Major Manufacturers Roll Out New Products For Edmonton, Calgary Golf Shows

Be advised swing-starved Albertans in Edmonton and Calgary — help is on the way.

On March 5 - 6 in the capital city and then March 19 - 20 in its southern sister, six major club manufacturers will be strutting their stuff at the indoor ranges set up at the PGA of Alberta Consumer Golf Shows. And believe me, there will be plenty of new products to test drive. And chip. And putt.

Rick Lea, the Territory and Key Accounts Manager for Cobra Puma Golf in southern Alberta said these shows are a big deal for product demonstrations and roll-outs. And yes, this is all brand new, right-out-of-the-box gear we hackers get to lay our hands upon.

“Absolutely. We set up on the range with all our new product and people are welcome to hit it,” Lea confirmed. “We don’t sell product on the floor at the shows. Rather, we refer people to the golf courses, or retailers. Typically, in the case of the (Alberta) PGA, we point them toward their own clubs. We don’t do any sales off the floor though. We are just demoing product, informing people what they might need or what they’re looking at.”

Cobra Puma will have all their new lines on display at both shows.

“All the new KING product line will be there. It’s the re-launch of KING after many years and this is, honestly, the best technical product in the industry,” said Lea of the new F6 adjustable driver. “It’s had rave reviews since being introduced. The R&D behind it is really unsurpassed in the industry.”

As well, the KING LTD and  MAX fairway woods will make an appearance along with the FLY-Z Hybrids. To top all that off, the new KING Forged CB/MB and the KING Forged TEC irons will also be waiting to be put through their paces.

So why give this technology a go? Well the answer to that, said Lea, is simple. “Cobra is significantly and easier to hit, and more accurate than any brand on the market.”

One of the distributors that goes above and beyond when it comes to serving possible clients is Callaway, sales rep Jim McCulley explained as he teed off on what he has to offer at both shows.

“We put a large amount of effort into this to whet the public’s interest,” including lots of hitting bays and a large putting area. Because of the amount of people at the shows, and those wanting to test out what’s new with Callaway, folks must be patient and not overstay their welcome once they get the green light to swing away, even despite the extra space afforded, McCulley said.

“We spend a little more money with the PGA to get extra stalls, so we’ve doubled up there. We’ll have a 10 by 10 Odyssey tent (with two mats) as well as a 10 by 10 Callaway (spot) with two hitting mats.”

The hitting/putting areas will be staffed by four people including a tech rep and two CPGA pros. “We try to limit guys. We won’t tear them off the mat. We try to give everyone five to 10 swings just to give everyone a chance,” to taste what’s new for the upcoming year, McCulley explained about sharing.

As for the lineup of hard goods Callaway is carting into both shows, it’s a lot.

“I’ll definitely have a full complement of the new XR16 products, the drivers and fairway woods as well as the XR over-size irons and hybrids. We launched the Great Big Bertha last September as well as the 816 Double Black Diamond and over the winter we launched the new Apex and Apex Pro forged irons, wedges and a new product (putter) we unveiled in Orlando from Odyssey called Toe Up,” so to say there are lots of clubs to waggle and flail is an understatement.

Another plus for stopping by the Callaway booth is the fact they’ll be giving away mini-sleeves of their new Chrome Soft golf balls to those who let fly with the new line of gear, /nd really, who’s going to argue with free stuff, no matter how long you might have to wait to take a few cuts.

Meanwhile, Ryan Bathgate from PING said his company is also rolling out the new hardware this year with high hopes the public likes what they see in their brand.

“I pretty much bring everything that we have to offer this year. That includes our new drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and a new, exciting line of clubs that’s new to the industry called a crossover.”

Pressed on what that line is all about, Bathgate explained it like this: “It’s a blend between a hybrid with characteristics of an iron but it’s not a driving iron. Our new product line is called the “G”.

"In terms of how it fits in, it is between an iron and a hybrid with the materials we’re using and the hollow body design where we’re seeing ball speeds and launch angles similar to a hybrid but because it has a flat face, you’re getting characteristics and control closer to an iron.”

Shows like this are key to getting new products into the public’s hands, said Bathgate.

“I think they get a fair opportunity to try the product, absolutely. It’s not like they’re coming for a fitting. Hopefully, the main goal is to get the exposure,” so the public player will seek out that line at a pro shop during the upcoming season.

TaylorMade will be well represented at both shows, Brian Howard, a sales rep with that company said. Their line includes several new models which will all be sitting and waiting for folks to whale away on the indoor ranges.

“Absolutely,” he said about the public having full access to the new gear. “We launched M1 back in September and we just launched the M2 family, so the M family is now complete.

"We have the M1 driver, fairway and rescue all with adjustibility. When you look at the M2, it’s all about forgiveness. The club’s designed slightly different with an adjustability component on the driver but with the fairway and rescue there’s not any adjustability, so it’s a little more cost effective.”

In the iron lineup, PSI and PSI Tour were released last fall and they are now joined by the M2 iron set. “I hate to use the term “game improvement,” Howard said of that line, “but these are definitely designed for the higher handicap player given their lower centre of gravity.”

As to his brand’s continued success in the golfing world, Howard said Philip Public likes to play the same gear as Peter Pro does.

“For sure. They like it quite a bit because with some of the other vendors it’s not the same product you see at retail. With our guys, it is the same product you see at retail,” other than for the fact the pros can tweak their clubs a bit more than the general public.

As for what the club reps think about taking part in these two-day golf extravaganzas, perhaps the Callaway guy summed it up best.

“These shows help drive consumer interest and they are an unofficial kickoff to the season. The whole purpose of the shows is to kind of whet your whistle. Give people the chance to see, touch, feel and hear,” the new offerings all the major club manufacturers have as a new season begins to draw near.

About the writer: Gord Montgomery is a retired sports editor of two weekly newspapers in the Edmonton area and is a member of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. He is now in his eighth year of writing for Inside Golf.
He can be reached at noraltagolf@gmail.com. He’s also on Twitter at @gordinsidegolf.