It’s something Mark and Lynn Cramer, longtime owners and operators of the Denver Golf Expo, wrestle with every year:

How to draw big crowds for their three-day consumer golf show, which takes place in mid-winter but helps whet the appetite for the golf season in Colorado.

From 2008 through 2012, the Expo attracted more than 10,000 people four times in five years, including an all-time best 11,202 in 2008.

But since 2013, the Expo has never again reached the five-figure mark. Last year, the total attendance was 8,781.

To be sure, the weather has a huge influence on attendance. If it’s too warm, many golfers go out to play rather than come to the show. But a lot of snow or extreme cold can also keep numbers down.

“The weather has not been cooperating with us,” Mark Cramer said this week.”It’s kind of like the game of golf — it’s weather-dependent. Four of the last five years, we have not had good Golf Expo weather. It’s either been too nice or it’s been too nasty for the Golf Expo.”

Obviously, there’s nothing Expo organizers can do to control the weather in Colorado in February. So it’s up to the Cramers to find things that are in their control that may move the needle upward.

With that in mind, the Cramers are doing a little tweaking with this year’s Denver Golf Expo, which runs Feb. 8-10 at the Denver Mart (I-25 and 58th Ave.).

In particular, they’re focused on trying to attract more young and middle-aged adults to the show.

“We did a lot of research and talking to people after last year’s show,” Cramer said. “There’s a lot of these street fairs popping up, and they’re really popular. There’s music, beer and food and there are food trucks. They’re neighborhood happenings. The Millennials like that sort of thing. We want to incorporate some of that into the show — and we’re starting this year. Music and stuff like that.”

While it may be a multi-year, evolving plan, this year there will a new area at the Expo, called “The Turn”, that will replace the beer garden in the center of the Pavilion, and two additional food options on the Pavilion floor besides the one returning in the Plaza area. Also, for the first time, the closest to the pin contest on a simulated par-3 will feature two TrackMan launch monitors.

“This is in an effort to get more of the Gen X and the Millennials,” Cramer said. “I think we’ve got enough different events going on down there. We’ve got to give Millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Zs a reason to come. What they’ve got to see is other Millennials and Zs (there). They’ve got to be drawn into the game and made to feel welcome. That’s kind of the direction we’re going to try to take it.”

Still, Cramer isn’t sure 10,000 attendance for the three-day show is a readily-attainable goal. Baby Boomers, largely responsible for driving the growth in the game that took place in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, are getting up in years a bit, which could be taking a toll.

“Is 10,000 still realistic? I don’t know,” Cramer said. “That used to be the gold standard — to get 10,000. Last year we had a pretty good advertising plan, and we ended up with 8,781. If we lost 600 (due to bitterly cold Saturday weather), we would have been in the neighborhood of 9,300 or 9,400. So maybe 9,500 is the new normal. We got used to the over-10,000 number. But things have changed in the industry.”

However, other numbers in the Denver Golf Expo have been on a positive trend. For instance, exhibitors at the show went from 112 in 2017 to 131 last year, and are expected to hit a similar number in 2019. As usual, there will be plenty of those exhibitors offering deals on green fees, equipment, golf travel etc. Also up are the number of sponsors at the show.

In something that won’t change from years past, many of Colorado’s top golf organizations will be on hand to promote the game and offer services. ColoradoGolf.org will have more on that front early next week. Among those at the Expo will be the CGA, Colorado PGA, Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado and the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

As usual, Colorado PGA and LPGA professionals will be providing free 10-minute lessons to attendees, The First Tee of Denver will handle a pitching area, and the JGAC will be overseeing a large Junior Golf Experience area (left) which will include Birdie Ball full swing and chipping — complete with large inflatable targets — and miniature golf.

Another mainstay that’s back is the large club demo area run by Lenny’s Golf.

Other Expo highlights:

— Free seminars will be held each day of the Expo, with former Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley taking a “celebrity lesson” from a Colorado PGA pro on Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. That will be after Stokley wraps up his live broadcast from the Expo from noon-3 that day on The Fan radio (104.3 FM). Jerry Walters’ “In the Fairway” program, also on The Fan, will broacast from the Expo on Feb. 9.

