Front Nine - 2020 PGA Merchandise Show by Shane Sharp

Golf-Travel Products Take Center Stage at 2020 PGA Merchandise Show

14 Golf Vacations • February 2020 www.golfvacationsmag.com T he travel industry is riding the tailwinds of a solid economy, and golf-travel is reaping the benefits. At the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, the once niche category was well-represented among the behemoth golf club and ball manufacturers.

It does help, however, that “golf-travel” spans hard and soft goods, as well as other related accessories and gear. In other words, whatever golfers can reasonably throw in the back of their vehicle or stuff in a travel cover is fair game.

After walking the show floor for three straight days (60,000 steps, for those of you scoring at home), we sourced a stable of golf-travel products we can’t do without in 2020. Walker Trolleys Cape Model Pushcart

The engineering behind Walker Trolleys’ pushcarts is sophisticated, belying its outwardly streamlined, minimalist appearance. However, the mission is simple: make walking golf cool, again.

For golfers who like to hit the open road, a convenient one-fold handle makes collapsing and unfolding the trolley easier than any other push cart on the market. A central hub enables the handle and legs to bend on two separate axes for a compact fold.

Premium materials – including aluminum, waxed canvas and handcrafted leather – create a unique, elegant appearance that wouldn’t be out of place on the great links courses of Scotland during the time of Old and Young Tom Morris.

The storage unit, made of waterresistant waxed canvas, provides an endless number of ways for golfers to customize their trolley.

Walker Trolleys Cape model will be available this spring, and a limited number of push carts will be available for preorder for $399 at www.walkertrolleys.com. Peter Millar Crown Fuse Sport Vest, Hyperlight Reflect

It would be easy for the leading men’s luxury golf apparel brand to rest on its laurels every year at the PGA Merchandise Show. Its booths are impressive (yes, booths, plural), its apparel lines timeless and its industry relationships are both deep and wide. Instead, the Raleigh, N.C.-based company has expanded its demographic to appeal and resonate with millennials, Gen-X and Baby Boomers – by no means an easy feat in the apparel world. Case in point, the Crown Sport Fuse Vest.

This new lightweight active piece is designed with a hybrid garment construction, combining a windproof, water-resistant stretch front with a stretch interlock knit back panel. The perforated polyester fill inside maintains warmth for weight and improved breathability.

While they aren’t golf shoes, per se, Peter Millar’s Hyperlight Glide are perfect for combo business-leisure trips.

The continued evolution of our Hyperlight Glide design, the Reflect features the same technical makeup and fit as the 2.0 model but with key updates like reflective detailing featured at top eyelets and logos. An engineered knit texture transitions between the eyeline, toe box and heel counter for added visual appeal.

Both the Crown Fuse Sport Vest ($148) and Hyperlight Reflect sneakers ($155) will be available in July. For more details on current offerings visit www.petermillar.com

TecTecTec ULT-G GPS Golf Watch

Exceptionally durable, stylish and comfortable, the new ULT-G GPS watch from TecTecTec provides golfers quick and accurate distances to the front, middle and back of greens, as well as hazards and doglegs.

Available for a one-time purchase of $119.99 – with no subscription required – TecTecTec is giving users instant access to precise satellite-measured yardages at over 38,000 courses around the world. Everything you need, and nothing that you don’t – all at an affordable price. For more details, visit www.US.TecTecTec.com.

www.golfvacationsmag.com Golf Vacations • February 2020 15 Sun Mountain Kube Golf Travel Bag

When it comes to melding hard and soft covers into a must-have golf travel bag, Sun Mountain is the undisputed champ. Sure, Club Glove has the PGA TOUR player street credibility and its travel covers are the real deal.

But Missoula, Montana-based Sun Mountain knows a thing or two about engineering products for a rugged environment. They nailed it with ClubGlider, the only golf travel bag with patented leg wheels allowing golfers to “glide” through airports with ease.

And now they’ve done it again with the introduction of the “see-it-to-believeit” Kube golf travel bag. Kube looks like an ordinary small suitcase but unbuckle it and its opens into a full-sized golf travel bag. If a golf travel bag was featured in a Mission: Impossible movie, it would be Kube.

Its folded size is a mere 9” x 13” x 14.5” and weights only 6.8 pounds. Kube is available in eight colors with a retail price of $229.99.

To order direct or locate a local retail partner visit their website at www. sunmountain.com. ARCCOS Caddie Rangefinder

The Arccos Caddie ecosystem is easily the most sophisticated, groundbreaking and frankly, futuristic offering on the market today. That stated, we’ll try to keep this simple and straightforward.

How it works: purchase Arccos Smart Sensors, screw then into the ends of the your grips, download the app, pair the sensors and boom, you’re surfing the wave of Big Data. Alternatively, both PING and Cobra clubs now come with Arccos Smart Grips with the sensors embedded.

The sensors measure every shot you take on the golf course with every club, ultimately gathering enough data to serve up AI-generated yardages based on individual golfer performance.

New for 2020, Arccos has introduced the world’s first A.I. powered GPS Rangefinder providing users of the Arccos Caddie app with the game’s most precise yardages by delivering a number based on real-time calculation of slope, weather and altitude.

So, this is more of a what you don’t need to bring with you on your next trip entry on our list – the traditional, handheld range finder. In addition to precise yardages, it will provide golfers with club recommendations from Golf’s Smartest Caddie, so they can truly trust the club they pull for every shot.

For more info on Arccos product and technology, visit their website at www. arccosgolf.com. Southern Tide Intercoastal Performance Pants Traveling light, even on extended stay golf trips, is the only way to go. For playing on and off the course, Southern Tide’s Intercoastal Performance Pant is hard to beat. The nylon-stretch fabric is breathable, flexible and moisture-wicking. And if you want to roll onto the plane and out on the course flaunting your school pride, Southern Tide has an diverse and robust line of collegiate tailgate apparel. Visit www.southerntide.com to get in touch with your inner salty dog.