The 72nd PGA Show, golf’s longest running and largest global business gathering, opens its doors to thousands of PGA of America Golf Professionals, golf leaders, industry executives and retailers, and 1.1 million square feet of exhibit, demonstration and meeting space at the Orange County Convention Center Wednesday morning.
For the next three days, golf industry professionals from around the world will source new products from more than 1,000 golf and golf lifestyle brands, attend high-level industry presentations, participate in education and career workshops and connect with peers and golf leaders to drive continued growth of the sport and the business of golf.
Embracing a “We Love this Game” theme, the 2025 PGA Show begins with a special opening ceremony in the central lobby of the Orange County Convention Center featuring a live band, a live performance artist creating a painting to capture the essence of the moment, and a special tribute to two PGA of America Golf Professionals who have made a profound difference in their communities.
ESPN’s Michael Collins will introduce PGA of America President Don Rea Jr. and CEO Derek Sprague, who will headline the opening ceremony at 8:15 a.m. after Orlando-based band Paradigm provides mood music beginning at 7:45 a.m. While prolific performance artist Sergio Gutierrez works on his “We Love this Game” painting, Rea and Sprague will introduce PGA of America Golf Professionals Pam Elders and Tom Dale, and share their inspirational stories under the “We Love this Game” banner.
Elders, PGA, Director of Instruction at Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, and a PGA of America Member for 35 years, is a certified PGA HOPE instructor and has introduced a variety of player-development programs throughout the South Florida PGA Section for Veterans and players of all skill levels. She has devoted hundreds of hours to teaching, coaching and making a difference in the community with her penchant for giving, receiving the South Florida PGA Player Development Award in 2021 and the Section Patriot Award in 2023 for her commitment to PGA HOPE.
Dale, PGA, General Manager at Linville Golf Club in Linville, North Carolina, demonstrated how he “loves this game” and his community when a major hurricane dumped more than 28 inches of rain in the mountains of western North Carolina in late September of 2024, flooding his facility and the entire Linville community.
Dale made sure all staff members were safe and then sprang into action. Many roads and bridges were under water or washed out, thousands of trees down, and the Linville area was without water, power, cell service and road access for several days. Dale closed the golf course for the season on Oct. 2 (three days after the hurricane ravaged the area) and prepared a community kitchen with staff to provide 24,000 meals at the club – breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the next three weeks. An emergency relief center was set up at the club and the Linville staff processed six tractor-trailer loads of supplies such as water, first-aid supplies, batteries, clothes and other necessities to help community members get back on their feet.
“This was truly an incredible team effort, spearheaded by Tom Dale, to help a community get back on its feet after the worst natural disaster I have experienced in my lifetime,” wrote Linville PGA Director of Golf Bill Stines. “In addition to leading our staff over this three-month period to help our community, Tom also raised over $2 million to help fund special needs in our community. This team effort led by Tom Dale was one of the most impressive things I have ever been a part of in my 40-year career as a PGA Director of Golf.”
Following the tribute to Elders and Dale, Rea and Sprague will officially declare the 2025 PGA Show Floor open for business and a day dedicated to discovering the latest products from 1,000 exhibiting companies and brands, attending the first of more than 60 PGA Show Education sessions, exploring 10 specialty pavilions and six performance stages on the Show floor, meeting company representatives and networking with industry leaders, and connecting with personalities and professionals at booths throughout the PGA Show floor.
Hot spots and “must stops” on the PGA Show Floor include the PGA Industry Stage presented by CapTech; The Clubhouse Stage located in the newly expanded Clubhouse Pavilion; the Golf Fitness, Wellness & Instruction area Stage presented by the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) and the Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA); THE | RETREAT Stage located in Hall E of the OCC; the Career Zone Stage on the PGA Show floor; and the Inventor’s Spotlight, which together with the New Product Zone make up the new Innovation District on the PGA Show Floor.
The primary meeting spaces for PGA Education sessions have moved to a new location this year in the Orange County Convention Center, West Hall E/F, to improve access to the expanding PGA Show floor while taking advantage of recently renovated meeting spaces at the convention center. PGA Show Education will focus on the PGA of America tracks of Golf Operations, Teaching & Coaching and Executive Management while the six stages on the PGA Show Floor provide presentations and education sessions on other specialty topics.
The brands of Acushnet Company (Titleist, FootJoy etc.) will help kick off the 2025 PGA Show during a special opening presentation Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. in the Linda Chapin Auditorium. Jim Nantz, the voice of CBS Sports and Titleist, will again serve as host for the 30-minute event that will include a fireside chat with 2024 PGA Golf Professional of the Year Tony Pancake, the PGA Director of Golf at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, and longtime PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, Brendan Walsh.
Always one of the most popular stops in the heart of the PGA Show floor, the PGA of America Industry Stage presented by CapTech features an exciting lineup of timely discussions for the next three days on golf-industry issues to attending industry professionals on current innovations, strategies, trends and business practices that impact the greater golf industry.
PGA of America President Rea Jr., a PGA Master Professional and owner-operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, will introduce recipients of the 2025 PGA National Awards in a special presentation Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the PGA Industry Stage, while PGA Junior League Game Changer Awards will be presented earlier in the afternoon (at 3:30 p.m.).
“PGA of America Golf Professionals and all PGA Show attendees will greatly benefit from the presentations on the PGA of America Industry Stage this year,” said Rea. “Every year, the PGA Show never fails to provide incredible networking and education opportunities. Our Members, Associates and contributors to this great game we all love will enhance their expertise, leaving the PGA Show better equipped to lead the golf industry.”
The busy first day of exhibits, presentations, demonstrations and special events will conclude Wednesday with the annual Industry Welcome Reception, sponsored by Johnnie-O, and the PGA Show Fashion Show beginning at 5 p.m. at THE | RETREAT on the PGA Show Floor, located in Hall E of the Orange County Convention Center.