It seems to be a simple, yet effective formula for the Denver Golf Expo: Show dates in the first half of February, avoid conflicts with Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl, and hope the weather cooperates.

When it works out, like it largely did this year, the result is a solid turnout for the show.

This year’s three-day Expo, which concluded on Sunday at the Denver Mart, drew 9,136 people, the most for the show since 2014. The total was more than 1,000 up from last year’s 8,130 and marked nearly a 2,000 increase from 2015, which was a low-water mark for the DGE.

“It feels great,” said Mark Cramer, owner and operator of the Expo. “I’m very happy the number got over 9,000. When I opened the last cash box and (exceeded 9,000), I let out a huge primal scream.

“Now, next year we’ll shoot for over 10,000.”

Added Dustin Jensen, managing director of operations for the CGA: “It’s exciting to see so many people out there and engaged for golf. To hear how well facilities were doing was exciting. It’s nice to see the success not only we had, but everyone had.”

From 2009 through 2014, the Denver Golf Expo drew between 9,000 and 11,000 attendees each winter, so the 2017 show was back in that range after a couple of down years.

The most people the show has ever attracted was 11,202 in 2008, prior to the recession.

“A lot of exhibitors have figured out how to monetize (this show), which is awesome,” Cramer said. “This year they were walking on the ceiling with the turnout they were getting.”

Perhaps not coincidentally, this year’s 24th annual Expo was the first with dates in the first half of the month since 2014.

“I love the dates,” said Cramer, whose 2018 show also is set for the weekend after the Super Bowl, Feb. 9-11. “Football is over and it’s usually about two weeks after the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando where they introduce (new equipment and the like) and we can get it in people’s hands here.”

This year, Cramer even made it a point to set a different tone for the show by starting out each day by having a Scottish bagpiper, accompanied by a drummer, play as he walked from the back of the show to the entrance, then serenaded attendees for about five minutes as they came into the Denver Mart.

“People could hear the pipes coming,” Cramer said. “It created such an energy. Obviously, there’s something about pipers and game of golf. To those who play (golf), listening to bagpipes played well does somthing. The energy on the floor was just fabulous this year.”

Also giving the Expo a shot in the arm was a significant event within the event that returned to the show after an absence of six years. That was the case with the two-day Colorado Rules of Golf Workshop, which was conducted in conjunction with the Expo for the first time since 2010. In addition, there was a USGA Tournament Management Software Seminar — which helped clubs and PGA professionals transition to the USGA’s new software — and a Handicap Certification Workshop.

Those three events together attracted about 350 people over the weekend.

“We used to do everything under the roof of the Expo, including what used to be our annual meeting and our Season Tee Off (luncheon) and our Rules seminar,” noted Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “Then we felt it was just too much. But I think it was a good decision to bring (the Rules workshop) back. You just kind of keep evolving, but it’s funny: Sometimes the best ideas were already invented. Somebody said the only thing you don’t know is the history you haven’t read. We read our own history and that worked pretty well. It’s very satisfying to see those forum rooms filled with interested, bright-eyed people who are here for education. It’s great.”

The Rules of Golf Workshop, a project chaired by longtime rules official Brad Wiesley, was sold out far in advance. Besides eight rules instructors from the CGA, also leading the Rules seminar at various times were Mark Passey from the USGA and Karla Harding from the CWGA.

“What a great thing for us to get all those people there,” Jensen said. “It was a great team effort” by all the allied golf associations in Colorado.

As for other numbers from the Denver Golf Expo, Keith Soriano, an assistant executive director for the Colorado PGA, reported that Section professionals gave 306 free 10-minute lessons to Expo attendees (left), and that 216 kids went through the Drive, Chip & Putt-themed Junior Golf Central. Both of those numbers were down somewhat from 2016.

And Cramer said the number of Expo exhibitors — about 115 — was about a dozen less than last year. But with attendance up by 1,000, there was the potential for more bang for the buck this time around.

Colorado PGA professionals also conducted most of the educational seminars during the Expo, supplmented by a CGA Rules seminar.

Junior Golf Central falls under the auspices of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a joint effort of the Colorado PGA and CGA, with help from the CWGA. The Alliance is entering its second year in 2017.

Both the CGA and CWGA also used the Expo as an opportunity to roll out efforts to engage members and prospective members. Both associations have launched new-look websites this winter.

