf,
Club Car, Full Swing Golf, Nike Golf, Sport-Haley, Top-Flite Golf,
Tour Edge, Wilson Golf, Wittek and Yonex.
Notable new companies and manufacturers that
returned after not having a presence in 2004 included: Ahead Headgear,
Bette & Court, Bridgestone Sports, Callaway Golf Apparel,
Dockers Tour, Lilly Pulitzer, Pukka Headwear, Puma, Sunderland
of Scotland, Orlimar, Softspikes/Pride Sports and the Tommy Armour
Golf Company.
So what's really exciting, different and
useful this year?
The
Top Ten Best Products of the 2005 Fall PGA Show
 Without
a doubt, Nike’s new Sasquatch driver stole the Show.
Trumpeting the biggest footprint in golf, the
SasQuatch uses Nike’s NexTi titanium face, taking the center
of gravity deeper than any other driver.
Nike’s engineers have designed a club with
the ideal ratio between the width of the clubface and the depth
of the club head. The SasQuatch geometry pushes the breadth-to-face
length ratio up, resulting in a larger, more forgiving sweet spot.
As Nike likes to say; it’s geometry over moveable weights.
The distinctive yellow tracks combined with its
visually distinctive head design make it stand out in a crowd.
Nike’s Powerbow technology, placed on the
back of the driver, expands the perimeter of performance, making
it easier to get the ball up and hit it straight. The Powerbow
adds a trailing volume of mass to apply more power and control
to the ball without overstepping the 460 cc legal limit.
The SasQuatch is available in both a Tour 460
cc version and a Standard 460cc version and features a proprietary
Diamana shaft with various flexes. .
Standard version lofts are:
8.5°, 9.5° 10.5° Lucky 13° Sweet 16°
Left Handed: 9.5° 10.5°
Lucky 13°
Women’s: 10.5° (W);
Lucky 13° (W), Sweet 16° (W)
SRP: $359.00
Tour version (The SasQuatch
Tour 460 has a taller face height with less breadth than the SasQuatch
460.)
ofts are: 8.5°, 9.5°
and 10.5°
Left Handed: 9.5°
MSRP: $419.00
www.nikegolf.com
Fisher
Golf Talon TS-1 Putter
 With
all the moveable weight technologies used in drivers and fairway
woods this past year, Fisher Putters has encapsulated the best
of this technology into an amazingly accurate putter. Without
being a rocket scientist, the ease of adapting this putter to
suit your particular putting style is worth the price alone. Sinking
putts consistently is the ultimate payoff.
In addition to being able to adjust the weights
for your style of putting (pendulum or arc), the inserts can be
adjusted to suit the greens played - the feel and the sound you
prefer in less than five minutes.
Included with each putter is the Talon 4-Speed
weight kit that includes a custom tool and weight cartridges.
This allows the putter to be modified to achieve 3 specific weight
choices, 375 grams (aluminum), 425 grams (brass), or 475 grams
(tungsten). You can also mix and match weight cartridges for your
own custom feel.
MSRP: $299.00
www.fishergolf.com
Trackit-n-Whackit
Developed by Mike McCormick of McCormick’s Golf in La Quinta,
California, Trackit-n-Whackit will help club fitters and teaching
pros overcome golfers’ most swing flaws in as little as
two swings. Trackit-n-Whackit is a visual aid that any level golfer
can understand. Trackit-n-Whackit is an appliqué that adheres
to the top of the golf club, which gives the golfer a visual aid
to improve basics, such as squaring the face at impact and releasing
the club head through the impact area.
At $29.95
one cannot go wrong investing in this training.
www.mccormicksgolf.com
Q-Link
Pendant
 The
newest Q-Link model features the improved SRT-3 resonating cell,
making it considerably stronger and more effective. Over 300 Tour
players are believers of the benefits of Q-Link.
Q-Link is the Tour-tested way to enhance your
focus, your clarity and your ability to make better decisions,
hit better shots and shoot lower scores. According to its makers,
Q-Link helps optimize mental focus and reduces the symptoms of
stress that can ruin a great round of golf. Developed by Clarus
Research, the Q-Link pendant acts like a tuning fork to harmonize
the body’s natural biochemical energy. In the process, it
enhances your body’s innate energy resulting in a higher
level of mental sharpness. In addition to reducing the effects
of emotional stress, it staves off the harmful effects of electromagnetic
fields (EMF) generated by electronic equipment such as cell phones,
computers, and video monitors.
$129.00
www.qlinkgolf.com
Vision
Track Training Device
 At
the Show we "discovered" another extremely useful and
easy to use teaching device called the Vision Track. Vision Track
corrects the linear golf path illusion. Since the brain directs
the body to swing the golf club, it demands visual information
as to which direction to swing the clubhead. The Vision Track,
with its innovative "eye positioning technique," provides
the precise visual information as to where the clubhead must be
swung on track prior to impact. The golf ball is then easily seen
as an object simply positioned at a certain point on the curved
swing path.
Vision Track is a patented teaching device, invented
by Blair Douglass, that trains you how to control swing path,
face angle and angle of attack. When you control these, you control
ball flight.