Among the other seminars will be the CGA’s Robert Duke conducting sessions on the modernized Rules of Golf on Feb. 8 (11 a.m.), Feb. 9 (2 p.m.) and Feb. 10 (noon).

For a lineup of all the seminars — which also include a variety of instruction and fitness tips — CLICK HERE.

— The grand prize for the winner of the closest to the pin contest on Sunday will be a trip to Maui, Hawaii, with golf at Royal Kaanapali and lodging at the Hyatt Regency. And the winner of the long-putt challenge putt-off receives a stay-and-play package at the Tubac Resort & Spa south of Tucson, Ariz.

— Forty tickets to the July Web.com Tour event at TPC Colorado will be given out over the P.A. system throughout the show, with another 40 awarded to qualifiers who return for Sunday’s long-putt challenge putt-off. The TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes also will have a physical presence at the show in booth 531.

“We’re getting a lot of feedback that the Denver show is one of the best consumer golf shows out there,” Cramer said. “We’re holding attendance (relatively steady, albeit under 10,000). There’s a lot of shows across the country that are not holding their attendance. That’s a credit to the Colorado Golf Association (and) the Colorado PGA Section that comes in so magnificently every year and supports us so we can do things like the Junior Golf Central, golf instruction, golf seminars, the First Tee of Denver doing the pitching lessons, Lenny’s getting all the manufacturers down for the club demo. A lot of people have embraced the show and gotten behind it.”

By the way, the Cramers, who have owned and operated the Denver Golf Expo since 2000, will be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on June 2 at Denver Country Club.

“I can’t believe that happened,” Mark Cramer said. “Lynn and I are floored. But it’s the industry (in Colorado) that deserves it.”

Tickets for the Expo are available at DenverGolfExpo.com, at the Denver Mart during the show, and at participating Kings Soopers stores.

For more information about the Denver Golf Expo, CLICK HERE.
 

Each year has its own distinctive makeup. That’s true regarding life in general, or in Colorado golf.

And so it was in 2018, which is quickly coming to a close.

Since 2009, we’ve made it an annual habit to go back through the golf stories of the year, pick out the most prominent ones and rank them for a retrospective on the CGA website.

For most of the last several years, we’ve broken the list into two installments to keep things a little more manageable. We go in reverse order, for the sake of suspense, and add an honorable-mention list that will be included with Part II, which will be published in the coming days.

Today, we’ll cover Nos. 25 through 13.

So, without first ado, here’s our 10th edition of Colorado golf-related stories of the year:

25. Second Colorado Topgolf Site Gearing Up: Since August 2015, there’s been one Topgolf location in Colorado — the one in Centennial. But three months ago, ground was broken at a second site — at I-25 and 60th Ave., in Thornton. The 65,000-square-foot, three-level facility is scheduled to open to the public in late 2019. It will have 102 climate-controlled hitting bays — where players hit microchipped golf balls at targets with varying point values — in addition to a restaurant and three bars. There will be 250 HD televisions, a rooftop terrace with fire pits and 3,000 square feet of space devoted to private events. The Centennial Topgolf employs about 500 people, the same number that is expected in Thornton.

24. Annika Returns to Colorado for First Tee Event: Over the last three years, the folks who run the CoBank Colorado Open Championships and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch have brought in tour players to conduct exhibitions and chat with kids from The First Tee programs in the state. During the first two years, doing the honores were Hale Irwin, Ryan Palmer, Paula Creamer, David Duval, Lexi Thompson and Mark O’Meara. This year, there was no letdown in talent as Matt Kuchar came for a late June exhibition at GVR, and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam (above) for a CoBank PEAK Performers event in August at The Broadmoor, where Sorenstam won her first LPGA title — the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. The PEAK Performers event was particularly unique as nine kids from First Tee programs around the country had the opportunity to play golf with Sorenstam for six holes each as part of a four-day, all-expenses-paid outing. READ MORE

