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Claiming that it’s “not your father’s PGA Merchandise Show,” a new identity debuted this year for the 52-year-old golf industry event—the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show
& Convention. In addition to hosting PGA professionals, retailers and manufacturing suppliers, this year’s show, Jan. 26-29 in Orlando, Fla., took another step in its evolution by adding new programs and numerous enhancements with a contemporary, practical focus on golf solutions. Teach-the-teacher clinics and exhibitor pavilions with learning labs were among the new programs designed to create new contacts, develop business opportunities and enhance interest in the industry. Golf Range Times staff visited exhibitor booths and the New Product Center to uncover the latest products and services for range owners.
Challenger Industries is offering EZ Tee Tee-line Turf, a synthetic turf that accepts a natural tee. EZ Tee is available in a standard 110-ounce nylon construction, as well as an 8-ounce version for continuous tee lines, or as stand-alone mats. (800-334-8873, www.challengerind.com)
Eagle One Golf Products’ new economy ball picker is available in a three- or five-gang setup. The picker’s mounting bracket will fit almost any cart and features an easy pushing and turning radius. Wire ball baskets are powder coated, and the discs are composed of a flexible composite plastic. Eagle One also is distributing Standard Golf’s Magnum Harvester (see Standard Golf Co.). In practice mats, the new Eagle One range mat has a thick nylon top with a foam base for added standing and hitting comfort. The 5-by-5 mat has four different tee locations. Also debuting at the show was the Bottled Water Cooler Cabinet. The unit holds two five-gallon bottles and has room for storing extras. Water en route to the spigot is chilled as it passes through an icebox with a cooling plate. The bottle “cradle” is attached to a hinged door, making loading the bottles a quick, simple process. A cup dispenser and trash bin are included. Lastly, check Eagle One’s 2006 catalog for the latest addition to the wide range of colors offered in the company’s manufactured recycled plastic golf course accessories. The new dark brown color resembles real hard wood, yet remains colorfast, weather resistant and impervious to most chemicals. (800-448-4409, www.eagleonegolf.com)
The new eRange Crossfire Self-Serve Kiosk from Easy Picker Golf Products Inc. allows customers to pay for range balls, miniature golf rounds, batting cage time, club rentals, greens fees and more without staff assistance. The kiosk accepts credit cards, debit cards, membership cards, cash and even gift cards. Crossfire also has been integrated with the company’s ball dispensers and features a wireless PIN function, as well as the various payment options offered by the kiosk. When customers pay for range balls in the pro shop, a PIN is printed on their receipts. Entered at the dispenser, the programmed number delivers the correct size bucket of range balls. (800-641-4653, www.easypicker.com)
Fiberbuilt has added a new variation of the 401 Nylon Stance Mat to its product line. While many teaching mats have grid lines that are painted on, Fiberbuilt’s Grid Mat has water-lasered grid lines with sewn-in fibers. When only a few months of wear can cause painted lines to break down or bleed into a mat, Fiberbuilt’s Grid Mat will have grid lines that last the life of the mat. The 401 Grid measures 46.5 inches by 46.5 inches by 1 inch, and is just one of many products found in the company’s 2006 catalog. (800-661-8132, www.fiberbuilt.com)
First introduced in 2004, Hollrock Corp.’s RoboT automatic tee-up system has been redesigned so that a two-tower unit (for left- and right-handed golfers) can fit into a stall. RoboT also features new taller tees and a green/red light indicator that prompts the golfer when the ball is ready to be hit. The standard-size 58-inch-square golf mat now has tee holes on all four sides so that it may be rotated for even wear. The company has also updated its Ball Park Batting Range System: the feeding cabinet has only one moving part; the unit operates by token, eliminating customers from picking up balls off the ground and hitting more balls than they paid for; and new signage (Little League, Minor League and Major League for slow, medium and fast) shows batters how to equate pitch speed to actual speed. (413-586-2256, www.hollrockcorp.com)
Hollrock Golf, a division of Pareto Golf Inc., introduced two new ball dispensers to the U.S. market. The S3 Manual Ball Dispenser has a 3,000-ball capacity and is designed for low-volume ranges or country clubs without access to power. The unit has rear wheels for easy maneuverability and measures 48 inches high and 24 inches wide and deep. The DL10 Automatic Ball Dispenser runs on an internal Programmable Logical Control Unit. The hopper holds 10,000 balls, and the tip tray is driven by a maintenance-free actuator. Internal manual restrictor plates can be set to dispense between 30 and 50 balls per tip. The Pareto Automated Tee-Up System also has been upgraded with a fan installed inside to keep the electronics cool and a reinforced hopper top constructed with a stronger powder-coated metal. (800-487-2643, www.hollrock.com)
