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2011 PGA Merchandise Show: Jacksonville’s Own Foursome Leads the Field
Published: April 2, 2011
If you are in the golf business, you were at the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.
Not surprisingly, Jacksonville-area companies were present and accounted for among the biggies like Titleist, Cutter & Buck and SkyCaddie.
What may surprise you is that four of our own neighbors represent the show's oldest, most innovative, well-connected and worldwide exhibitors.
Fred Akel ran a driving range on Beach Boulevard and first went to the show in 1970 to sell his idea for a high-capacity ball washer.
At that time, the show was a "couple of circus tents" in West Palm Beach and had a waiting list of 100 vendors trying to get in.
Fred questioned whether being a PGA Professional meant anything to the show organizers. It did and the next year he got in, and over time went from ball washers to head covers to other golf accessories.
He was the first to accessorize collegiate golf teams and worked with the PGA Tour in the mid-1990s to standardize caddie bibs.
Doug Kirchhoff now owns and runs "Here's Fred Golf Company," a staple at the golf convention for the last 39 straight years (only Wittek has been there longer).
Among a million other things, the company supplies Fred's caddie bibs to over 90 percent of golfing events worldwide, including last year's Ryder Cup in Wales.
Where did the name come from? Well, Fred was a Cheers-style "Norman-esque" character in the golfing business. Everyone would come in and say "where's Fred?"
Fred's response was, "Here I am, and how can I solve your golf merchandise problems?"
There is a...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf
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