23. Sibling Sweep for Bryants: A year after Davis Bryant and younger sister Emma completed the “Bryant Slam” by jointly winning all four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado majors in 2017, they posted a “Sibling Sweep” when they prevailed at both the boys and girls 5A state high school tournaments in the same school year. Almost eight months after Davis Bryant claimed the 5A boys crown as a senior at Eaglecrest, Emma held up her end by capturing the 5A girls title as an Eaglecrest freshman in May at Boulder Country Club. It’s the first time two players with the same surname have won the boys and girls state individual prep championships in one school year. READ MORE

22. High Honor for Irwin: Hale Irwin (left) had to contend with Jack Nicklaus on the golf course plenty of times over the course of their careers. But in June, it was Nicklaus and the Captains Club that honored Irwin — a three-time U.S. Open champion and World Golf Hall of Famer who grew up in Boulder — as the 2018 Memorial Tournament honoree. And it’s no small tribute. Others who have received similar status since 2010 include Seve Ballesteros, Nancy Lopez, Tom Watson, Ray Floyd, Annika Sorenstam, Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller and Greg Norman. “I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past, so I am absolutely delighted.” Irwin said.

21. Schalk Still Undefeated in High School Ranks: When then-Holy Family sophomore Hailey Schalk won the girls 3A state high school tournament in May, it gave her two titles in two seasons of high school golf. But even more impressively, Schalk remained unbeaten in her two years of high school tournaments and kept alive her chances for an unprecented four Colorado girls state high school golf titles. Schalk became the eighth player to win at least two Colorado girls state high school championships, joining Lynn Ann Moretto (3), Ashley Tait (3), Jennifer Kupcho (2), Becca Huffer (2), Kelly Jacques (2), Jennifer McCormick (2) and Emily Wood (2). Schalk, now a junior, later verbally committed to play her college golf at the University of Colorado beginning in 2020.

20. 25 and Counting for Eaton: Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton wasted no time in 2018 tying Carol Flenniken’s record for career CGA/CWGA women’s titles. In May, she teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Janet Moore in winning the Brassie Championship, giving her 25 such victories in her career. Though Eaton came up short — in a playoff — of notching No. 26 at the CGA Women’s Senior Stroke Play at her own home course at Greeley Country Club, she’ll have additional opportunities at the outright record in 2019. READ MORE

19. Spiranac Continues to Make a Splash: It’s hard to fathom how big a social media sensation 2015 CGA Women’s Match Play champion Paige Spiranac has become. At last check, the former Colorado resident had 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 215,000 on Twitter. Before largely giving up competitive golf, Spiranac not only won the 100th CWGA Match Play, but finished ninth in the 2016 CoBank Colorado Women’s Open and won the 2010 CWGA Junior Stroke Play as well as the 2006 CJGA Tournament of Champions — all in Colorado. Spiranac, who appeared in the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, is now a periodic columnist for Golf.com. READ MORE

18. 25 Years and Counting for Denver Golf Expo: What started out relatively modestly at the Colorado Convention Center in the early 1990s has turned into quite an annual affair. In 2018, the Denver Golf Expo, now run by Mark and Lynn Cramer, celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Cramers, who bought the show from Colorado PGA professional Stan Fenn in 2000, will be honored in June by the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award. READ MORE

17. Memorable Year for Andonian-Smith: It was a year of “firsts” for Colorado PGA professional Sherry Andonian-Smith. She, along with fellow Coloradans Janet Moore and Marilyn Hardy, qualified for the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open. The Centennial resident became the first woman to qualify for the national Senior PGA Professional Championship and ended up finishing 29th out of a field of 264 there. She was named the Colorado PGA’s inaugural Women’s Player of the Year after tying for second place in the Colorado PGA Professional Championship and winning the Section’s West Chapter Championship for the second time in three years. And Andonian-Smith and Alexandra Braga became the first women from the Colorado PGA to qualify for the national PGA Professional Championship.

