Two of the golf industry’s biggest shows, the PGA Show and the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show, took place at the end of January and enjoyed their biggest turnouts in many years, mirroring the overall health of the industry.
PGA Show 2024
The 71st PGA Show saw more than 31,000 attendees from every U.S. state and 89 countries flock to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, from Jan. 23-26. Last year’s attendance was just shy of 30,000, which was itself a marked improvement over the 2021 show’s relatively meager number of 15,000. The number of exhibitors grew as well, with more than 1,000 golf companies and brands represented on the show floor — including 350 exhibitors making their first appearance at the show—which was an increase over 2022’s number of 800 and a mere 600 in 2021.
Golf has seen a significant bump in the last few years, and the PGA Show’s increased attendance has industry leaders optimistic for the future. The industry’s valuation currently sits around $102 billion and is on pace to keep growing.
“As someone who has attended the PGA Show for over 30 years, this one certainly had an added excitement around it,” said John Lindert, president of PGA of America and PGA director of golf at the Country Club of Lansing in Lansing, Michigan. “The golf industry is in a great place and that was very evident this year. The Show is annually the largest gathering of PGA of America Golf Professionals and industry leaders and is the epicenter of golf business. It is also the largest stage in golf for education, career development and professional networking. As an industry, we are better equipped to drive continued growth of this game we all love by coming together annually at the PGA Show.”
The show brought a week of events for professionals to attend to increase their knowledge and stoke their love of the game. The PGA Show Demo Day on Janl 23 allowed PGA professionals to test out the newest equipment and technology from 70 golf companies and included product education, workshops, club fittings and networking opportunities.
GCSAA Show 2024
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show made a triumphant return to Phoenix, Arizona, where it was last held in 1987, from Jan. 29-Feb. 2. Show attendance was on par with last year’s number with some 11,000 attendees and more than 6,600 seminar seats filled, which is the highest total since 2008. The show in 2022 saw only 6,500 attendees and less than 4,000 seminar seats filled. The show floor, covering 352,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Phoenix Convention Center and featured 470 exhibitors, up from 450 in 2023.
The conference featured the launch of Golf’s Sustainability Showcase, a collaboration between the GCSAA, the Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA), the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA). The showcase featured interactive displays highlighting research, innovation, technology and best practices.
The show also saw the election of a new president for the GCSAA. Jeff L. White, CGCS, is the superintendent and director of agronomy at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kansas, and was elected to a one-year term as president at the association’s annual meeting on Feb. 1. White is the 87th president in the association’s history and served as vice president of the association in 2023 and has been a member of the association’s board of directors since 2018.
In addition to education for superintendents, the event also included specialized education for assistant superintendents, equipment managers, students and more.
The 2025 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show will head to San Diego Feb. 3-6, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center.