A student can use this training aid, anytime,
anywhere, to perfect their swing. It fits in a golf bag, works
for right and left-handers and all size golfers. It is very reasonably
priced and comes with an excellent instructional video.
MSRP: $99.95
www.visiongolf.com
Golden
Retriever
 Finally,
an easy to use ball retriever!
All Golden Retrievers feature a claw that will
easily and effectively retrieve your golf balls from muddy bottoms
and environmentally safe zones. With one simple maneuver, you
save time, money, strokes, and frustration. You no longer have
to do the "scoop and turn" move that golfers dread.
The retriever comes with a telescopic handle and comes in models
that extend to 7, 12, 15, and 18 foot lengths.
The claw comes with a three-year guarantee.
Prices range from $18.95
for the 7ft model to $34.95
for the 18ft model.
www.originalgoldenretriever.com
Alias
Footwear
 Simply
the most comfortable golf shoe available today. Tour players and
everyday golfers are praising this shoe. Features include an extra
cushion that promotes shock absorption, lateral stability and
breathability.
Three different models are available with the
best seller being the Sedan model. This design features a reinforced
Toe, is constructed mainly of a PU Nubuck. Both lateral sides
of the upper at the breast of the foot are capped with textured
PVC for added durability and finished off with a sandwich poly-mesh
tongue and fully encompassed ankle to the exterior. The interior
is plush with padding and wall-to-wall combed combo mesh. They
are extremely easy to clean-up with a fresh damp cloth. Available
in 5 colors from sizes 4-13.
MSRP: $68.00
www.aliasfootwear.com
Sun
Mountain Flight Golf Bag.
 To
keep all your new clubs, we recommend Sun Mountain’s new
Flight bag. This is the first golf bag available that combines
an individual club divider system with a lightweight stand weighing
just 5-pounds! In addition to being a lightweight stand bag, with
a 14-way top with full-length dividers, the Flight features Sun
Mountain’s E-Z Fit® dual strap system for a balanced
carry.
Additionally, the bag has a patented top-mounted
roller-bottom stand mechanism that adds stability and provides
quick leg action. A lift assist strap to aid in getting in and
out of a car trunk is included. There are seven pockets - a water
bottle pouch, plus a full-length clothing pocket, velour lined
valuables pocket and multiple accessory pockets. The Flight bag
is available in seven handsome color combinations.
MSRP: $175
www.sunmountain.com
PAYNE- MASON Cigars &
PAYNE-MASON Premiere Cru Chocolates
 One
of the biggest complaints about buying cigars at a golf course
is the lack of freshness. This is due to both lack of cigar care
and humidor controls, as well as sales’ staff limited knowledge
of cigars.
This issue has now been resolved by PAYNE-MASON
Cigars. Using individual glass encased cigars, freshness is no
longer a problem, presentation is eye appealing and these cigars
are excellent and well priced. The cigars sell themselves. This
is the reason that the PAYNE-MASON Cigar Company is the winner
of twenty of twenty-one global cigar-tasting competitions. Their
cigars are exquisite.
PAYNE-MASON 's three dedicated Cuban master rollers,
their custom-crafted humidor quality boxes and glass encased cigar
holders, minimum six-year aged tobacco, and horizontally cured
leaves (a rare practice), have given them a reputation well deserved
as having "The World's Finest Cigars."
PAYNE-MASON offers a nineteen-cigar line-up,
highlighted by their signature Torpedo Barber, a beautifully rolled
Connecticut Shade puro with Maduro swirls rolled all the way through
its length.
The tobacco that goes into the PAYNE-MASON line
of cigars hails from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua
and Ecuador. While Connecticut wrappers are featured prominently
throughout their selection of cigars, PAYNE-MASON prefers that
the origin of the binder and filler tobaccos that make these blends
so good remain a mystery.
PAYNE-MASON, with the same quality and care that
they put into their cigars also introduced their chocolate line.
WOW! This was worth the trip to Vegas itself. There are chocolates
like Godiva and Lindt, but there is nothing like the PAYNE-MASON
Premiere Cru line of chocolates – the ultimate, the very
best.
 Produced
in small batches of 250 pieces or fewer, each Premiere Cru Chocolate
reaches the highest level of quality and flavor. Every recipe
is designed to achieve the balance and excitement true chocolate
aficionados appreciate. Selected nuts are gently roasted on site
to ensure quality levels. The attention to detail is not only
in the creation of these masterpieces, but also highlighted in
the final designs and finishing touches of each individual selection.
www.paynemason.com
Club 94 Cigar Humidor Golf Bag
At last, a golf bag made specifically for the cigar smoking golfer!
Holding 10 cigars, this waterproof humidor does an excellent job
of preserving cigars from both drying out and being crushed.
The bag is a great birthday and Xmas gift for the cigar-smoking
golfer.
$199.95
www.theclub94.com
Barry
Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers
Association of America. He is also a member of the Golf Writers
Association of America and the California Golf Writers Association
and a Mediator for the golf industry. He is a contributing writer
to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at drlotz@cbsgolf.net |