16. And Love-ing It: After getting advice from World Golf Hall of Famer Davis Love III, son Dru (left) made an eagle in a playoff to win the CoBank Colorado Open. The younger Love carded an eagle and nine birdies in his final 19 holes of the tournament. It was the biggest win of Dru Love’s career, and he made $100,000 in the process. Davis Love III won the PGA Tour’s International twice in Colorado, while Davis Love II claimed the title in the CGA Junior Match Play in both 1953 and ’54. READ MORE

15. Kevin Stadler, Kaye Make Long-Awaited Returns to ‘The Show’: The year 2018 marked the return to PGA Tour action for two Colorado-based veterans who hadn’t competed in golf’s top circuit for quite a while. Part-time Boulder resident Jonathan Kaye, a two-time PGA Tour winner, had last played in a PGA Tour event in 2011, but in March he landed a spot in the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, where he missed the cut. And part-time Denver resident Kevin Stadler, who hadn’t competed on the PGA Tour since 2015 due to a broken hand, returned for the Sanderson Farms Championship in October, but likewise missed the cut. Stadler is expected to be a regular in PGA Tour events in 2019 as he plays on a major medical extension.

14. ‘Youth on Course’ Debuts in Colorado: A year ago, CGA executive director Ed Mate predicted that the Youth on Course program could become a “game-changer for player development” in Colorado. The initiative, which makes golf more accessible to juniors by capping their cost for a round at $5 at participating facilities, came to Colorado in 2018. Fifteen Colorado courses participated this year, and many more are expected to be on board in 2019. READ MORE

13. Web Tournament Formalized for TPC Colorado: Colorado last hosted an open-age PGA Tour-affiliated event in 2014, when the BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff tournament was held at Cherry Hills Country Club. But in a September announcement, the Web.com Tour confirmed what had long been known — that a Web.com Tour event would be conducted at the new TPC Colorado course (left) in Berthoud for at least five years, starting in 2019. The event, known as the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, will debut the week of July 8-14, with 156 players competing for a $600,000 purse. The Web circuit — then known as the Nike Tour — previously had a tournament in Colorado in 1996 and ’97, when Riverdale’s Dunes Course in Brighton hosted the Nike Colorado Classic. READ MORE

Also on the subject of new courses in Colorado, Fred Funk said in late June that the Raindance National Golf Club course in Windsor that he’s co-designing may open as soon as the fall of 2020.

Saturday has historically been the busiest day at the Denver Golf Expo. Attendance that day often goes a long way toward determining how successful the three-day winter golf gathering will be.

This past Saturday, snow and bitter cold moved through the Denver metro area, which didn’t do the Expo any favors.

The result was an average attendance total by recent standards, rather than a number surpassing 10,000, like organizers had wanted.

The three-day show that ran Friday through Sunday drew 8,781 people to the Denver Mart. That’s down 3.9 percent from last year, but slightly surpasses the show’s five-year average from 2013-17 (8,744).

“I’m OK” with the total, said Mark Cramer, who along with his wife Lynn Cramer have owned and operated the Denver Golf Expo for the last 18 years. “I wanted more for exhibitors and for the industry. That’s all that about expectations. I set goals and expectations, and I want to meet those goals and expectations. But we had a hell of a storm and 15-degree weather. I know the weather hurt us. I can’t control that. The golf industry totally understands that. They’re a weather-dependent industry. They don’t have control of the weather at their golf courses. And I don’t have control of the weather during the Expo.”

A total of 3,142 people showed up on Saturday, a day when the number has reached 4,500 in the recent past.

The 8,781 total for the show was behind that of 2017 (9,136), but ahead of 2015 (7,195) and 2016 (8,130).

The record total for the show came in 2008, at 11,202. The Expo hit five figures four times from 2008-12, but hasn’t reached that milestone since.

While overall attendance dipped somewhat this year, other numbers were up. For instance, exhibitors jumped from 112 in 2017 to 131 this year. And the number of free 10-minute lessons Colorado PGA professionals provided went up from 306 last year to 344 over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the CGA’s two-day Rules of Golf Workshop, which returned to the Expo in 2017 after being away from the show for six years, sold out in advance for the second straight winter. This time, about 150 people attended. The CGA also conducted seminars at the Expo on USGA Tournament Management and GHIN certification.

“We were away from (the Expo for the Rules Workshop) for years,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA. “Using this landmark date to do education (seminars and workshops) just makes sense.”

Also at the show, there was an area overseen by the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado where kids could hit birdie balls and play games of putt-putt, and The First Tee of Denver ran a pitching area. The Colorado PGA organized a variety of seminars over the three days. And, with the Denver Golf Expo celebrating its 25th “birthday”, organizers periodically noted over the intercom things in golf that had taken place a quarter-century ago.

