Organisers declare London show a hit

Free lessons at the golf show

Colin Brunton, chairman of The Golf Show Group, which organised the London Golf Show is delighted by the responses he has received to the 3-day event.

“Once again I was able to look back with great satisfaction as we closed the doors on another successful London Golf Show. We are again indebted our loyal exhibitors and client base, without whom there would be no success story to report, in 2008 or any other year.

“I was delighted to hear so many people telling me what a great show they'd had and certainly we seem to have the formula right. We'll be back again next year, same time same place.”

Lee Westwood, who officially opened the exhibition at ExCel in London's Docklands, said he was amazed at the scale of the event, during which he signed autographsand took part in some of the show's most popular features such as the floating green and the 100ft putt.

“The show has been great. From a golfer's point of view it is terrific because they get to see all the equipment under one roof and actually give it a try.

“I've enjoyed having a go at the 100ft putt and the floating green although my attempt on the putting green was abysmal.”

Visitor gets a 2-Thumb grip check

“If you're a golf lover, there's no better place to be,” he said. “You could get free lessons; they'll tell you little things you can iron out.

Westwood attended the show as an ambassador of Your Place Abroad ,whose chief executive Chris Davies, said: “We had a London businessman put down deposits on 12 properties in the Bahamas worth $2m each. We've also had about 1,000 entrants to our competition and just over 40 solid property enquiries. So it has been a very good show.

“The quality of visitors has been excellent for our industry and the numbers have been fantastic.”

Ben Davis, Cleveland's marketing manager for the UK and northern Europe, commented: “The London Golf Show team continues to put on first-class shows that deliver exactly what we need. It's a great opportunity for us to showcase our product and get clubs in people's hands.”

YourGolfTravel.com's managing director, Andrew Harding, believes the show has become integral to the golf industry.

“Because we're an internet business, we don't get to meet our clients very often face to face and get a bit of interaction and feedback, so that's been really invaluable to us. A unique experience."

Steve Tilley (43) from Edgeware, North London, said: “It's my first visit to the show. I've had a look around most of the stands and enjoyed the interactive features which were really good.”

David Stapleton (55) from Bishops Stortford, visited with his 10-year-old son Nick.

“The demo areas were good. American Golf is really big and there's loads of gear in there. I've ended up buying a wedge. I'll definitely come next year.”

Betty Sworowski (47) travelled down from Rotherham and said: “I came last year and this year has been very good too. We've had a go on the putting and tried out all the new drivers.”

Linda Masters (49) from Sevenoaks, in Kent, visited with her son Simon (11) : "The chance for my son to get his hands on some clubs is always brilliant here. The exhibitors are really keen to let the kids experiment and have a go with the clubs. We'll definitely be back next year.”

Sue Ridenton (42) from Croydon, commented: “It's nice to enter the different competitions and just have a wander around. There have been plenty of opportunities to try out clubs.

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