PGA Show a growing success story

Thousands of attendees swarmed over the Orange County Convention Center’s huge West Concourse at the 73rd PGA Show, held Jan. 20-23 in Orlando, Fla. It was the largest show I have attended in over a dozen years, along with 34,000 industry professionals from 90 countries and all 50 states.

This was the 40th anniversary for the show’s presence at the cavernous building, filling 1.1 million square feet of exhibit space with 1,195 exhibitors. 

Here’s one way to look at the scale of this enterprise: including Demo Day Jan. 20 at the nearby Orange County National Golf Center, I averaged more than eight miles of walking each day to conduct more than 30 interviews with some very enthusiastic businesses, both large and small. I was among a few hundred media types to cover it, including several with a wide audience for their web-based content on Instagram and TikTok. 

More than 1,300 buyers from more than 910 facilities and retailers came to the show as the primary target audience for the exhibitors. According to the PGA, the buyers represented about $975 million in purchasing authority for a retail sales potential of about $2.4 billion.

As in past years, the results of my interviews will be spread throughout the year in this column. In many cases, the goods and services I learned about will not appear on retail or pro shop shelves until months from now, such as the fall apparel options.

I hope you have fun reading about the new stuff, like the one just below.

Chamelo Sunglasses

The difference between currently available technology and magic continues to shrink, in my old-head opinion.

That was among my first reactions to trying out Chamelo sunglasses. I met Lin Rohrabacher, a company official, who proudly discussed several options suitable for golfers.

The Shield model’s patented system gives the wearer the option to vary the tint of the lenses. Touching the slide mechanism on the outside of the right temple can adjust the amount of light coming through the lenses by more than 50%. An automatic tint mode option will do the job for you within a tenth of a second, based on existing light conditions. Full UV protection continues no matter what tint level is used.

Rohrabacher said the technology makes a molecular-level change in the liquid crystal diode film sandwiched between two lens layers. He said the sunglasses are covered by 100 patents. The internal power source for changing tints relies upon a USB-charged internal battery.

The options go up from there. A Bluetooth connection with speakers built into the temples sitting just above the ears provides whatever music or other sounds the user can sync with a nearby smartphone. Users can also change lens colors among any of four tints. 

The pricing varies by how many options are desired. The base model retails for $199, going to $260 for the Bluetooth speaker version. The tint changing lenses start at $385, rising to $485 for the tint plus Bluetooth option.

Rohrabacher also said his company can pop in a logo for branding purposes. When the glasses are turned on, a digital logo image will display for the first 15 seconds or so, then disappear – a bit like the start of anything on Netflix.

I can see at least one or two private clubs in the Cape Region going for that kind of branding for their members.

These were impressive pieces of technology, and not just from the visual or aural perspective. The pricing is also in line with sunglass makers whose products do not include any similar features.

RWGA signups

The Rookery Women’s Golf Association is seeking interested golfers to join them for the upcoming 2026 season. 

The RWGA features weekly shotgun starts for 18 holes of golf, with games and prizes for the participants.

This is a very active association, so do not delay if you have any interest in competing. On that note, membership is limited to golfers with a USGA handicap of 37 or below when playing the Rookery’s gold tees. 

For more information, contact Marianne DeLorenzo at mdl3035@gmail.com

Save some dates

The Beebe Medical Foundation is the primary charitable fundraising arm of the community owned, nonprofit healthcare system that serves the Cape Region and beyond.

Naturally, golf plays a large role in its efforts, with three of its eight major money events scheduled at a golf course near you between May and September.

The first one is the 21st annual Baywood Golf Classic, set for May 12 at the Long Neck course. The second is the sixth annual South Coastal Classic, to be held June 24 at Bayside Resort Golf Club in Selbyville. The third golf event is the 27th annual Jean & Joan Golf Tournement, set for Sept. 14 at Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth. 

Registration for the Baywood Classic opens in early March, but playing spots for these three events typically sell out quickly. 

Keep checking with the foundation at beebemedicalfoundation.org for updates and registration information. If you are also interested in sponsorships at one or more of these fundraisers, contact the foundation at 302-644-2900.