“The Show usually tells you the pulse of what the golf industry is going to be like this year,” said Tom Cox, president and CEO of Golfballs.com, which had a five-person delegation on hand. “This year, it was much better attended, and those that were there were more engaged. There was an excitement I hadn’t seen in five years.”

More than 42,000 PGA club and teaching pros and industry professionals took part in the week-long event that billed itself as “bigger, busier, more optimism and more buzz.” Representatives from every U.S. state and 88 countries filled nearly 10 miles of aisle space at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

And the best part for Golfballs.com customers? The benefits of the PGA Merchandise Show will continue throughout the spring as manufacturers begin rolling out their new products for the coming golf season — many of which were on display for the first time at the Show.

Both TaylorMade and Callaway had brand-new drivers available for testing, with the TaylorMade R11 probably generating more buzz than any other club at the entire show. The rollout of new balls for the coming year was led by Titleist debuting its retooled Pro V1 and Pro V1X balls in an upgrade to the world’s top-selling ball – one that Bubba Watson used to win the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open over the weekend.

“You’ve got the number one ball brand launching a new flagship product,” Cox said, “and the number one driver brand launching a new driver. You can tell the industry’s optimistic.”

Many of those new products will begin appearing on the Golfballs.com web site and in the Retail Center located on Johnston Street in Lafayette in the near future. That followed a week where the Golfballs.com staff got a first-hand look at the products before the general public and other outlets — a by-product of years of work in the industry, Cox said.

“From a business standpoint, it’s taken us 15 years to reach the point where we can meet face-to-face with top-level executives from the major manufacturers and brands,” he said. “That seat at the table helps us gain insight, as well as provide insight, for the future direction of the golf industry. And that helps us service our customers even better.”

With those major equipment, apparel and accessory companies on site, early attendance figures showed an approximate 3.5 percent increase in overall attendance and a seven percent increase in PGA pro attendance.

“It’s really different from the last couple of years,” said Jamie McNamara, director of purchasing and retail operations for Golfballs.com of the Merchandise Show. “You can see some optimism from all the manufacturers and the sales representatives, and we can take that same optimism and create a good experience for our customers. Having that kind of positive feedback from the show is good for all of us.”

The lead story on the Show’s in-house publication led with “Bigger, busier, more optimism, more buzz.” That’s probably a good description, and it’s one that one Acadiana-area pro believed.

“You can tell the enthusiasm was really there,” said David Gary, head professional at The Wetlands. “You could hear the PGA club pros talking about it. Those guys are digging in more and doing more on the marketing side, trying to help grow the game and retain players.”

Gary was actually in Orlando early in the week taking part in the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit held at the Faldo Golf Institute. The summit featured 22 presentations by instructors and other speakers – including former college football coach Lou Holtz.

“You talk about a motivator,” Gary said. “I’m going to take the video they did of his presentation and show it to all our staff.”

Le Triomphe director of golf Craig Perks and club professional Jeff Perry were still at the Show on Friday, looking at products and services to bring back to Le Triomphe.

“Our whole goal is to provide an increased level of service to our members,” Perks said, “and there are quite a few things we’re looking at here that we can incorporate into that. It’s really an impressive show.”

It’s that kind of optimism, after a couple of down years for the game, that is prevalent throughout the Show.

“It’s really different from the last couple of years,” said Jamie McNamara, Director of Purchasing and Retail Operations for Golfballs.com. “You can see some optimism from all the manufacturers and the sales representatives. It’s much busier than last year, and that’s good for all of us.”

McNamara and the rest of the Golfballs.com staff have been in meetings with many of those companies over the past two days, wrapping up those meetings Friday afternoon before the crew returns to Lafayette on Saturday.

“It’s been a very good show,” said Golfballs.com president and CEO Tom Cox. “We’ve had a lot of interaction with the highest level of people at many of the best golf companies in the world, and that’s not only going to help our business but will also help us bring the best possible equipment to our customers.”

Johnny Sneaking up on G-Dub

What better way to end the opening day of the 2011 PGA Show than to bump into our great country’s 43rd President, Mr. George W. Bush!