Greetings Golfers,

Good morning from the PGA Golf Show in Orlando.

Not everyone in the golf industry shares my love of the annual PGA Show in Orlando. Why they don’t love seeing what’s new in golf equipment, clothing, etc is beyond me.

And, seeing other golf pros and other golf people is really the best part of the show. Are people here talking/arguing about what’s best for golf, and the future of golf? Of course. Does it get heated? Usually.

The two main sides are the purists and the changers. I believe there’s room for both sides. Recreational golf can have courses for purists … and have courses that are more Disney-esque. Why not?

Where it becomes an issue pertains to tournament golf. And I believe tournament golf should be pure. The PGA Tour would be much more interesting if they had to play the same ball.

Does that mean the recreational player would have to play the same ball as the Tour players? No. Would that ruin the game? Hardly.

The issue is that the big equipment manufacturers are worried that they wouldn’t sell equipment if the public player couldn’t play the same equipment as the Tour player.

OK… keep the jumbo drivers, etc… Just standardize the ball for Tournament golf.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com