Inpractis Corp. is expecting a large-scale national rollout of its 4View Digital Video Recorder by the end of this year. The self-service video kiosk, permanently located at a stall in the driving range, records a golfer’s swing simultaneously from two angles. The kiosk features a touch screen interface for play back and analysis capabilities and houses one of the cameras aligned to the target line. The second camera sits beside the stall for the golfer’s front view. A golfer can compare his recorded swing with professional, prerecorded swings and analyze swing mechanics using simple, intuitive drawing tools. Inpractis offers a companion swing analysis software package, Swingpractis, which is free of charge and can be downloaded from the company’s web site so that golfers can view their swings from home or the office. (510-471-3900, www.inpractis.com)
Night Flyer Golf has unveiled the latest version of its Night Time Golf Ball, the Night Flyer RT – ReTrigger LED Flashing Golf Ball. Once the RT is hit, it flashes continuously for eight minutes. This assures constant illumination throughout a round of nighttime golf. The super-bright LED lights, available in five colors, will shut off if no impact occurs within the eight-minute window, saving the batteries for future play. Night Flyer lighted golf balls meet official USGA weight and size, as well as professional velocity and distance standards. (800-441-7354, www.nightflyer.com)
Possessing high clearance and professional-grade workmanship, the Flexi-Pro Ball Picker from Range King handles uneven terrain, knolls and slopes with ease. Each set of discs moves independently to prevent dragging or scraping of the turf. All moving parts are bearing mounted, creating ease and independence of movement. The Flexi-Pro is available in 6-, 10-, 14- and 18-foot widths; attaching more disc units will create additional width. (800-468-2346, www.rangeking.com)
Taking its cornerstone Ball Management System to a new level, Range Servant America now offers a team of designers and project managers to help create a system detailed to fit a range’s layout and business volume. The team will work with a range owner to combine picking, washing, transport and dispensing into one system, thus reducing labor costs and creating a more efficient and cost-effective driving range. Standard configurations are available, or the system may be customized for individual range needs. Also new and available in the company’s 2006 catalog, Range Servant offers 4-foot by 4-foot and 8-foot by 8-foot target nets with steel frames, replaceable nets and colored foam frame padding. Target nets are available in five colors. (800-878-8050, www.rangeservant.com)
Sportexe Select, which exited the range equipment business in 2005, is concentrating on its various lines of synthetic turf for the golf industry. Sportexe RangeTurf is designed with ranges in mind. The thick 20-ounce face weight helps provide realistic ball roll and bounce. The pile height (grass) is 1.25 inches and contains a thick (7600) fiber denier for a desirable natural grass-like quality. RangeTurf is weather resistant and has UV protectants to help ensure consistent color and appearance year-round. OmniPutt is ideal for golf ranges and miniature golf courses. The 26-ounce sand infill turf system has the feel of natural grass. Soft polypropylene yarn and 7600-denier fiber provide a grassy lushness. The turf incorporates a clean, well-graded silica sand to promote drainage, increase ball speed and eliminate inconsistent ball bounces. Sportexe also offer MegaPutt, a nylon monofilament putting surface that simulates manicured natural grass. (800-892-6011, www.sportexeselect.com)
Now, back up a moment with Standard Golf Co.’s new Magnum Harvester Ball Picker. Available in three- and five-gang variations, the Magnum Harvester can back up without tangling or damaging the gangs. The ball picker is also flat-tire enabled, permitting the gangs to roll even if the front tire loses air. Swiveling gangs provide a greater range of motion, which comes in handy around trees and yardage markers. In addition to its maneuverability in short or long grasses, the Magnum Harvester features removable, standardized pins for easy assembly and trouble-free replacement of parts, and end plugs prevent water from seeping into the ball picker’s frame, eliminating interior rust. (800-553-1707, www.standardgolf.com)
TrueStrike Ltd., manufacturer of the TrueStrike golf mat, gave visitors to the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show an exclusive first look at the company’s new mat, due for launch later this year. TrueStrike’s teeing system and tee point have been redesigned on the mat for better performance and to increase the durability of the strike surface. That strike surface, which can be customized with a facility’s name and logo, has also been altered to improve the quality of images printed on the material, and a new section of traditional range mat material has been added to the stance area of the mat specifically to appeal to the less experienced golfer. (877-208-7228, www.truestrike.com)
Wittek Golf Supply Co. Inc. now offers its Pro-Former Series Ball Dispenser Systems with a hinged-down back panel for easier ball loading. These electric ball dispensers still come in two sizes: the Pro-Former 5.0, with a capacity of 4,700 gravity-fed balls and the Pro-Former 10.0, with a capacity of 10,000 gravity-fed balls. Both dispensers have three vending options available in any combination: token mechanism, bill acceptor and the Golf Key Debit System. The company’s 2006 catalog will be available in April. (800-869-1800, www.wittekgolf.com)
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