Walking through the show, Mark Cramer was struck by one thing this past weekend.

“One cool thing that I noticed was the diversity in ages, sex, race … I’ve never seen it this great. It was awesome,” he said.

As for the amount of business conducted at the show, “All the exhibitors I talked to did the same as last year or better,” Cramer said. “There were very few that were down. Almost all were telling me that it was up.”

Indeed, the attendance numbers didn’t lag for lack of advertising or marketing. There were local TV ads that aired during PGA Tour events, radio spots, an advertising supplement that ran in the Denver Post, and an ongoing presence on social media. Radio outlet 104.3 The Fan broadcast periodically at the show. “We knocked it out of park with promotion and advertising,” Cramer said.

Looking forward, there are some things the Cramers are looking to tweak.

One such item is the floor plan. Mark Cramer said he might return to the plan the show had several years ago and for roughly a decade before that.

“I want to have a different sense or feel when people come in,” Cramer noted. “I want them coming in and saying, ‘This is new.’ If you have all the exhibitors in the same booth spaces, some people just go to their favorites (and skip a lot of other areas). If we mix it up, people have to go through the whole thing and they have a different experience.”

Cramer said another priority is to beef up the show’s sponsorship.

“If we can get more money in, we can spend more with the production, advertising (and) make it easier for the exhibitors to exhibit,” he said. “Lynn and I have to get this part of the show working better.”

And, depending on how things play out in the interim, Cramer is considering the viability of bringing back the Used Club Sale, a longtime fixture at the show that has been absent the last two years.

“That’s one of my goals, but I’ve got to see if there’s a market,” he said.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Over the years, plenty of factors have affected attendance at the annual Denver Golf Expo, including weather issues and date conflicts with major sporting events or Valentine’s Day.

This year, there’s no overlap with the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 or Cupid’s big day, and though the Winter Olympics start this weekend, the time difference in Korea may keep that from being a major issue for the Expo. And, barring Saturday’s forecast snow and cold from becoming a problem, the weather looks decent from the organizers’ perspective — not so warm that many people will stay away to actually play golf, and not likely adverse enough to keep a lot of people off the roads.

If everything aligns, Expo owners and operators Mark and Lynn Cramer are hoping attendance exceeding 10,000 for the three days (Friday through Sunday) is possible. The show hasn’t reached that mark since 2012, though last year was reasonably close (9,136).

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we’ll be over 10,000 — and the numbers support that,” Mark Cramer said recently, also noting that the number of exhibitors is up to 131 this year compared to 112 in 2017. “People have more money and at the shows that have been held, the gates are up for this year.”

This winter, as the Expo celebrates its 25th “birthday”, the show will be held — as usual — Friday through Sunday at the Denver Mart (northeast of the intersection of I-25 and 58th Ave.). Tickets run $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (over 50) and military with ID, and $3 for kids 16 and under.

As always, the show will feature exhibitors with plenty of deals, a lot of golf-related merchandise for sale, free lessons with PGA professionals, seminars on a variety of topics, a Lenny’s Golf club demo area, workshops, contests, and the opportunity to interact with many of the top golf organizations in the state — the CGA, Colorado PGA, the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, The First Tee of Denver, etc.

Here are a few of the highlights:

— With the CGA and CWGA having united into one Allied Golf Association effective at the start of this year, its presence will be consolidated into one large area near the entrance to the Denver Mart. With a new tagline of “Celebrating the Future of Golf Together,” the integrated staff will be on hand to answer questions about the unification and other matters; to add or renew memberships; to inform people about programs, events and championships; and to explain benefits and discounts members receive. There also will be a few contest giveaways — for foursomes at CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course and grand-prize stay-and-play packages for Laughlin, Nev. People can be entered in the contests by becoming members or taking surveys which help the CGA better understand needs of members and prospective members.

— The Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado, a joint effort of the CGA and the Colorado PGA, will be a fixture at the Expo once again. There, kids can participate in golf-related activities, get pointers on their games, and obtain information on a myriad of golf events and opportunities in 2018 — for every level from beginners to top-level players.

