An unseasonably cool and rainy day in Orlando understandably put a damper on the usual frenzy of Demo Day at Orange County National Golf Center. Plenty will point to the precipitation, the ongoing pandemic, the absence of major OEMs, supply chain issues, and whatever other boogeymen for the sparsity of exhibitors and attendees. But nevertheless, GolfWRX was on site at the 360-degree range checking out the wares and lending an ear to every product pitch.

A few notables, below, and one housekeeping note — we’ll be shooting Wednesday and Thursday inside the convention center. The usual forum photo dump should be complete by Friday afternoon.

Garmin Approach Z82 laser range finder

Laser range finder + GPS = must-see product. The usual suspects with respect to a high-quality laser range finder are joined with impressive Garmin GPS technology. Don’t sleep on Garmin’s R10 portable launch monitor, either.

Bridgestone OTTO

The humans at Bridgestone have long emphasized the benefits of ball fitting. Now, they’ve tasked robots with proselytizing. But really, Bridgestone’s OTTO — the world’s first autonomous ball fitting cart — is impressive. Per Bridgestone, “OTTO requires no more than a touch of the screen to get started, indicating your current gamer, and three driver swings to come up with a sound recommendation of which Bridgestone Golf ball is right for you. With each shot, OTTO provides carry and total distance, ball velocity, spin rate, and launch angle.”

Club Car Tempo Walk

Marketed as “a hands-free, autonomous caddie that offers GPS yardage, carries bags, coolers, and other accessories,” the Tempo Walk is neither cart nor caddie but it features some of the best elements of each.

Sqairz shoes

Look, we’ve heard the detractors. But the two most important things to know about Sqairz shoes are

• The “squareness” of the toe, whether you use it as an alignment aid or not, won’t create the perception of wearing a box on one’s foot. It’s less of a departure from a standard rounded toe than you might fear.
• With respect to the company claims about increased distance (+8.8 yards in a recent Golf Laboratories study), we think these are worth putting to the test because of the foundational stability.

Really, is there another shoe you’d demo to see if it helps your distance? From that standpoint, Sqairz shoes are worth a try.

A bit of the flavor of ’22 Demo Day, via the PGA Golf Shows Twitter, below.

The feeling of being back at the #PGAShow is unmatched! Thanks to everyone who came out to Orange County National Golf Course. Check out the full recap of today's events. pic.twitter.com/UwWRTFREws

— PGA Golf Shows (@PGAShow) January 26, 2022

That’s a wrap on Demo & Fitting Day 2022!

We’ll see you all tomorrow for DAY 1 on the #PGAShow floor. The Opening Ceremony starts at 8:15, be there or be square! pic.twitter.com/o7NWa2fJDR

— PGA Golf Shows (@PGAShow) January 26, 2022

*featured image via Bridgestone Golf.