Visiting The West Michigan Golf Present

Visiting The West Michigan Golf Present

Twenty twenty 5 is popping out to be the 12 months of the golf present on your pleasant neighborhood Golf Blogger. I visited the PGA Present in Orlando for the primary time in January. On Friday, I visited the West Michigan Golf present in Grand Rapids for the primary time.

Whereas the PGA Present is an business present, with a give attention to showcasing merchandise and taking orders from wholesalers, retailers and programs, The West Michigan present is a client exhibition. Each sales space was promoting one thing: new merchandise, low cost tools and attire, offers at resorts and programs and so forth.

Michigan really has two such client exhibits: The West Michigan, and “The Michigan Golf Present” in Novi. Each have related DNA; the West Michigan, nonetheless is far smaller.

Smaller, but additionally cozier. The Novi present might be overwhelming.

In these cozy confines I had time for conversations with some outdated associates and new.

The Detroit Putter Firm was there, with its sensible line of putters milled in SE Michigan by a household firm whose machine tooling roots return to 1942 and the auto business.

I reviewed their Grand River Putter final fall. It’s by no means leaving my bag. I would even get a second to maintain as insurance coverage.

I additionally had good conversations with the people on the GAM, and with Michigan Golf Corridor of Famer Greg Johnson on the Gaylord Golf Mecca Sales space. Tom Lang of MI Golf Journal was there, as was Michigan Golf Dwell’s Invoice Hobson and Michigan Golf Corridor of Famer Artwork McCafferty. Artwork did a brief interview with me for his Michgian golf video archives. I hope I didn’t embarass myself too badly.

One neat new firm I found was “The Golf Challenge,” a Traverse Metropolis based mostly firm that makes customized, handcrafted golf gilfts. Their signature merchandise are 3d golf maps, laser reduce from wooden. Additionally they supply prints, sketch maps, scorecard holders

Every of their choices is surprisingly inexpensive. I completely need one in all my favourite course, which longtime readers will know is Washtenaw Golf Membership.

My associates at Boyne Golf had been there, signing up folks for golf journeys to their “Magnificent Ten” golf programs which with the addition of Doon Brae now’s the Magnificent Eleven. Or eleven-and-a-half, in the event you depend the brand new Himalayas type placing course, the Again Yaird.

Different resorts and programs there have been American Dunes, Cadillac Space Guests Bureau, Cedar Chase, The Chief, Crystal Mountain, Evergreen Resort, Garland, Gaylord Golf Mecca, Glenkerry Golf Course, Grand Traverse, Golf Indiana, Hemlock, Indian River, Katke, Lakewood Shores, Manistee Nationwide, Moss Ridge, Myrtle Beac, Pilgrim’s Run, Shanty Creek, Thoroughbred Course at Double JJ, Treetops, Tullymore and White Pine Nationwide.

Low cost attire and balls had been on show at most of the cubicles and by all appearances had been doing brisk enterprise.

Three firms had been showcasing their golf simulator merchandise, together with Lime Wire, an audio visible automation firm that provides simulation companies. They spent a while explaining how their firm could make proudly owning a simulator a no-hassle expertise.

Three different firms I famous had been

• Tough Luck Golf, which was promoting bag tags with spinners that facilitate on-course betting and ingesting video games.
• Birdie Bottle, which provides a flask that has 4 shot “glasses” within the cap.
• Titos, the vodka firm, which appears to have made golf a central a part of its advertising technique.

And no Michigan golf present could be full with out an look by Maple Hill Golf. The mega retailer had maybe a fifth of the present’s sq. footage, providing new, however low cost golf merchandise from main firms.

Considered one of these years, I’m going to move over to Grandville and go to the store and course.

The West Michigan golf present is open Saturday 9 a.m. to six p.m. at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids. Because of the SuperBowl, this 12 months the present was Thursday by means of Saturday.