— The CGA will be conducting a two-day Rules of Golf Workshop at the Expo on Saturday and Sunday. And like last year — when the workshop was conducted in conjunction with the Expo for the first time since 2010 — the event has sold out well ahead of time. 

— As has been a regular feature at the Expo, Colorado PGA pros will offer free 10-minute lessons throughout the three-day show.

— Seminars will be conducted from 11 a.m. through mid-afternoon each day. There will be swing, putting and mental tips from numerous PGA pros, and sessions on the importance of club fitting and the path to success for junior golfers. “Lessons from an LPGA Tour Champion” will be conducted at 3 p.m. on Saturday by Lauren Howe, a Coloradan who won an LPGA event in 1983. At 1 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Sunday, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kaye Kessler, a sports writer who chronicled Jack Nicklaus’ golf career from an early age, is scheduled to discuss the impact of Colorado and Coloradans on the national golf scene. And at 1 p.m. on Sunday, CGA director of rules and competitions Robert Duke will speak about lowering scores through understanding the Rules of Golf and preview prospective Rules changes that will take effect in 2019. For all the seminar topics, CLICK HERE.

— The radio folks from 104.3 The Fan will be broadcasting live from the Expo at various times this weekend.

— The grand prize up for grabs at this year’s show is a trip for four to Bandon Dunes in Oregon, including three nights lodging and a total of 12 rounds of golf at the Bandon Dunes resort.

The hours for the show this weekend are:

Friday, Feb. 9 — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10 — 9 a.m.-5 p.m.”¨
Sunday, Feb. 11 — 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more information about the Expo, CLICK HERE.

“I said, ‘Nothing like this is going on in Colorado,'” he remembers — and wondering why not.

With that, Fenn decided to do something about this perceived void. That something was to help found the Denver Golf Expo.

That just happened to be 25 years ago, and though Fenn sold the show to Mark Cramer and his wife Lynn in 2000, it’s still going strong a quarter-century later. The 2018 show is scheduled for Feb. 9-11 at the Denver Mart (I-25 and 58th Ave.).

Fenn, who worked for AGT Sports at the time, established the Expo with some help from fellow Colorado PGA professional Danny Harvanek, who will be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in May, and a little funding from a former Denver Broncos player.

That first show was held at the Colorado Convention Center, but it would take rose-colored glasses to say it was a success.

“It was way too expensive” for the revenue it produced, said Fenn, now a PGA director of instruction and co-founder of the Golf Academy of Northern Colorado, as well as a radio host of the Morning Cup of Golf show that airs on Saturday mornings during the golf season. “We lost quite a bit of money the first year.”

AGT Sports left the local scene not long thereafter, but not before Fenn acquired the rights to the Denver Golf Expo.

For seven consecutive years, Fenn spent about half his work time organizing and running the Expo, with the show being held at the Denver Mart from Year 2 on, normally in February, as now.

Fenn said attendance for the inaugural year at the Convention Center was about 3,500, with the number jumping to about 5,600 the first year at the Denver Mart. He said attendance came close to 10,000 one year, but the norm was in the 6,000-8,500 range.

“I started from scratch and did everything from the bottom up,” Fenn noted. “I had to find a (host facility), decorators … It was a big job for six months every year. The other half of the year I was teaching.

“But I brought in all the organizations — the CGA and the PGA. I wanted them to be at the event, and that helped us build.

“I wanted to bring in people and expose them to golf. The show has been a big part of golf in Colorado. People look forward to go to it. But it’s changed and evolved.”

When Fenn helped found the Golf Academy of Northern Colorado in Fort Collins, he decided to focus on that and sell the Expo. So in 2000, he agreed to terms with Mark and Lynn Cramer, who had introduced themselves a few years before and were no strangers to running trade shows. In 2001, the Cramers operated the show for the first time, and it’s continued to be a fixture on the winter calendar for many golf aficionados in the state.

“Mark and Lynn have done a great job,” Fenn said. “I just had one building at the Mart” for the Expo as opposed to the two the event occupies now.

