New and decidely different at the PGA Show

It ain’t what it used to be. Orlando’s PGA Show has dwindled a bit over the years, hurt by a continued soft golf economy, and hampered by the absence of some of golf’s marquee names. (Titleist, Taylor-Made and Ping make up a “Big Three” of recent abandonment, opting to use the millions of dollars it takes to have the appropriate presence at The Show and divert the resources to other areas of their respective operations.)
But what The Show will always have in spades are dreamers—entrepreneurial types, inventors, little guys with a hopefully big idea. Here’s a quick and quirky sampling of what was on display last week as those in and around the golf industry, however peripherally, continue to try and build a better mousetrap:

• Turf Trike was invented by Jason Deal, who looks like he’ll be old enough to shave any month now. It’s a three-wheeled, pedal-driven beach cruiser-type contraption, outfitted to hold a golf bag between the handlebars, with plenty of baskets and storage units. It’s apparently targeted for those who want more exercise than a golf cart can provide, but aren’t willing or able to actually play the game the way it was intended—on their own two feet. www.Turftrike.com

• Speaking of one’s own two feet, the German inventors of Free-Release golf shoes want players to reduce the stress of the golf swing in their feet, knees, hips and spine. So they developed a high-end golf shoe with a rotating sole plate (USGA legal) that reduces strain and keeps golfers from spinning out of their stance during the follow-through. www.free-release.com

• An English chap at a small corner booth pressed a football-shaped golf ball in my hand, which at first glance seemed to be a promotional oddity, like a massive animal head-cover, or jewel-encrusted putter. But the oblong, dimpled orb is the key to a brand-new game he’s attempting to market called Golf Cross, where instead of depositing the ball into a hole in the ground, as has been the object for centuries, one endeavors to “kick a field goal” into a net, set up 20-or-so yards to the side of the green on a conventional golf course. Speaking of which, players use conventional clubs to propel the ball, and apparently by tilting the top of the egg-shaped ball left or right on the tee, one can automatically slice or hook on command. www.golfcross.co.uk

• My interest was piqued when I saw four men attempt to lift a burly fellow sitting in a chair with just two fingers each. They couldn’t budge him, but when each donned a Quantum Pendant, they lifted him with ease. Next thing you know, I spent 15 minutes doing field tests, and it’s indisputable that my balance, flexibility and strength was noticeably better wearing this half-dollar sized medallion than without. It produces scalar energy, whatever that is, and I made for the exit quickly when my Malaysian guide was telling me it’ll make screw-cap wine taste like the finest Beaujolais, and putting it in the trunk under the spare tire will result in better gas mileage. But I’m wearing one as I type, and I feel like I’m in better balance over the keyboard. www.fusionexcel.com