I jumped out of bed on Wednesday morning with great alacrity. The Days Inn, in which I stayed, was attached to a 24/7 IHOP. What better way to start the morning?

To my great dismay, the IHOP was packed to the brim and understaffed as I walked in at 7:45. None of the tables had even been cleared from the night before.

The waitress looked at me, then around at the tables, and then back at me before disappearing into the kitchen. Not an auspicious move, I surmised, as I cut my losses and walked across the street to grab a coffee. The PGA show was on!

To any simple bystander, a single glance inside the hall at the 2026 PGA would allow them to see golf as the booming sport which it has become. It’s unquestionable. Looking past the endless rows of “fringe” vendors, streetwear, and influencers, the intangible “buzz” of the event told the story. Golf is booming, and it’s not slowing down.

The first stop of the day was to the booth of Holderness and Bourne, the premier manufacturer of men’s golf shirts and sweaters in my eyes. I was able to talk my way into the booth, even though it was by appointment only. (Perks of a media pass, I suppose).

Now, I’ve talked a lot about my affinity for the brand on here, but it’s justified! Every time I encounter their products, the merchandising and attention to detail are best-in-class. No matter where I see it pop up, it’s always a level above the brands who copy their stuff. They practically rebuilt their corporate office in a booth for the show! I didn’t see that anywhere else.

With many of the bigger guys no-showing (more on that later), leaning into the show like this is a competitive advantage. Argue with a wall.

Hudson made the top tier solely due to the players display bag they had sitting front and center on the booth floor.

Folks, this is how a proper golf bag should look. Throw a players towel on the top and you have a perfect golf bag set up.

The bag demonstrates elite knowledge of their target customer. I didn’t encounter many booths with this intense focus on detail. Hats off to their team.

I just checked their website, and all of their core golf bags are sold out. Happy for them.

Another standout “experience” was the Tremont booth. They’ve been on my radar for awhile, but vaulted right to the top after my brother gifted me a custom tuxedo driver head cover. The lapel on the Tuxedo sewn on as a separate piece of leather blew me away.

I chatted with their founder, Christian, for a few minutes. He told me he loves to antique shop in Palm Beach, and many of his finds were displayed in the booth. Old, well-used wood stuff gives any place a unique feel. Can’t fake that kind of obsession and attention to detail.

For my money, they make the best chinos for every day wear, including on the golf course. As versatile and durable as it gets. I chatted with their sales rep who mentioned it was the brand’s first PGA show.

What I like about Duck Head is their focus on cotton. 95% of the clothing I touched at the show was make of some sort of synthetic fabric. Leaning into traditional materials will be a winning recipe for the next decade, and I’m putting my full support behind the classics like Duck Head.

A staple in the head cover and leather goods niche, Winston makes quality stuff. I didn’t take a picture of their booth, but it was well assorted. It felt slightly less creative and more corporate than Tremont. Nonetheless, it’s high quality and found in many of the top shops across the country.

I was encouraged to stop by the Dunning booth by their VP of Marketing, Annmarie Dodd, an early twitter follower and subscriber. She told me to my face in my DMs that I would probably hate the brands she runs (I do not), so I had to stop by. An excellent way to get my attention. She used to write about menswear for Golf Digest, among other publications, and I hope to have her write a guest piece at some point in the future.

I’m a huge fan of their new affordable Tourney line. Shirts start around $50 and I believe it launches in the Spring or Fall of this year. It’s a great way to get newer players looking good without breaking the bank. An excellent alternative to the big print mafia comprised of Good Good and Bad Birdie.

A few key no shows included Peter Millar, Zero Restriction and Summit Brands.

After speaking with a few veterans of the show, many noted that PM doesn’t really need to attend anymore, which makes sense. They are deeply entrenched in just about every pro shop in the country and are now de-facto “order takers”. It’s like selling for Salesforce or IBM. Every few years just call your guy and re-up the contract. No point in burning marketing dollars at the show.

I think the show is worth it for the brands that choose to lean into the experience. When I say “lean in”, I mean invest considerable resources to curating an experience for guests while driving net new sales. Make it as transactional as possible to drive as much ROI from the event as you can.

I like Johnnie O, but their “booth” consisted of 3 mannequins and a lot of empty space. No place to close business. In my view it’s a waste of marketing dollars. Give it to the cracked gen Z intern running the twitter account instead.

I got a similar vibe from Red Vanly. Just a few rolling racks and a simple white curtain. Not a ton of effort, and plenty of polyester to go around.

