2010 PGA Merchandise Show Day 1

Events: Upated: January 31, 2010

Five hot items from Thursday at the PGA Merchandise Day 1

By Craig Dolch, Special to PGA.com

1. Loudmouth Golf: John Daly Wearing Loudmouth Pants

Lately, professional golfers have been labeled for being too conservative with their fashion, even to the point where some players show up wearing the same outfit as someone else in their threesome.

That's not going to happen with Loudmouth Golf, a company that never met a color combination or style it couldn't match. The brighter and more radical, the better.

"Back in the 1960s and 1970s, golfers use to wear clothes like this," said Scott Woodworth, Loudmouth's founder. "Who can forget the checkerboard pants Johnny Miller and Hale Irwin used to wear? But golfers became too conservative in the '80s and '90s. This is our poke at that conservatism."

Loudmouth's star spokesman is John Daly, a two-time major champion. Another former PGA Tour winner, Robert Gamez, also gets a little loud with his fashion statement on the course.

In addition to the pants (retail of $95), Loudmouth also sells short shorts ($55) and skorts ($75) for women, neckties ($55), white belts ($45-$55), visors ($18) and divot tools ($17).

2. Sumi-G:

Sumi-g Headcover Golfers spent hundreds of dollars on a new golf club, but very little when it comes to protecting their equipment. That's why Sumi-g's products deserve a second look.

Sumi-g has developed a golf club head cover that relies on a hinged technology that will protect the club and not force golfers to waste time struggling to put an ill-fitted cover back on the club. It’s design also allows golfers to easily slide the head cover (retail ranges from $28-$38) back on the club in one quick motion without having to bend over to pick it up.

Summi-g also has high-end belt buckles in either chrome or gunmetal that not only look stylish, but include a ball marker that easily slides off the top of the belt buckle. The buckles retail for $29.99, with the belt and the buckle costing $85.

3. Perfect Roll:

We've all spent a rainy day working on our putting indoors. But rarely have we had a chance to change the speed on our indoor green.

Perfect Roll has changed that. The same company that brought Birdie Ball is offering a 2-foot-wide putting strip that golfers can alter the stimp reading – or the speed of the greens – by changing the surface. Golfers can putt on stimps that range from 7 to 14, depending upon the thickness of the strip. A thickness of one-eighth of an inch, for instance, translates to a stimp of 11, compared to a one-half-inch thickness for a 9 stimp.

The putting strips retail from $4-$9 a square foot, depending on which stimp you're looking for.

4. Williams Sports Clubs:

You want to really invest in your golf game? Then Williams Sports – which boasts one of the top Formula One racing teams – has got a set of clubs for you.

But they don't come cheap.

Using the same aerodynamics that enable cars to reach excess of 200-mph, Williams Sports has dipped into the golf market by unveiling three series of clubs. The top-of-the-line Black Diamond Series boasts a $50,000 price tag.

"We're not looking for high-skilled players. We're looking for high-income players," said Michael Lee of Williams Sports.

Lee said he's relying on the same engineers who build the Formula One cars to use their expertise to design clubs that are aerodynamically sound. To wit: They have a tiny lip at the top of the driver and two wings on the sole to produce less drag on the club, thus producing higher club speed.

"With our engineers," Lee said, "we can compete with any club company out there."

5. Heavy Wedge:

Looking to continue its success of the Heavy Putter, Boccieri Golf has unveiled its new Heavy Wedge at this week's PGA Merchandise Show.

The same technology of adding weight to the top of the club is being used with the Heavy Wedge ($109.95).

"By adding weight to the top of the golf club, it adds more stability to the golf swing," said David Bock of Boccieri Golf. "It takes your hands out of the swing and enables you to use your larger muscles to create a more consistent result."

Bock points out that legend Jack Nicklaus used the same approach of counter-balancing his clubs throughout his career.

"I think it worked out pretty good for Jack," Bock said.

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