FG Racks Up 5 ING Awards at Orlando PGA Show

by Vic Williams | posted January 29, 2010

Another PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, another very good day for Fairways + Greens at the annual International Network of Golf Media Awards. ING, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, gave awards in 11 categories.

Once again, FG led all publications in first-place awards in several categories, tying New York-based Met Golfer magazine with two — in travel writing for Darin Bunch’s December 2008 piece on “Magical Moorea,” and in equipment writing for his spring 2009 story, “Handmade Tradition,” a fascinating profile of Alabama-based custom putter maker T.P. Mills. Photographer Joann Dost also won for her stirring silhouette of the bagpiper at Spanish Bay, featured in the Winter 2008-09 issue.

Vic Williams took Outstanding Achievement awards for “West Side Glory,” a travel story on Ka’anapali Beach in Maui, and for his spring 2009 profile of Casey Martin. FG contributors Tony Dear and Bob Seligman also nabbed Outstanding Achievement Awards.

Meanwhile, down on the show floor, thousands of PGA pros, buyers, sellers and reporters got their fill (or maybe not — biggies like TaylorMade and Nike were conspicuous by their absence) of the latest golf technology, presented at the end of a shaft, encased in a portable plastic case, on a digital screen or on the sole of a spiked shoe. The show, which concludes Saturday, doesn’t occupy to the monstrous space it did a decade ago. But it’s still the place to be for folks looking to find just the right mix of products and services to improve their pro shop business or attract new people to today’s Tiger-less game. There are hundreds of booths of every size and sensory overload lurks like a bogey at every turn. So you’ve got to seek out a few favorites and stick with them. Our favorite goodies from Day One:

Accusport’s new VectorX launch monitor is a self-contained system that will record and display a student’s swing information within seconds.
www.accusport.com

Thumb Caddy may be the simplest, cheapest and most portable way to get control of what ball-flight ailment haunts you. It’s all in the thumbs.
www.thumbcaddy.net

Ever slip on those favorite flip-flops for a steamy summer afternoon round? Golf Gators let you stay loose and cool and still get a grip.
www.golfgators.com

If you’d rather keep the dogs in a more traditional golf shoe but want to lose the sweat, Geox’s amazing new Net system perfects outsole breathability without sacrificing gorgeous styling.
www.geox.com

Think there’s nothing new possible in the grip department? Think again: Pure Grips not only keep the hands connected to the stick, they install with a simple burst of air. No solvent, no waste, quick interchangeability — now that’s game-changing for clubfitters.
www.puregrips.com

But our favorite product of the day is a totally virtual, totally brilliant no-brainer for golf groups of eight to 24 players. Powering the brand-new GolfTripGenius.com website is first-of-its kind software that enables the design and administration of a variety of single and multi-day trip competitions for golf travelers. Its scheduler examines millions of possible player combinations in seconds, and then automatically computes optimized “pairings” by assigning golfers to foursomes or threesomes in every round based on tournament-driven or user-specified rules. From there groups can add specific games, meals, individual travel plans — whatever trip elements they can think of — and hit the road with a fully realized, easy-to-follow yet malleable master plan. It’s about crunching numbers, and it’s about time.
www.golftripgenius.com

More discoveries tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Vic Williams is editor and publishing partner of Fairways + Greens, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to golf, travel and lifestyle for the West and beyond. He has written thousands of stories on golf and will cover every facet of the game right here, primarily travel but also the major tours, equipment, personalities and more. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it