When it comes to PGA Show Demo Day, a little rain and cool temperatures can’t dampen the spirits of PGA of America and golf industry professionals.
They put a warm spin on the official start of 2025 PGA Show Week Tuesday at Orange County National Golf Center in Winter Garden, Florida, by busily testing and evaluating the latest golf products and innovations.
Perhaps the temperature never hit 55 degrees on the expansive, 42-acre practice facility at Orange County National, but the world’s largest outdoor professional Demo Day delivered a hot lineup of new product launches, high-level coaching workshops, new event programming in health-wellness, club fitting and golf range operations, while providing the perfect platform for testing the latest equipment and technology from more than 70 golf manufacturers.
“The PGA Show Demo Day is something we never miss, no matter what the weather,” noted James Hilton, PGA, Head Golf Professional at Ould Newbury Golf Club in Newbury, Massachusetts. “No doubt the weather could be better, but what’s a little rain on the parade?”
“We took 16 members of our club to Ireland last September and the weather wasn’t this good for three of the seven days,” quipped Ron Margeson, PGA, General Manager at Ould Newbury Golf Club, who was waiting out a downpour of rain in the large Cobra Golf area at Demo Day. “Considering the rain, I would say the turnout at Demo Day is very good.”
Between light rain and a few downpours, the 22nd PGA Show Demo Day Tuesday was busy with attendees testing the latest equipment and learning about the newest innovations from leading companies at the world’s largest outdoor Demo Day.
“This is my first PGA Show in the states and my first Demo Day – I’m somewhat overwhelmed,” observed Joanne Mills, an International PGA Professional and Club Manager at Goulburn (Australia) Golf Club. “We don’t really have anything of this nature back home in Australia.”
Indeed, the 2025 PGA Show Demo Day also served as a launching pad for new products from many of the biggest brands in the business. Bridgestone Golf rolled out its new e12 and e6 golf balls; Callaway Golf launched its new Elyte line of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons; Cobra Golf unveiled its new 3D Printed TOUR irons, three new counterbalanced putter models in its 3D Printed lineup, the latest KING TEC and KING TEC One Length Hybrids, KING wedges, and featured its DS-ADAPT Irons.
Ping introduced new G440 drivers, fairway metals, hybrids and irons; featuring its line of JPX 925 Forged and Forged Black irons; Mizuno showed off its Pro T-1 and T-3 wedges; its Pro S and Pro X golf balls, and a new lineup of M. Craft X putters, while Srixon/Cleveland spotlighted its new Srixon Z-Star XV golf ball, its all-new ZXi irons and ZXi woods, and the new Cleveland RTZ wedges and Frontline Elite putters.
“I don’t remember so many different companies launching new products at the same time. Wherever you stopped, there was something brand new to try, which made this an exceptional Demo Day,” said Rich Bartley, PGA Head Professional at Janesville (Wisconsin) Country Club.
Despite the weather, the 2025 PGA Show Demo Day was a success thanks to fresh features such as a large vendor village called the Discovery Zone and The Turn presented by Bar Convent Brooklyn — a new range-side terrace for industry networking with live music, local breweries, food trucks and ample seating to meet with friends and colleagues before returning to Demo Day experiences.
Several special events and appearances by tour professionals and personalities also highlighted the 22nd annual PGA Show Demo Day, which was organized by PGA Golf Exhibitions and PGA Magazine, and presented by Antigua, Clubhouse Events, E-Z-GO, FlagD, Oakley, Uneekor and Wittek Golf Supply.
Cobra Puma Golf again had a DJ booming out music at its large Demo Day complex, with LPGA Tour standout Lexi Thompson and two-time World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire staging special demonstrations and clinics while signing autographs and promoting the new Cobra DS-Adapt clubs.
