• The most innovative products for golf season 2009 honored with GOLF EUROPE Product Award
• Winners in six categories: clubs, apparel, footwear, and accessories, as well as caddies, and practice equipment  

Thanks to very positive feedback to last year’s premiere, GOLF EUROPE once again honors the most innovative products for the upcoming golf season with the Golf Europe Product Award. This year 60 exhibitors entered about 110 products in this rather new contest. The high-caliber jury, consisting of independent industry and retail experts as well as leading representatives of the press, rated the entries according to functional aspects, design, degree of innovation, and user friendliness.
 
Among the clubs, obviously the most important golf utensil, the Stealex SWS (shaft weight system) by Stealex / Yes! Golf Europe beat out the competition. It is a screwless, exchangeable weight fitting system for putter shafts. By inserting the exchangeable weights into the putter shaft, the player can vary his or her personal impact intensity, and thus modify it depending on the speed of each green. Thanks to this feature this putter not only works for pros but is also the perfect tool for beginners looking for the ideal relationship between weight and impact intensity.   
 
First place was awarded not once but twice in the apparel category: in Function and Fashion/ Style. The Egadi Vest by Chervo won the title in the function category. It features “Accu Therm” on the front, an ultralight dual system lining which absorbs solar energy and reflects body heat resulting in a comfortable body climate with perfect wear comfort. The vest is also very light and boasts small stowage dimensions.   
 
Golfino’s Pinstripe Weather Jacket garnered first place in the fashion category. The long jacket for women with its classic pinstripe design can be worn cinched with a belt and perfectly combines fashionable chic with maximum range of motion. In addition to trendy details, the jacket also features useful technical details such as waterproof two-way zippers.  
 
In the footwear sector Hi Tec Sports’ Pure Power WP 1 beat out the competition. The shoe is equipped with new Ion Mask™ Technology and promises absolute waterproof comfort with high breathability. Thanks to patented plasma technology the Ion Mask™ process encapsulates all material fibers three-dimensionally with an invisible mask of water-repellant polymers, even inside the shoe. A waterproof shoe is essential, especially when it rains during a golf game, since the round is time-intensive and players’ feet are constantly in contact with the wet turf.  
 
A good caddy should be roomy, yet easily packable. The Mini GT by Bag Boy fulfills these requirements, and thus receives the Golf Europe Product Award 2008 in the caddy category. As the name implies, the Mini GT’s special folding mechanism collapses the caddy into a very small package, yet in its unfolded state it is very roomy and provides plenty of space. Easy-rolling “G Force Wheels” and a body-height adjustable towing bar add to the list of the useful features.
 
Practice, practice, practice – a principle which also applies to golf. This is why there is a category called practice equipment at the Golf Europe Product Awards 2008, which was won by TPerformer by Tee Set BV/ T4 Sport. TPerformer is a training system which optimizes swing direction and body posture by determining the correct tee position. “A very simple, small system with great effect,” the jury determined.
Tee Set BV/ T4 Sport, TPerformer
 
The Golf Europe Product Award 2008 in the accessories category went to Club Rider von Golf Promotion & Sports/ Sun Mountain. The transport bag with low net weight is an ideal travel companion thanks to its special wheel system. In addition to wheels on the bottom of the bag, the Club Glider also features an extendable stand with wheels, which improves stability as well as optimizes rolling performance. Thanks to zippers on all sides the Club Glider is also extremely easy to load. 


Award Winners & Runners-Up:

Category	Place	Exhibitor	Product Name
Clubs	1. Place	Stealex / Yes! Golf	Stealex SWS (shaft weight system)
Clubs	2. Place	Acushnet	Cobra Driver L5V
Clubs	3. Place	Jordan Golf	FT508 Sand Wing
Caddy	1. Place	Haas Handelsagentur / Bag Boy	Mini GT
Caddy	2. Place	Motocaddy	Motocaddy S5 GPS
Caddy	3. Place	Stewart Golf / B+M Golf	F1 Lithium
Footwear	1. Place	Hi Tec  Sports	Pure Power WP 1
Footwear	2. Place	Acushnet	Foot-Joy SYNR-G
Footwear	3. Place	Golf Promotion & Sports/ Spirit of Golf	Chuckies FLX
Pratice Equ	1. Place	Tee Set BV/ T4 Sport	TPerformer
Pratice Equ	2. Place	Defacto	myminigolf "basic"
Pratice Equ	3. Place	Kramski Putter	Trainingskonsole HPT 40
Apparel	1. Place (Function)	Chervò Spo®ts	Egadi W26P6
Apparel	2. Place (Function)	Oscar Jacobson	WPS Windproof Jacket (Weather Protective System)
Apparel	1. Place (Fashion / Style)	Golfino Sportswear	pinstripe weather jacket
Accessories	1. Place	Golf Promotion & Sports / Sun Mountain	Club Glider
Accessories	2. Place	Golf Gadgets	Dixon Earth
Accessories	3. Place	Golf Promotion & Sports / Bionic	Pro Golf Glove