There's Magic in Orlando

And I'm not talking Disney.

Jan 29, 2026

∙ Paid

green and white book page — Photo by Matijn Palings on Unsplash

Greetings from… Somewhere, USA.

By the time you read this, my husband Eric and I will have traveled from Wisconsin to Indiana to Tennessee to several spots in Florida, then on to Alabama and home, for about 45 hours in the car together.

(If that isn’t a marriage tester, tell me what is.)

To paint the full picture, our car was packed with golf clubs, golf gear, cold-weather gear, warm-weather gear, food for the ride, water bottles, miscellaneous items too random to list, and two backpacks. Oh, and we might have stopped at my version of retail cryptonite - Evereve, Aritizia, and Zara - which added to the goods in our backseat.

At times, I felt like this as we drove into our hotel parking lots.

Was the ride stressful at times? Obvio. And I say this from a passenger perspective. My husband was the superstar who did the lion’s share of driving - navigating the mountains of Tennessee, the sh*tshow known as Atlanta, the ~~racetrack~~ streets of Miami, the long stretch through the Florida Everglades, and the Naples traffic when we hit civilization. The man’s got skills.

Did we bicker at levels that could’ve been a hit reality show? Perhaps.

Would I do it again? Yes!

The impetus for this Holiday Road tour?

The PGA Show in Orlando, Florida.

This was my third time at the show, my husband’s first. It was great to return and also experience it with Eric. (He finally got to see what I’ve been talking about for the past two years.)

In case you’re wondering what happens at the PGA Show, see this alien summary:

The PGA Show in Orlando is essentially the golf industry’s annual mega-convention and trade summit, not a consumer expo.

Held each January at the Orange County Convention Center, it spans several days and brings together thousands of PGA professionals, buyers, club managers, media, and brands from all over the world. It’s trade-only, so it’s designed for people who work in or closely with the golf business rather than everyday golfers.

In other words, a Trekkie convention for people in the golf industry. The ultimate chance to nerd out about what’s new in golf for the year ahead - from technology to equipment to apparel.

And, while one week of solid golf talk is pretty awesome, there’s a bigger reason I love the show.

The people.

There’s something magical about connecting with people who love the game just as much as I do.

But here’s the deal. It’s never just about the golf.

Because everyone’s golf story has a human element.

*My golf story started with my dad, who taught me how to play at age 7. He played until the age of 92.*

When golfers get together, two worlds always seem to merge: golf and life.

I saw that intersection in almost every conversation at the show. We swapped our golf origin stories—who taught us to swing, where we first picked up a club, and how it stuck. (Look up ERIN BAILEY for a great origin story.)

The conversations didn’t stop at nostalgia. They also turned toward making the game better and more inclusive for everyone - through new equipment, technology, and techniques, yes—but also through the vision of people like golf architect Kari Haug, who’s redesigning the game for women, seniors, and players with disabilities. Or companies like Vertacat, creating adaptive tech that lets wheelchair users and those with limited mobility to play the game.

And then there are the countless entrepreneurs who literally risk it all for their golf dreams. Brands like PUR.Golf, TITE Eyewear (making their world debut this year!), and so many others reminded me that golf innovation begins with personal passion.

It’s not just the golf.

It’s the stories behind the golf that we passionately share.

So glad to return to the PGA Show, to my tribe.

(And share that world with my husband.)

Wishing you your own version of this magic—in golf or whatever lights you up.