One of the first things Mark Cramer did upon acquiring the Expo was to meet with leadership from the CGA and the Colorado PGA. It took some time, but the associations soon bought in fully, to the point where now they both play very large roles at the show — in the seminars, with the Junior Golf Central section, the PGA’s free 10-minute lesson area, the 2-day Rules of Golf workshop, and tournament management training and handicap certification.

Cramer said one major reason for the success of the Expo over the years has been the support of the CGA and Colorado PGA.

“Our original tagline was a ‘winter gathering of the Colorado golf industry,'” Cramer noted. “We wanted to round up the industry behind the show. We’ve tried to do that with all shows we’ve done.” The golf associations and other supportive organizations “are some incredible people to work with. They all come up underneath the show with meaningful support so it comes off every year. I don’t have the time to manage all (the different interactive things going on at the Expo). They’re the ones that operate those things.”

And Cramer has tried to reciprocate. For instance, he said the Expo has made donations totaling $85,000 over the years to the Colorado PGA’s charitable foundation, now known as Colorado PGA REACH.

Cramer, an enthusiastic golfer besides being an experienced trade show operator, said that Fenn “did a great job promoting” the Expo when he operated it, but the Cramers made some changes that helped take it to the next level.

The Cramers added more general golf retailers — not just those operating golf shops at courses — and encouraged the PGA professionals at the Expo to bring more products/services to the show to sell.

“Courses didn’t have to promote (to do a strong business) until the 2000s, and (many of them) didn’t know how to do it,” Cramer said. “Golf courses would hand out tees and scorecards (at the Expo). It was like, ‘OK, thanks.’ It was a process of educating them and getting them to sell things out of the booth. Fox Hollow led the way with four packs of rounds for $100. Everyone else would see people line up for that each year, and they’d be sold out of 1,000 of them by Saturday afternoon.

“I’m a passionate golfer and love everything about it. And we knew how to market to exhibitors. There’s a learning curve for public shows.”

In the last 10 years, attendance at the Denver Golf Expo has fluctuated from a low of 7,195 in 2015 to an all-time high of 11,202 in 2008, just prior to the Great Recession. Last year’s total for the three-day show was 9,136, the most since 2014.

Next week, we’ll preview details of the 2018 Denver Golf Expo. The hours for the show are:

Friday, Feb. 9 — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10 — 9 a.m.-5 p.m.”¨
Sunday, Feb. 11 — 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tickets run $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (over 50) and military with ID, and $3 for kids 16 and under.

For more information about the Expo, CLICK HERE.

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.  

In fact, in the 43-year period from 1972 through 2014, there’s was only one year (2007) that Colorado didn’t host at least one event that fell into the aforementioned category.

The LPGA Tour held tournaments in the state for 16 consecutive years beginning in 1972. The Senior/Champions Tour had a six-year run in Colorado beginning in 1982. And the PGA Tour visited annually from 1986-2006 thanks to The International at Castle Pines Golf Club. In addition, there were numerous USGA championships and other big events held in the Centennial State during that time span.

And since The International exited, Colorado has hosted the U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 2008, the 2009 Palmer Cup (a Ryder Cup-like competition for the best college players), the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2012 U.S. Amateur, the 2013 Solheim Cup and Junior Solheim Cup, and the 2014 BMW Championship.

But since September 2014, the state has experienced a bit of a lull in hosting major spectator golf competitions in the state — the kind that draw national or even international attention. That will continue in 2017, but a couple of USGA championships are on the horizon, with the 2018 U.S. Senior Open coming to The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and Colorado Golf Club in Parker hosting the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2019.

However, that certainly doesn’t mean the almost four-year period from the 2014 BMW Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club to the 2018 U.S. Senior Open has been/will be without significant golf events in Colorado. Last year, for instance, the NCAA Division II men’s and women’s national championships were held in the Centennial State along with the first four majors in Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado history, and in 2015 Colorado hosted the 100th CWGA Match Play and the Women’s Pac-12 Conference Championships.

Which brings us to 2017. What will the new year hold for golf fans and competitors in the way of significant new, different or otherwise notable events? Here’s a brief rundown:

— Pac-12 Tourney Coming to Boulder: For the first time since 1972, the University of Colorado will host a men’s golf conference championship as the Pac-12 meet comes to Boulder Country Club April 28-30. BCC hosted the women’s Pac-12 tournament in 2015.

