After making its debut in Frisco, Texas last year, the 2024 edition of the PGA Buying Summit returned for a sold-out encore performance, held July 29-31at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort – with the adjacent Home of the PGA of America and Monument Realty PGA District also playing key roles in hosting events like the PGA of America Education Conference, Summer Jam Golf Festival and Summer Shootout Tournament.
Nearly 1,000 golf industry professionals, hailing from 45 states and seven countries, enjoyed a vibrant three-day schedule full of business meetings, education, product sourcing and good old-fashioned fun during the mid-season event. Two Omni PGA Frisco ballrooms were filled to capacity with the 157 emerging and established golf and golf lifestyle brands on hand, while the hundreds of PGA of America Golf Professionals and golf shop buyers in attendances – representing more than $280 million in purchasing power and more than $500 million in retail sales – placed orders at the unique golf retail sourcing opportunity.
“The second edition of the PGA Buying Summit at PGA Frisco hit the mark with an ideal mix of business, education and interactive networking at an unmatched golf destination,” said Marc Simon, Vice President of PGA Golf Exhibitions. “We are tremendously gratified by the industry positive response to the exhibitor-attendee interactions, happening not only on the Show Floor but also beyond it.
“The introductions of the new Summer Jam Golf Festival and Summer Shootout Tournament were especially well-received, and the combination of curated brands, key buyers and influential PGA of America Golf Professionals created a business environment primed to grow business.”
Leading With Education and ONE2ONE Meetings
The opening day of the 2024 PGA Buying Summit featured an afternoon of education for PGA of America Golf Professionals and focused ONE2ONE meetings between golf shop buyers and select exhibitors.
There were 19 education sessions hosted in the Professional Development Center at the Home of the PGA of America headquarters building, including a standing-room-only Q&A session with legendary PGA of America Golf Professional and retail trailblazer Ken Morton Sr., CEO of Morton Golf Management in Sacramento, California. Morton, who was recognized with the PGA of America Master Professional Lifetime Achievement Award earlier in the week, had a lively conversation with PGA of America Director of Education and Organizational Development Dawes Marlatt to kick off the afternoon of education sessions.
“I can wholeheartedly state that without PGA Education, my business career would not be what it has become today,” Morton said. “Becoming a PGA Master Professional really did have a dramatic impact on my career. It’s an honor to be recognized, although I have found that the journey to earn the reward is more meaningful than the award itself. The years of being on PGA faculty and getting involved in these programs gave me the opportunity to work with some of the most talented golf professionals in the country, which was reflected in what I did when I went to work each day.”
Additional educational sessions were conducted by a number of PGA of America Golf Professionals – including PGA of America Vice President Don Rea Jr., 2023 PGA Teacher & Caoch of the Year Joe Hallett, Mark Steinbauer, Richard Brown, Courtney Connell and others.
While PGA of America Golf Professionals were enjoying the educational sessions, 36 PGA Buying Summit exhibitors participated in an afternoon of private ONE2ONE pre-scheduled appointments with 40 VIP buyers. These half-hour sessions at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort provided an intimate opportunity for buyers to have focused conversations with vendors about sourcing for 2025 lines.
“The ONE2ONE meetings yielded some really great conversations that paid off in orders,” said Thomas Brown, Operations Support Specialist for Rhone Apparel. “The timing of the PGA Buying Summit is ideal, and it really kicked off the buying season for us. Early in the ONE2ONE meetings we could see that PGA of America Golf Professionals were here to do business.”
Summer Shootout Joins Live Fashion Show
Once the first day’s education sessions and ONE2ONE meetings were finished, the 2024 PGA Buying Summit shifted into a more social gear with the one-two combination of a Welcome Reception & Live Fashion Show followed by the new Summer Shootout Tournament on The Swing short course at Fields Ranch.
For the first time, the Welcome Reception & Live Fashion Show was held in the resort’s Panther Creek Pavilion. Golf media personality and fashion expert Bailey Chamblee emceed the show, which featured 15 emerging and established brands in an exciting, energetic environment. Attendees were able to vote in real time on their favorite looks from the runway: Flag & Anthem was voted Favorite Men’s Brand, Marie Birdie was the Favorite Women’s Brand and Fore All was the overall Best Dressed in the attendee voting.
Following the Live Fashion Show, action shifted to the Monument Realty PGA District and The Swing, the 10-hole lighted par-3 course, for the new Summer Shootout. This best-ball team tournament paired exhibitors with buyers and PGA of America Golf Professionals for a fun evening of golf under the lights. Two waves of shotgun starts kept The Swing in full swing through the evening, and attendees enjoyed the dining options at the Monument Realty PGA District for casual networking opportunities.
“The Summer Shootout was a really great addition,” said Susan Hess, Owner and Designer of Golftini, which was celebrating its 20th year in business at the PGA Buying Summit. “It was a fun way to meet with other vendors and exhibitors while playing golf, all without leaving the Omni PGA Frisco Resort. I’m meeting buyers that I’ve never seen at other golf shows.”
Serious Business on the Sold-Out Show Floor
The action moved back inside the resort for the second and third days of the 2024 PGA Buying Summit, which featured golf retail sourcing activity spread across two ballrooms. Top brands in the sold-out exhibit space included Nike Golf, Greyson, Holderness & Bourne, Under Armour, Dunning, Vineyard Vines and Johnnie-O, along with emerging brands such as Eastside Golf, Featherie, Flag & Anthem, Fore All, Devon Halsey, Kastel Denmark and Jack Black.
PGA of America Golf Professionals and golf shop buyers were impressed with the mix of new and established brands, and the ability to have relaxed, in-depth sourcing conversations.
“We’re finding a lot of great products for our clubs,” said PGA of America Golf Professional Michelle Kempe, National Director of Retail for Escalante Golf. “It’s such an easy event to navigate, which makes it very efficient for buyers. There’s a great mix of brands, the traffic seems strong, and the energy is high. I like that the PGA Buying Summit is really focused on buying, and the events in the evening are a nice addition.”
Exhibitors were also impressed by the traffic and chance to make an impression during the 2024 PGA Buying Summit.
“It’s our first time at a PGA Show event, and we’ve made a lot of new relationships and written a lot of orders,” said Teresa Fernandez of Hooey – Cowboy Golf, a Western clothing and accessories company. “We’ve had a golf line for about five years, but it’s exciting that a lot of people are learning about us because we’re here. It would take us a long time to meet this many accounts on our own, and we’re getting a lot of feedback as to how we can build our golf business even more.”
In addition to the golf retail sourcing opportunities, the second day of the PGA Buying Summit provided an opportunity for attendees to tour the Home of the PGA of America, as well as take part in equipment and fitness education sessions at the new PGA of America Coaching Center powered by T-Mobile. Callaway Golf, Ping, Technogym, XXIO, PGA of America Value Guide, PGA COACH and Next Chapter Social all were on hand for the complimentary sessions.
The second day of the 2024 PGA Buying Summit concluded by returning to the Monument Realty PGA District for the new Summer Jam Golf Festival. Complimentary barbecue and drinks for attendees were provided and live music and entertainment were on tap throughout the evening. Putting contests were held on The Dance Floor, the lighted two-acre putting course, and The Swing was open to attendees with complimentary tee times.
“It was really fun to see how many people were out on The Swing and The Dance Floor experiencing what we have here at PGA Frisco,” said PGA of America Vice President Don Rea Jr. “It’s cool to see our PGA of America Members and golf industry people shuttling between the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, the Monument Realty PGA District and our PGA Headquarters for this chance to do some buying at a great time of year, see the new Home of the PGA of America and spend time with other leaders in the golf business.”