The CGA introduced its new online “Member Zone”, which gives members access to discounts and special offers related to golf, travel, and business products and services.

And the CWGA is attempting to bring more women into the game with an expanded lineup of CWGA Experience events, where female golfers receive high-quality group instruction from LPGA and/or PGA professionals in a friendly and welcoming environment. Six or seven Experiences will be held statewide in 2017 (CLICK HERE for the current lineup), including a play day at the par-3 Harvard Gulch Golf Course in Denver on July 16. Most Experiences feature separate sessions on full swing, chipping, putting, and basic of the Rules of Golf, along with lunch.
 

When: Friday through Sunday (Feb. 10-12).

 Open Friday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

 Saturday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

 Sunday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Denver Mart (58th Ave., just east of I-25).

Tickets:

Adults, $13; Seniors, $11; Military/Vets with I.D., $11; Kids 16 and Under, $3.

Available at King Soopers and by CLICKING HERE, or the Denver Mart during Expo days.

Scheduled Educational Seminars:

— Using your Wedge the Way It Was Designed (Nathan Morris, GolfTEC), Friday 10:15-10:45 a.m.

— Taking Your Game the Extra Degree (Ty Walker, GolfTEC), Friday 11-11:30 a.m.

— Rules of Golf Explained (CGA), Friday noon-12:30 p.m.

— Swing TRU Motion Study: The Most Comprehensive Fact-Based Swing Study Ever Conducted (Nick Clearwater, GolfTEC), Friday 1-1:30 p.m.

— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Friday 2-2:30 p.m.

— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Saturday 10:15-10:45 a.m.

— Rules of Golf Explained (CGA), Saturday noon-12:30 p.m.

— Plan, Think and Work Your Way to Better Golf (Doug Wherry, Jake’s Academy), Saturday, 1-1:30 p.m.

— Live Lesson with Audience Member (Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy), Saturday, 2-2:30 p.m.

— Why Your Ball Curves and What You Need to Do to Fix It (Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy), Sunday 10:15-10:45 a.m.

— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Sunday 11-11:30 a.m.

— Swing Like a Girl — How to Get More Distance Off the Tee (Alex Phillips), Sunday, noon-12:30 p.m.

— How Does Your Body Really Work for Golf (Doug Wherry, Jake’s Academy), Sunday 1-1:30 p.m.

Major Colorado Golf Organization Booths: CGA #1215; CWGA #1218; Colorado Golf Hall of Fame #1306-1308; the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado #1330.

Junior Golf Central, including the Drive Chip & Putt activities, will be located immediately to the right upon descending the stairs from the main entrance to the Expo. The area where Colorado PGA professionals will give free 10-minute lessons to all interested Expo attendees is adjacent to Junior Golf Central.

Show Preview: CLICK HERE.

For a full list of exhibitors, CLICK HERE. 

Expo floorplan: CLICK HERE. 

For more information: CLICK HERE. 
 

But some years have more change than others. And 2017 figures to be one of those “more change than usual” years for the Denver Golf Expo, which will be held for the 24th time.

Let’s hit upon some of the significant alterations for this winter’s show, which will be held Feb. 10-12 at the Denver Mart (58th and I-25):

— After two years of the Expo being held in the second half of February, the show will be moved up 10 days or so, to its more traditional dates. And with no conflict with the Super Bowl or Valentine’s Day, Expo owner and operator Mark Cramer hopes a boost in attendance is in the works — assuming the weather cooperates.

“We’re expecting a huge year on attendance — fingers crossed,” he said last week. “We had two brutal years (due to a snowstorm in 2015 and unseasonably warm temperatures last year). And we’re back to the week after the Super Bowl. Traditionally, that’s been good dates for us — and good Expo weather. Hopefully, there’s pent-up demand.”

The last two years, the three-day show has attracted 7,195 (2015) and 8,130 people (2016). That’s not up to the Expo’s traditional norm. The show has hit five figures, attendance-wise, on several occasions, with the all-time high being 11,202 in 2008.

— As far as activities at the Denver Golf Expo, some of the biggest changes fall under the purview of the CGA. A two-day Rules of Golf Workshop was a fixture at the Expo for years, but was discontinued after 2010. However, it’s back this year, on Feb. 11-12, and as of last week the event was virtually a sellout via pre-registration. Among those scheduled to speak at the Rules Workshop are Mark Passey from the USGA, CWGA and USGA rules official Karla Harding, and various CGA officials.

“The (workshop) has been a complete home run. It’s big for us to bring that back,” said Dustin Jensen, managing director of operations for the CGA.

Also during the Expo, the CGA is helping member clubs transition to the USGA’s new Tournament Management software.

Meanwhile, gone this year from the Expo is the CGA Used Club Sale, which had proven to be quite a labor-intensive endeavor. Instead, the CGA will focus on the Rules Workshop and engagement with members and potential members at the Expo. Filling the Used Club Sale’s usual spot at the Denver Mart will be a minature golf area, adjacent to Junior Golf Central. The CGA and the Colorado PGA, founding partners of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, will team up for junior golf-related efforts at the Expo, most notably Junior Golf Central, which will have a “Drive Chip & Putt” theme again this year.

— The Colorado PGA’s free 10-minute lesson area, which had long been a fixture near the back of the Expo area, will move much close to the entrance this year for the first time, between the seminar stage and Junior Golf Central. Taking the space the PGA instruction area/Junior Golf Central formerly occupied will be the First Tee of Denver’s pitching contest.

The list of seminars that will be conducted by Colorado PGA members, CGA officials and others are listed below.

— Among the new exhibitors at the Expo this year will be the 2018 U.S. Senior Open, set for The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs. The Senior Open will mark the first USGA championship held in Colorado since the 2012 U.S. Amateur.

Meanwhile, here’s what’s planned at the CGA and CWGA booths, both located near the front entrance of the Expo:

CGA: With the CGA launching a new-look website with additional features during Expo week, the association will be informing Expo visitors about its new online “Member Zone”, which will go live with the new website. The Member Zone will give members access to discounts and special offers related to golf, travel, and business products and services. Among the businesses participating in the Member Zone will be Office Depot, Avis and Budget, Wyndham Hotels and Imperial, which will offer CGA headwear.

CGA members who stop by the association’s Expo booth will receive a goodie bag. Those who join the CGA for the first time during the Expo can spin a prize wheel for larger gifts, including complimentary golf at the associaton-owned CommonGround Golf Course.

CWGA: The CWGA, which launched a new website of its own at the very end of 2016, will roll out an expanded lineup of CWGA Experience events at the Expo. Experience events, which debuted in 2010, provide female golfers with high-quality group instruction from LPGA and/or PGA professionals in a friendly and welcoming environment. Featured are separate sessions on full swing, chipping, putting, and basic of the Rules of Golf, along with lunch.

This year, for the first time, five CWGA Experience events are planned: May 13 at Overland Golf Course in Denver, May 20 at Pelican Lakes in Windsor, June 3 at Tiara Rado in Grand Junction, July 8 at City Park in Denver, and Aug. 6 at Fossil Trace in Golden.

“The feedback from all the Experiences has been wonderful,” said CWGA executive director Laura Robinson. “We’re trying to broaden our reach to new golfers, and the Experience is a great way to do that.”

At the Expo, the CWGA will be holding a raffle in which the winner and a friend can attend a CWGA Experience event for free.

The CWGA is also kicking off fundraising — through the sale of its centennial water bottles — for the 2018 Girls Junior America’s Cup, which the association will host at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen.

Generally speaking at the Expo, “We’re looking to have a large presence to encourage more women to play golf,” Robinson said.

Cramer loves that the major golf associations in the state buy into the Denver Golf Expo so wholeheartedly.

“We’re so blessed to have the people that we have here, with the (PGA) Section, the CGA, the Junior Golf Alliance and the CWGA,” Cramer said.

This year’s Expo will feature a grand prize — valued at $9,000 — of a trip for four to Bandon Dunes in Oregon. Attendees that register will be automatically entered in the grand prize drawing.

Denver Golf Expo
Highlights, Essentials for 2017 Show

What: 24th annual Denver Golf Expo.

When: Feb. 10-12.
 Open Friday, Feb. 10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
 Saturday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
 Sunday, Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Denver Mart (58th Ave., just east of I-25).

Tickets:
Adults, $13; Seniors, $11; Military/Vets with I.D., $11; Kids 16 and Under, $3.
Available at King Soopers and by CLICKING HERE, or the Denver Mart during Expo days.

Scheduled Educational Seminars:
— Using your Wedge the Way It Was Designed (Nathan Morris, GolfTEC), Friday 10:15-10:45 a.m.
— Taking Your Game the Extra Degree (Ty Walker, GolfTEC), Friday 11-11:30 a.m.
— Rules of Golf Explained (CGA), Friday noon-12:30 p.m.
— Swing TRU Motion Study: The Most Comprehensive Fact-Based Swing Study Ever Conducted (Nick Clearwater, GolfTEC), Friday 1-1:30 p.m.
— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Friday 2-2:30 p.m.
— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Saturday 10:15-10:45 a.m.
— Rules of Golf Explained (CGA), Saturday noon-12:30 p.m.
— Plan, Think and Work Your Way to Better Golf (Doug Wherry, Jake’s Academy), Saturday, 1-1:30 p.m.
— Live Lesson with Audience Member (Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy), Saturday, 2-2:30 p.m.
— Why Your Ball Curves and What You Need to Do to Fix It (Trent Wearner, Trent Wearner Golf Academy), Sunday 10:15-10:45 a.m.
— Ground Force, For More Speed (Jason Witczak, Green Valley Ranch GC), Sunday 11-11:30 a.m.
— Swing Like a Girl — How to Get More Distance Off the Tee (Alex Phillips), Sunday, noon-12:30 p.m.
— How Does Your Body Really Work for Golf (Doug Wherry, Jake’s Academy), Sunday 1-1:30 p.m.

Major Colorado Golf Organization Booths: CGA #1215; CWGA #1218; Colorado Golf Hall of Fame #1306-1308; the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado #1330.

Junior Golf Central, including the Drive Chip & Putt activities, will be located immediately to the right upon descending the stairs from the main entrance to the Expo. The area where Colorado PGA professionals will give free 10-minute lessons to all interested Expo attendees is adjacent to Junior Golf Central.

For a full list of exhibitors, CLICK HERE. 

Expo floorplan: CLICK HERE. 

For more information: CLICK HERE.  

Whether — or should we say weather? — it’s unseasonably snowy, cold or warm can have a big effect on the bottom line for the Denver Golf Expo.

Last year, when a major snowstorm hit the metro area the weekend of the Expo, the show drew its fewest attendees since 2002. This year, a dramatically different weather issue tooks its toll, according to organizers.

The three-day Expo, which concluded on Sunday at the Denver Mart, attracted 8,130 people, said Mark Cramer, who, along with Lynn Cramer, has run the show for the last 16 years. That total is up 13 percent from last year — and marked the first time since 2011 that attendance has increased compared to the previous year — but as noted, 2015 was a low point. From 2011 through ’14, the average for the show was 10,132.

Mark Cramer believes the issue was in stark contrast to last year: weather so warm that many golfers hit the course and played rather than possibly coming to the Expo. Temperatures approached the mid-60s on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday’s high was more typical — in the high 40s.

“I have mixed feelings,” Cramer said. “I came in with expectations high. After the blizzard last year, I thought there would be a real strong bounceback. But again, weather kind of bit me. The weather was too good. Talking to golf course operators, their tee sheets were full. If you multiply that out, that’s a lot of golfers. The courses have been under snow for two or three months. If I wasn’t doing the show, I would have finagled a tee time.

“I think we would have been between 9,000 and 9,500 if the weather had not been so nice. I’m looking forward to getting back to my (more) regular dates next year, Feb. 10-12. Those have been good dates for us.”

Other numbers from this year’s Expo were a mixed bag compared to recent norms.

The CGA’s Used Club Sale, which raises money for junior golf development programs through the Colorado Golf Foundation, sold $6,150 worth of clubs and equipment at the Expo. While that number was down considerably from recent years, it brings the total raised from the event since it started in 2002 to $146,500. The total over the last five years has surpassed $66,000.

“We didn’t have the high-end donations” that we had in recent years, said Dustin Jensen, the CGA’s managing director of operations, who helped oversee the Used Club Sale. “But it was a good show. We moved a lot of lower-dollar things. We appreciate the donations and the opportunity to showcase all that we do.”

Elsewhere, about 290 kids went though Junior Golf Central, with its Drive Chip & Putt theme — up a little from 2015. And Colorado PGA professionals gave 375 free 10-minute lessons to Expo attendees (left), down somewhat from 2015.

Cramer plans to move both Junior Golf Central and the free lesson area from the back to the front of the Expo next year.

Meanwhile, Cramer said he sold out exhibitor booths this year, with the CGA, CWGA, Colorado PGA and the new Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado among those on hand.

“I’m disappointed when I don’t meet (some of my expectations),” Cramer said. “But it’s also about getting customers in front of exhibitors. I always see myself in partnership with exhibitors. I didn’t get my numbers, but talking to exhibitors, they were very happy. The people that were there came to buy. There were less ‘tire-kickers.’

“It was a good show. I was proud of it. Just about all the (exhibitors) I talked to were really happy.”
 

Mark and Lynn Cramer have run the Denver Golf Expo for the last 15 years, and never before last weekend had the weather — and what came with it — wreaked such havoc with the show’s attendance.

After being about 350 attendees ahead of last year’s day 1 pace after a very nice February weather day on Friday, the bottom fell out on Saturday and Sunday. With a snowstorm hitting the metro area hard starting on Saturday afternoon, and several local broadcasters advising people not to go out unless they had to, it had an unmistakable effect at the Expo.

Attendance for the three-day show that ended on Sunday at the Denver Mart came in at 7,195, the lowest number for the Expo since 2002. The total was down 24 percent from last year’s 9,486, and it’s more than a third less than the Expo’s record of 11,202, set in 2008.

“I don’t know if it’s so much the weather, or the media hyperbole about the weather,” Mark Cramer said on Monday. “It was a good storm, but it wasn’t the storm of the century and the sky wasn’t falling. They were overly hyper about it. There were news teams yesterday telling people to stay home. It was very disappointing. They don’t realize how badly they hurt small businesses.

“It’s unfortunate that the media does what the media does to make themselves relevant. It’s at no cost to them at all. They’re creating a bigger story.”

The amount of snow from the storm varied widely over the metro area, with some areas receiving 6 inches and others 20.

With about 2,300 fewer people attending the show than last year, it’s no surprise that other numbers associated with the Expo took a hit also:

— The Used Club Sale (pictured at top), which raises money for junior golf development programs through the Colorado Golf Foundation, netted $11,845 over the weekend. While that was solid compared to the 13-year average for the Used Club Sale, it was down about 18 percent from last year.

“The attendance was down and the weather played a major role,” said CGA director of junior competitions Eric Wilkinson, who was overseeing the Used Club Sale. “Both Saturday and Sunday things cleared out earlier than normal.”

Taking the weather into account, the CGA was happy the Used Club Sale raised what it did. The sale has netted almost $60,000 for junior golf over the last four years combined.

“Anytime we can raise that amount for the program, it’s great,” said Wilkinson, who is leaving the CGA this week to become championship assistant for the 2016 Ryder Cup. “The golf community has been generous, as always. This year we had more quantity and not as much quality, but it was still a success for us. It’s still a large number to raise for the Foundation and junior golf. We’d like to thank all the donors.”

— Meanwhile, Colorado PGA professionals provided 483 free 10-minute lessons to Expo attendees. That total was down about 9 percent from 2014.

— Over the three days, 235 kids went through the Junior Golf Central area (left), participating in the Drive Chip & Putt Experience. That was off about 22 percent compared to the number of juniors who took part in the Expo’s Junior Golf Experience in 2014.

The bottom line for the Expo is that no matter how well show organizers and the golf industry — including the CGA, CWGA and Colorado PGA — prepare and plan for the event, the overall success is still somewhat dependent on things that are out of the control of them all.

Things like the weather and related issues.

“I was talking to Lynn this morning and she said we did everything right; we did a very good job,” Mark Cramer said. “We were very well organized and had a lot of participation from the golf industry. But a major winter storm and the media scaring the (heck) out of people doesn’t help. But this is the first time a major storm has hit us like this (during the Expo). We had always been pretty fortunate.”

The Denver Golf Expo has undergone plenty of tweaking over its 21-year run. There’s always something that gets changed from year to year in attempts to make the show better or to attract more attendees.

This winter’s 22nd annual Expo will be no different in that respect. And for the first time in recent years, one of those alterations will involve a small but notable change of dates.

In recent years, the Expo has been a fixture at the Denver Mart (58th Ave. and I-25) during the first two weeks of February — usually the second weekend of the month. In the past half-dozen years, it’s always been held sometime between Feb. 6-14. But this year, the 10,000 or so regular attendees of the show will mark a different set of dates on their calendar.

With show organizers especially aware of not wanting to compete against the Super Bowl (Feb. 1 this year) or Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the Expo will have some of its latest dates ever, Feb. 20-22 — two weeks later than last year.

“We never want to be up against the Super Bowl, and Valentine’s Day is historically not good for us,” said Mark Cramer, who owns and operates the Denver Golf Expo along with his wife, Lynn. “Couples are doing couples’ things that day — understandably so — and attendance drops off.”

Attendance for the Expo has fallen each of the last three years, so perhaps a date change might help in that regard. As always, much will depend on the weather that weekend. But Cramer is taking some proactive steps to attract more visitors to the show.

Most notably, in order reach more people who might attend, Cramer hired a Boulder-based internet marketing firm to rebuild the Expo web site (denvergolfexpo.com) and help with search-engine optimization. That search-engine work is designed to give the show an even higher profile among golf fans, particularly in the weeks and days leading up to the Expo.

“Everything is going mobile and internet regarding marketing and advertising; newspaper, TV and radio and not pulling like they used to,” Cramer said. “All the years I’ve done this (since July of 2000), every year I hear ‘I forgot about it or didn’t see any advertising’. It drives me nuts because we always spend a lot of money on advertising in order to get as many people in as we can. So I hope what we’re doing will pop up in attendance.”

And, as in recent years, the Expo will run ads locally during telecasts of tour events as the show approaches.

During the Expo itself, Cramer is planning more interactive activities, as attendees have requested through surveys.

As has regularly been the case since the Cramers began running the Denver Golf Expo, the CGA, CWGA, CJGA and Colorado PGA will have a major presence at the show, hoping to grow the game by reaching out to attendees.

Among their efforts will be the Used Club Sale (pictured above), which benefits junior developmental programs; the newly renamed “Junior Golf Central” for kids; the Colorado PGA’s free 10-minute golf lessons; and educational seminars that will take place throughout the Expo, including the USGA Handicap Seminar that CGA and CWGA staffers will conduct.

In addition, as part of the CGA’s centennial year celebration in 2015, the association will publicly launch its new logo and branding at the Expo. Both the CGA and CWGA, with adjacent booths at the Denver Mart, will be promoting their core programming and the many and varied services that they provide. CWGA members who show their GHIN membership card — or the smart-phone equivalent — will receive a memento.

The CGA and CJGA continue to accept donations for the Used Club Sale both at their office (5990 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Suite #102, in Greenwood Village) and at the PGA Tour Superstore (9451 E. Arapahoe Road, just east of I-25) during normal business hours. For those who can’t travel to donate clubs, the CGA/CJGA can pick up donations in the metro area. To arrange for that, call 303-366-4653. Reminder: The associations no longer accept clubs on consignment for the Used Club Sale — just straight donations.

Junior Golf Central, which evolved out of the Junior Golf Experience (left), will have a “Drive, Chip and Putt” theme this year, playing off the championship of the same name that was launched in 2013 by the Masters Tournament Foundation, the USGA and the PGA of America. The DC&P Championship is a free nationwide junior skills competition — designed to promote interest and participation in golf — that culminates each year on the Sunday before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

Drive, Chip and Putt holds local and regional qualifiers throughout the U.S. for boys and girls age 7-15. This year, local qualifiers will be conducted in June and July in Colorado (CLICK HERE for sites), with winners advancing to the sub-regional Aug. 30 at CommonGround Golf Course. From there, the top players go to Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., for the regionals on Sept. 19.

At the Denver Golf Expo, each of the three skills (drive, chip and putt) will be part of Junior Golf Central. The Colorado PGA, which hosts the local and sub-regional DC&P qualifiers in the state, will have a running leaderboard throughout the weekend. And the long drives for kids will be announced over the public-address system.

All in all, Cramer hopes the efforts of event organizers and participants make for a better show than ever.

“We always try to hit all the right bases,” he said.

For a list of exhibitors who plan to participate in the Denver Golf Expo, CLICK HERE.