PGA Show
Equipment Test
Center attracts
Furyk, others

Staff Reports

(Jan. 27, 2006) - Thanks to Srixon, Jim Furyk was a famous visitor at the PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Furyk visited the Equipment Test Center, the huge indoor driving range at the West end of Hall A in the Orange County Convention Center. While stars like Furyk attracted many visitors and fans, so does the ETC, as it features 42 hitting bays replete with plenty of demo tents, two putting greens, and an elevated chipping area.

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"We are excited to have Jim appear on behalf of our company at the ETC because it reinforces with PGA Professionals that our company is one that has the type of product and technology that a player of Jim's caliber uses," Mike Pai, vice president of marketing and sales at Srixon said in a press release. "The PGA Professional is our most important constituent."

As for the dozens of other participating ETC companies, there's a major benefit of having PGA Professionals try out their latest goods. "The bottom line is, when we're able to get our product in golfers' hands to put up against anything else in the marketplace, we win," Dick Lyons, vice president and general manager of Mizuno USA Golf, said in a press release. "This is a natural fit for us."

Hundreds of attendees tried out the newest golf clubs at the ETC. Among the first was Stan Sparks of A & B Golf Shop of Pryor, Okla. "I want to buy some clubs here, but it depends on how well they hit," Sparks told PGA officials.

While golf professionals and buyers enjoy testing all of the latest goods, the ETC is also a great way for manufacturers to get their clubs into golf shops. "The ETC continues to be a great addition to the Show," Jay Hubbard, director of marketing at Tour Edge, said in a press release.

Any opinions expressed above do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication.