The 58th PGA Merchandise Show opened its doors for more than 40,000 industry leaders, PGA Professionals and retailers from 75 countries, and for nearly 1,000 of the brightest brands, manufacturers and marketers at the Orange County Convention Center.

Apparel and New Products

Apparel

I did a quick walk through of the apparel section, which gets smaller and smaller every year. I only focused on women's apparel.

A line that seems to have some new energy to it is LIJA. Lynda Hyp, owner and founder has branched out into tennis wear as well as golf. She modified one of her best tennis skirts and made it a little longer so that it works for golf (the red skirt in the photo). It's a neat look for those of us that like short skorts.

In general, I noticed more pattern on more skorts made out of nice stretchy fabrics. I think I wore those thirty years ago, but they look new again!

The Adidas line looks great. Nice cap sleeves on short sleeve shirts and nice sleeves with cuff detail on the long-sleeve shirts. Adidas has great fabrics and some surprises. One shirt has a black and white floral design - on the back only!

The Tail line didn't overwhelm me, but for those women that like three-quarter sleeves, they have a great shirt made out of puckered fabric. That should be a winner.

New Products

The Show has had a special "New Products" section for several years. This year it added an "Inventor's Spotlight Pavilion." It seemed to me that there were more booths marketing training aids and gadgets than ever before.

A couple of items caught my eye. A set of clips that hold golf club covers together called the "Cover Guard" with the tag line "Never lose a head cover again." (www.visioneeringsports.com) They reminded me of mitten clips my mom used to put in my winter jacket. The owners tell me that the most popular color is pink. Women don't like losing head covers!!

And even though I couldn't figure it out, I couldn't help taking a photo of what was voted one of the best new products: an alignment gadget called the SQRD UP (www.SQRDUP.com). If you know how it works, please email me.

A product - Jan Craig hand knit head covers (www.jancraigheadcovers.com) - that looked good last year, looks even better this year. They can be customized with leather-imprinted logos or personalized with names. And the choice of styles and yarns is amazing. A great gift for men or women. Just one special driver head cover or a whole set.

Because the show had fewer vendors, I missed the little start-up companies that probably couldn't afford the rent in this down year (these booths cost a lot of money).

Six years ago, I spotted a little stationery company called Bloom Designs; now it's a bigger company (www.bloomdesigns.com) and successful, but it got its start at the PGA Show.

And, two years ago a new women's line called Spartina 449 (www.spartina449.com) launched a line of beautiful unique linen and leather pocket books and accessories. I immediately called a golf club that I knew would like them for their women's events. This year, Spartina has an even bigger presence and has extended its line to include many items like these cute little note pads.

But a product that caught my serious attention was a money clip (www.m-clip.com). Marketed as the world's finest money clip, I believe it. It is a fabulous item for any men's tournament and it can be made with a logo or even a custom design.

My problem with the money clip is that there is not one that has a woman's touch. Sometimes I just need a drivers license, a credit card and a few bills that will fit in a small pocket book. The m-clip would be perfect instead of slipping them loosely in a purse or pocket and hoping they won't fall out. I fell in love with one clip that was gold mother-of-pearl, but it was top of the line and too expensive.

I'm heartened by the owners who tell me that will make a money clip just for me - with a flower or something feminine. I love it already.

Finding that one new product is what will bring me back again to the Show next year. And I will probably have a new white driver by then!

For Berkley's complete review, Also See:

2011 PGA Merchandise Show - A Woman's View - Part I
Part II - More Women Playing Golf -- Finally
Part III - Junior Golf is IN AGAIN