“We love Demo Day because we get to connect with so many PGA Professionals, tell the Cobra story and show in-person all the research and development that has gone into our new products,” noted Doug Roberts, Senior Director, Club Design and R&D for Cobra Puma Golf. “It’s rare that we get to discuss details of our new equipment one-on-one or with small groups, and the interaction has been priceless”
“There was great energy at Demo Day this year,” said Megan Leineweber, PGA, Head Professional at Stonewall Links in Elverson, Pennsylvania. “Our group enjoyed the special events, such as the coaching workshops, and the clinics put on by the professionals at Cobra.”
Companies such as Club Car, VertaCat (all-terrain mobility rider for mobility challenged golfers), FlightScope, Foresight would Golf, Full Swing Golf, Toptracer, U.S. Kids Golf, Makefield Putters, MotoCaddy Inc., Newton Golf, Puttview, iXi self-driving trolleys (carts), XXIO, Yonex and many others truly benefitted from the hands-on testing and demonstration opportunities at Tuesday’s PGA Show Demo Day.
Roboranger by XeraTech Robotics and Korechi Innovations also used the expansive practice area and surrounding acreage at Orange County National to show off the latest in robotic range pickers and fairway mowers, while Club Car let attendees take a test drive on the Demo Day test track with its latest golf cars, and Graphite Design, Nippon Shafts and Newton Golf unveiled their latest graphite shafts in myriad demo clubs.
“There were inventions and innovations at PGA Show Demo Day this year that I have never seen before,” observed Thomas Moore, PGA, Director of Golf at The Hills Country Club in Austin, Texas. “The weather may have been tough, but we have a responsibility as PGA Professionals to come to the PGA Show, beginning with Demo Day, to support the Show and support the companies who support us 365 days a year.”
German-based Vice Golf used PGA Show Demo Day to host a long-drive contest by age groups to launch its new line of drivers, fairway woods and irons to complement its line of golf balls. It was Vice Golf’s first visit to the PGA Show and the world’s largest Demo Day, and Vice President Ingo Düllmann was impressed.
“Following our 2023 merger with HIO Fitting Studios, we wanted to come to the U.S. PGA Show to show how we have combined HIO’s fitting expertise with our new equipment,” said Dullmann. “We want every day golfers to have the best equipment for their game. Our new golf clubs represent the next step in delivering high-performance products at an affordable price. We thought the best way to introduce our new drivers was to give away a new driver to winners in each age group of a long-drive contest.”
Leading PGA of America club fitting experts were busy Tuesday at the “Club Fitting Genius Bar” to share best practices on ball and club fitting with practical applications demonstrated at hitting bays throughout the PGA Show Demo Day demonstration and testing area.
Titleist hosted a Bob Vokey Design Wedge Presentation on the large practice green at Orange County National featuring former PGA TOUR and Champions Tour standout Brad Faxon, Titleist Director of Wedge Relations Aaron Dill and Titleist Director of Marketing for Vokey Wedges Corey Gerrard. The trio shared their expertise from 20 years of working with some of the greatest wedge players in the world on the PGA TOUR.
The Golf Range Association of America also shared best practices on range operations and new entertainment activations for range operators while having GRAA award winners present to answer range-related questions throughout the day.
PGA of America Coaching Workshops were a big hit despite the rain at Orange County National as part of the PGA Show Education program, with an all-star lineup of PGA Master Professionals sharing their expertise.
PGA Master Professional Joe Hallett, the 2024 PGA of America Teacher and Coach of the Year, and PGA Director of Instruction at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Tennessee kicked off Tuesday’s coaching sessions with “Match Play Practice for Stroke Play Success.” Then, PGA Master Professional Joe Plecker, PGA Director of Instruction at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Georgia, presented “Live Lessons with PGA Master Professional Joe Plecker.”
Todd Sones, PGA Master Professional and owner of Impact Golf, led off the afternoon workshops at Demo Day Tuesday with “Control the Low Point for Solid Pitching and Chipping,” while PGA and LPGA Master Professional Dr. Alison Curdt, Director of Instruction at Wood Ranch Golf Club in California, presented “Applied Golf Psychology Tools for Building a Better Mental Game.”