Golfish. I’m not sure if it’s a fishing company or a golf company (a bit over-assorted), but I like the New England prep vibe of the Boothbay polo.

Holebrook. I’ve mentioned them on here before. Their quality is in the same echelon of Filson. I’ve owned the same jacket from them for 15 years, and it’s excellent in the wind.

(Editor’s note: As I walked by the booth - the CEO looked me dead in the eyes and said, “I know your father”. My name tag wasn’t visible, and he was deep in conversation with another customer. I felt like I was the subject of the first paragraph of a Myron Bolitar novel. There’s more to the story, but I’m going to end it there. The key takeaway is that I look like my father and can no longer hide from that fact.)

Lambda Golf. They make a version of the old FootJoy Icon that took my breath away. The sales associate looked befuddled as I held the shoe like the baboon holding Simba. I was unaware of the brand until Wednesday, but I am fully onboard with their traditional shoes moving forward.

Bird Dog Bay. I was drawn to the unique prints and quality silk ties. Didn’t see too many silk vendors pushing quality stuff. They sell into an impressive assortment of clubs to back it up. A tie from the home club is always a great purchase.

Spyhold. Discreet Zyn containers for those of you so inclined.

Crisloid. Custom backgammon boards and other games. Probably the coolest item I saw at the entire show. Handmade by a guy in Rhode Island, the boards and custom domino sets are truly unique.

Although he wasn’t at the show, I’d like to give a quick shoutout to Arnie McNair on the launch of his eponymous brand. The presale is closed, and I’ve heard rumors that it was a smashing success. Proof that posting your thoughts on the internet (and turning it into a business) has unlimited upside and close to 0 downside.

He’s a unique character in the golf world and I think he’d die before wearing polyester.

I’m rooting for him, and everyone else building something in public.

I didn’t spend too much time in the “Game Improvement” section of the event, for two reasons:

First, because I believe that 90% of training aids are snake oil.

Second, because I am deeply afraid that if I spent too much time there, I’d walk away with at least five “magic pills” that would surely cure me this time.

The dichotomy of man.

Anyway, I walked by a few too many putting “alignment” aids, but stumbled upon a mom-and-pop shop selling something called “QuietStroke”. In a sentence, it hides the golf ball during your putting stroke.

Now, I’m giving this company press because the product is unique, and the founder probably had (has???) the worst case of the Yips the game has ever seen. I hit a few putts (one-handed) and received no feedback that this would cure me from inside of four feet.

Golf is the greatest game because it drives people mad to the point of creating a product like this. I thought my short putting was bad, but never once have I considered building a product like this. Hiding the ball from my own eyes? Doth my eyes deceive me? What a game.

I nearly bought one on sight, and I’m fairly sure Jordan Spieth won’t be far behind me.

The turnover chain has made its way into the game of golf. No thank you.

I also encountered these “patented” sunglasses that help players read greens better. Please do not fall for this.

Initially, I was staunchly against these glasses. But, upon further review, if they reduce the number of folks I see aim-pointing, I’m all for them.

In all seriousness, 90% of the companies and brands at the show weren’t for me. I could write 3000 more words about “shrink this” and “shrink that”, but we’re focused on the positives.

My goal was to find the brands that spoke to me and to shine a much needed spotlight on them. Golf is too big to “shrink”. The game within the game is to identify what you enjoy about the game of golf and find other people with a likeminded attitude. Everything else is noise.

How you choose to play the game, along with what you wear, says a lot about your attitude toward the sport. It’s why playing golf with strangers is the easiest way to make new friends, and the quickest way to weed out the people with whom you don’t see eye to eye.

Staying at the Days Inn. I will course-correct next year, no matter how tempting the 24/7 IHOP looks upon booking.

I also plan on skipping demo day next year. It was underwhelming, and I’m not the biggest gear head anyway. Wednesday-Thursday the show floor should allow me to stop by every booth, including the OEMs.

I toyed with the idea of going in a full tuxedo. I think it would’ve pushed the limits of the “bit” and in the process would’ve destroyed my feet. Best to stick with an incognito look for now.

I’ll return next year. For as much as “Big Golf” is lamented by this corner of the internet, traditional golf deserves a voice and a place in the game.

For every bikini-clad model posing at the entrance to a shiny streetwear booth, there should be a guy in tassel loafers and a well-worn navy blazer with French cuffs perusing fine cashmere and cotton blends.

The pendulum will swing back, one newsletter at a time.

Talk soon,

— BTG

Email me: [email protected]