Twice a year we make a trek from Dallas to the PGA Golf Shows. In January, we go to Orlando, and in September we travel to Las Vegas. 
The Fall PGA Golf Expo was held September 11-12 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Overall, its a small show, taking a back seat to the GameStop Convention in the larger hall. We didn't discover too many new and exciting new products that will change golf, but we did find a few things you might watch out for.
The training aid category seems to be well represented here, and two products caught our eye. The first is called Golf's MVP (Maximum Velocity Power), which was invented at Creekview Golf Course in Crandall, TX.
Tim Lawson, former head pro at Creekview is a partner in the company that is manufacturing the MVP. If you didn't know, Tim is in the Guinness Book of World Records for shooting a 58 at Creekview. Yep, a 58 ! So he knows a little something about the golf swing and his new MVP is sure to be a hit. The MVP is a sleeve that goes on your arm that is designed to teach you the feel of a properly "loaded" golf swing. It keeps you on plane, keeps you from casting or coming over the top, and helps you maintain the proper angles in your arms throughout the swing. It retails for $149 and you can find it in stores soon.
Another very cool training aid was the Swing Perfect. It is a little device that clamps to the shaft of any club and it vibrates if you make a swing error. It doesn't vibrate if you make a proper swing that is on plane and the face is square throughout. But if you get it off plane, out of square, or make some other error, it vibrates. It was great instant feedback and seemed like it would help improve your swing. it retails for $119 and should be in stores soon.
I can honestly say I never thought I'd see the following two people pushing products at a golf show, but I did. 
Who are they? Jimmy Houston, BASS Professional and Johnny Bench, MLB Hall of Fame Catcher. If you're a fisherman like I am, then you know what a thrill it was to stand for 20 minutes and listen to Jimmy talk Fishing. If I played baseball I guess I would have talked to Johnny Bench, but he didn't interest me.
They weren't just there pushing products, they were pushing the same product. Its an energy drink called All Day Turbo Power Energy.
According to Jimmy and Johnny, its an all natural energy drink that won't let you "crash" like Red Bull or Monster. I drank some, and honestly felt better after being on my feet all day and not sleeping much the night before. Later this week we're expecting a video from the company's main spokesperson, and once you see it, you won't believe what this stuff will do for you. Really. You won't believe it.
In the "What the HELL is that?" Category, we've found a new winner. I GUESS the man we met we representing a teaching system. Although I don't know what it was called, or how much it costs, because his signs, presentation, and/or pricing were no where to be found. The best I can figure, he spent $1500 for booth space just to hang out at the golf show with THIS:
When I saw this contraption on the floor, I immediately went for my camera. It turned out to be some kind of training aid. Its a kiddie pool, with a piece of glass on top like a lid, with some aircraft aluminum, some string, two putters, and some tape. The man tried to explain the physical differences between the high fade like Jack Nicklaus, and the low draw like Justin Leonard. You've never heard such a random ramble of golf crap in your life. So this THING won the "What the HELL is That?" Award at the PGA Fall Golf Expo. I'm sure the inventor is proud.
In general the Fall PGA Expo is the runt brother of the big Show in Orlando. It is a good opportunity for the smaller vendors to get one on one time with the retailers who attend. We made strides with several vendors and will be bringing good deals in from Tour Edge, Sky Caddie, Golf Buddy, Garmin GPS and Bobby Jones. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list and we'l notify you when those deals come in.
A shout out to the guys at SeeMore Putters and K-Vest for being good Vegas gambling partners.
designed for all handicaps and is
friendly to the high handicapper as well. For the most part the fairways are wide enough to accommodate any shot
type. There are several challenging holes
on the course. There are some holes that
will have blind tee shots and large sloping fairways. The views from the course are great. You are able to enjoy multiple views of
downtown Dallas and experience the
historic atmosphere of the course that hosted the 1927 PGA Championship. I would highly recommend
Cedar Crest as a top municipal course in the DFW area.
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