The Pac-12 has traditionally been one of the top men’s golf conferences in the nation, winning four national team titles since 2004, including Oregon claiming the crown last spring. The Ducks will defend their title this year, almost certainly with Colorado’s own Wyndham Clark in the lineup.

Going into the spring portion of the college schedule, five Pac-12 teams are ranked among the top 30 in the nation, according to Golfweek: USC (sixth), Stanford (eighth), Colorado (24th), Oregon (28th) and Arizona State (30th).

— High-Country Golf: Both the CGA and the Colorado PGA will hold major championships in the mountains this year.

The 81st CGA Amateur is set for Aug. 3-6 at the Sonnenalp Club in Edwards, west of Vail, marking the first time the tournament has been contested in the mountains since 2003, when Kane Webber won at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale. Meanwhile, the Colorado PGA Professional Championship will be hosted by Red Sky Golf Club at the Fazio Course in Wolcott Sept. 11-13.

Other 2017 CGA championships scheduled for the mountains are the Parent/Child (June 3-4 at Frost Creek Ranch & Club in Eagle) and the Mid-Amateur (Sept. 8-10 at Keystone Ranch Golf Course).

The CWGA also will on the Western Slope or in the mountains for several events in 2017: the Brassie Championship at Rifle Creek Golf Course Aug. 5-6; the Chapman Championship at Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks in Silverthorne Sept. 16-17; the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifying at Pole Creek Golf Club in Tabernash Aug. 1; and the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur qualifying at Vail Golf Club Aug. 28.

The CWGA two-person Chapman Championship, by the way, is returning after a one-year hiatus.

As for the biggest CGA championships, in addition to the Amateur at Sonnenalp, the 117th Match Play is set for June 19-23 at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

On the CWGA side, the Stroke Play is scheduled for June 19-21 at Lone Tree Golf Club and the 102nd Match Play for July 17-20 at Buffalo Run in Commerce City.

Overall, the first CGA championship of 2017 will be the Senior Four-Ball May 1-3 at Broadland Golf Course in Broomfield. The CWGA will open with the Mashie June 6-8 at Todd Creek in Thornton and Saddleback in Firestone.

— USGA Qualifiers: Colorado once again will host two final-stage qualifying tournaments for USGA open championships.

U.S. Women’s Open Qualifying is scheduled for May 24 at Riverdale Dunes in Brighton, while U.S. Senior Open Qualifying is planned for June 8 at Meadows Golf Club in Littleton.

And while no final-stage qualifiers for the U.S. Open are set in Colorado, the state will host three Local Qualifiers: May 8 at Heritage at Westmoor, May 15 at CommonGround and May 16 at Collindale.

— Colorado Open Championships: This year’s schedule for the CoBank Colorado Open Championships at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver will be similar to last year’s, with the Senior Open set for May 31-June 2, the Open scheduled for July 20-23, and the Women’s Open planned for Aug. 30-Sept. 1.

— Junior Golf: On the junior golf end of things, not all the sites for the four Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado major championships have been set, but Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy will be a host for a JGAC major for the second time in two years.

Here’s the JGAC major schedule as it stands:

June 12-14 — Colorado Junior PGA Championship, Eisenhower GC

July 10-12 — Colorado Junior Amateur Championship, site TBD

July 31-Aug. 2 — Colorado Junior Match Play, Black Bear GC

Oct. 7-8 — JGAC Tour Championship, site TBD

Meanwhile, Heritage at Westmoor in Westminster will be the new host of the AJGA Transamerica / Hale Irwin Colorado Junior June 6-8, beginning at least a three-year run at the course.

— Winter Events: While the statewide tournament golf season won’t begin until spring, there are several significant events in the interim that can serve to whet the appetite.

The Denver Golf Expo will be held Feb. 10-12 at the Denver Mart. The G4 Summit, which brings together many of the leaders in the Colorado golf industry to hear about and discuss key issues facing the game, is set for Feb. 21 at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield. And the CWGA’s annual meeting is scheduled for March 4 at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center in Englewood.