The Humble Beginnings of the PGA Merchandise Show

As most of the golf world celebrated the 2025 PGA Merchandise Show last week in Orlando, I thought we might dive into the humble beginnings of the show.

The 2025 PGA Merchandise Club is the largest and most influential annual event for the golf industry. It is held in Orlando, Florida, and serves as a trade show where golf professionals, manufacturers, retailers, and industry experts gather to showcase, explore, and discover the latest products and technologies in the game of golf. In short for one week the Orange County Convention Center is the hub of the golfing world.

Like many great things, the PGA Show had humble beginnings. It all started 71 years ago, in 1954, in a simple parking lot in Dunedin, Florida. What began as a modest gathering mirrors the early days of the PGA of America—an organization that would go on to shape the future of professional golf. At the time, the PGA was headquartered at PGA National Golf Club, which is now known as Dunedin Golf Club. It was in that very parking lot where the PGA Show was born, with only a few vendors in attendance.

This small start was the foundation of what would become the PGA Show, the largest and most influential event in the golf world. Remarkably, this modest beginning paralleled the early growth of the PGA itself, which split from the PGA Tour about 15 years later, but both would go on to leave an indelible mark on the sport.

The first PGA Merchandise Show resembled more of a garage sale or a swap meet than the grand convention we know today. But as the saying goes, great things often have humble beginnings.

By 1957, the show had grown to the point where 50 manufacturers were in attendance. To accommodate the expanding crowd, the PGA had to rent a tent to protect vendors and their representatives from the elements.

By 1962, the PGA had made monumental strides. First, there was the American Triumvirate of Hogan, Snead, and Nelson. Then came Arnold Palmer, followed by a young kid from Ohio who had just turned pro—Jack Nicklaus, who won the U.S. Open that same year. With the game’s explosion in popularity, the PGA realized it was time for a change. It was time to leave Dunedin behind, and with it, the PGA Merchandise Show.

While I won’t bore you with the full details, the show would bounce between East Coast venues before landing its first indoor facility in Orlando in 1975. Finally, in 1985, the show found its permanent home at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando—its current location—where it now attracts over 40,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and 80 countries.

If you want to stay on the cutting edge of golf, the Orlando Convention Center in January is where you need to be!

Back to the PGA Merchandise’s Original Home

When the PGA of America left Dunedin, it took with it the name “PGA National Golf Club,” and the course was renamed Dunedin Country Club. Though the club has since changed its name to Dunedin Golf Club, the course itself predates both of those titles by nearly a century.

Nearly 99 years ago, news broke that famed architect Donald Ross was heading to Florida to design a course in Dunedin Isles, just a few miles from his celebrated 36-hole facility at Belleair. Ross created a stunning layout, and in just 10 months, his masterpiece opened on January 1, 1927.

Fast forward to today, and Dunedin Golf Club, a classic Donald Ross design, has recently been restored to its original glory by renowned golf course architect Kris Spence. While the club offers a private membership option, the course is open to the public. You can play for $130 during peak season hours, or just under $100 in the afternoons. If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, I highly recommend checking it out—it’s a piece of golf history not to be missed.

Big News for the Society of Golf Historians

I’ve made the decision to take the next big step for the Society of Golf Historians. I believe that an organization is either growing or on the path to decline, and I’m passionate about golf history and I refuse to let it fade away.

With that in mind, I’m excited to announce that we’ll be working to formalize the Society of Golf Historians in 2025 and 2026, transforming it into a fully established organization. My vision is to bring together golf historians, enthusiasts, collectors, and golfers from all walks of life. The podcast and newsletter will continue, but we’ll also be building a dedicated online repository of golf history, where we can share, preserve, and celebrate the game’s rich past.

As part of this effort, we’ll explore ways to fundraise and possibly crowdsource research, providing support for authors, educators, and researchers so they can tell the stories of golf’s history. In addition, we’ll introduce an annual award for the best golf history book—honoring the work that keeps our sport’s legacy alive.

On a larger scale, the Society will serve as a resource for golf magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, and we’ll work towards producing our own documentaries to further highlight golf’s fascinating history.

We’re also planning a special event—a Society of Golf Historians Annual Meeting at Belleair Country Club during the winter months. Imagine two days of golf on Belleair’s two Donald Ross courses, with historians and dignitaries from around the world speaking about their research. It will be a gathering to collaborate, celebrate, and share knowledge, with plenty of time for fellowship and fun.

And for those who have been asking—yes, we will have merchandise available!

In short I want to create something that goes far beyond what currently exists- push some boundaries and see what we can all create together. If I fail, let’s make sure I fail miserably!!!

This is all coming, and I hope you’ll join us on this exciting journey.

While it won’t happen overnight, I’m confident you’ll see our organization grow into something that not only honors the history of the game but gives back to the golf community in meaningful ways.

I am so excited for this next step- it’s a big one with big ideas that I can’t wait to show you.