PGA Show gets off to great start

For some years, there has been a yawning gap in South Africa’s golf calendar … an event showcasing the A-Z of golf in South Africa.

This gap was filled for the first time in over 20 years with the launch of inaugural PGA Golf & Lifestyle Show, which took place in September at the Campus in Bryanston in Gauteng.

The initiative was keenly backed by the PGA of South Africa and for good reason.

The PGA of South Africa is proud to support the PGA Golf & Lifestyle Show,” said PGA of South Africa CEO Dietrich Uys.

“Golf has evolved into a lifestyle, and growing the game remains at the heart of what the PGA and its Members strive to achieve every day. Partnering with an event that provides a neutral platform for the golfing community to connect, engage, and experience the sport is something we are truly pleased to be part of.’’

The PGA’s confidence that the event would be a success quickly paid off with a wide range of brands and services taken up their spot in the linuep.

These ranged from EXO’s new state of the art synthetic glove, The Sox Factory, golfcaddy, GrubzUp with their new home grown F&B software and MobiG showcasing a range of SA manufactured carts, with local after sales support.

It was refreshing to see so many new products and brands in the market place, all looking to engage with South Africa’s golfing public

The usual ‘suspects’ were in place, with Srixon taking a very central and well supported position in the main concourse, and with Titleist, Garmin and FlightScope, among others, having an interactive presence, with swing analysis and various related promotions.

It was very good to see initiatives such as the John Collier Survey (its ESG benchmarking tools are used FOC by 215 of South Africa’s golf clubs) hosting an awards’ function. CMASA and the PGA of South Africa also held presentation and workshops, with GolfRSA and the Sunshine Tour taking up a prominent position at the entrance to the main marquee area.

“This first year will be key, as it is with all events, to getting a solid mix of companies and brands involved from across the golf business spectrum. We believe that this, in combination with the activities and extra value elements for the general public when they buy tickets, will offer everyone real ‘value for money’ for their involvement in the show, and enable us to build for the future.

“We want to then build the foundations in year one, off which to develop the PGA Golf & Lifestyle Show into the biggest, most comprehensive and best golf show in Africa,” said Guy Bower, a leading force behind the event.

The PGA Golf & Lifestyle Show looks well set to become an eagerly anticipated annual feature on South Africa’s golf events’ calendar.