ORLANDO, Florida – The 73rd annual PGA Merchandise Show is in the books with attendance topping over 40,000, and exhibitors totally over 1,100, making for another memorable great show. Hard to believe I have attended 35 of these golf industry extravaganzas, as each one carries it’s own defining moments and always a breakthrough product or two.
Missing this year were TaylorMade, Tour Edge and others who decided to let their regional sales staff present their new products in person, so they missed out on the estimated 40,000+ golf industry-related personnel. Reed Exhibitions puts on the show and exhibiting is costly. There is no guarantee on your investment, but it sure is fun to see the new inventions and what’s new in the world of golf.
One take-away this year from the one million square feet of show space at the Orange County Convention Center, the third largest in the world, was the large footprint of pickleball in a prominent location. The past few years pickleball & racquet-related products were found in an out-of-the-way corner of the Convention Center.
Here is what caught my eye and interest starting with my honorable mention. The honorable mention are in no particular order, followed by what I found as the best of the best of 2026.
HONORABLE MENTION
SHOT PUTT
This is a solid putter with a little weight to it to promote a pendulum swing. It’s real feature is a metal tube shaft that holds 16 ounces of liquid. Yes, just the right amount for a bottle of Fireball, Yager or other desired shots. Perfect for bachelor/bachelorette outings, guys/girls weekends or birdie celebrations. Retail $99.99
GET A GRIP by StrokeMaster
This is a velcro strap that wraps around your glove once the club is in your hand. If you have any arthritic issues in gripping a club, this is perfect for you. Available with glove and strap or strap alone, it’s designed to stabilize your grip and restore control without bulk or hassle. Retail $39.99
GOLFER/SKEETER from About Golf
This golf simulator company has a very unique program for golfers and skeet shooters. The golfer hits the ball and with a toy shotgun in hand, another player shoots the ball out of the air, much like a clay pigeon. There is also an adaptor for you to shoot the ball out of the air with a toy pistol.
In home aG simulators start at $17,000. Software programs vary.
CLEAN SHOT by Smith’s Golf Solutions
Take a 5 gallon bucket, bolt in two large cleaning brushes facing each other and voila! You have Clean Shot, a very simple club cleaner that saves your back, cleans your clubs and makes you realize that you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to make a very useful golf product. Retail: $79
BALLTORCH by Freeballer
Every ball retriever ever made was for getting balls out of the water. The BallTorch uses fluorescent light technology to light up balls in the grass. After two years testing different light technologies, the BallTorch turned into an illuminating flash light on a stick with a glowing plastic ball retriever. Simple, good and it pays for itself. Retail: $89.
TOP 5
(5) CALLAWAY QUANTUM MAX DRIVER
You couldn’t pass by the Callaway booth without seeing the 7-foot model of their latest driver. The Quantum Max is a driver designed for high speed, stability, and versatility. It features a “Tri-Force Face” that layers titanium, poly mesh, and carbon fiber for “enhanced performance”. It offers a 10g adjustable weight system for neutral or draw settings. It is one of Callaway’s most advanced clubs technologically, and it’s one of the most beautiful clubs you’ll ever see. Retail: $649 https://www.callawaygolf.com/golf-clubs/drivers
(4) VICE GOLF VGP02 BLUE RUSH PUTTER
Vice started as a ball company, but is making a real splash in the club business. Last year they unveiled new drivers, this year they have added a bunch of new clubs including one excellent putter. The VGP02 Blue Rush putter offers amazing feel. It features a 100% CNC milled face, designed using data from thousands of amateurs. It has an aluminum body in a V-shape with weighted wings. This helps with the soft feel at impact and square alignment via the weighted wings. Vice is doing it right. They unveiled their drivers last year at $299. This mallet putter retails at $209. https://www.vicegolf.com/collections/putters
(3) SKECHERS FLOW SI GOLF SHOES
Skechers offers the most comfortable shoes in golf, hands down. Last year they had comfort shoes, waterproof shoes and Slip-ins. This year you can have all three of those combined in one, the Flow SI. They feature a breathable mesh upper, “Skechers Waterproof Rain Jacket Protection”, and hands free Slip-in design. They come in multiple colors. Frankly, this shoe has got it all and forget those $200 FootJoys. The Skechers Flow SI retails at $110. https://www.skechers.com/men/shop-by-activity/golf/
(2) THE LINK STRAP from Stitch Golf
Stitch Golf started as a head cover company about ten years ago. They have evolved into much more. Their latest offering was up for new product of the year at the 2026 PGA Merchandise Show, the Link Strap. In collaboration with Bushnell Golf, one of leaders in the GPS world, Stitch now has a golf bag strap (single or double) that includes a Bushnell Phantom 3 Handheld GPS and a Bushell Wingman Bluetooth Speaker. Both units are solidly embedded in the strap with heavy duty magnets. The strap works with almost any kind bag. The padding on the strap is where “luxury meets performance”. You get it all, but at a price. Retail: $350. https://stitchgolf.com/products/stitch-link-stingle-strap-set
(1) SHOT SCOPE LM1 LAUNCH MONITOR
One of the most popular items at the PGA Show this year were launch monitors. They were everywhere and everywhere in price with most of them in the $1200 to $2500 range and higher. Except one. The Shot Scope LM1 launch monitor is $200. You read this right. It will tell you your club head speed, ball speed, smash factor (ball speed divided by clubhead speed), carry distance and total distance. It’s not much bigger than your cell phone. You set in on the ground about 6 feet behind the ball, let it rip and boom! You have all the data of any unit in golf but at a fraction of the price. Learn just how far you really hit your clubs. Retail: $200.
