2008 PGA Show: Password for St. Andrews, shafts taking off

— Simulators are always popular at the show, and one of the most popular was About Golf’s Sim Surround.

It shows a high-definition, crystal-clear screen of St. Andre3ws, so like-life you’d swear you were there on the hallowed grounds.

One guy stood in front of the simulator with his driver and took a mighty swat. The simulator is supposed to show you where your ball went, just like really playing the hole.

When he looked up, expecting to see a 300-yard blast, the screen said “The password was not correct”

He skulked off. Other people moved off to the next exhibit.

— Some of the most popular booths are the ones offering free food. This is especially true this year since the PGA Show started charging the media for meals.

— Grips and shafts aren’t sexy, like big-headed clubs, but the pros and low-handicapper know how important they are.

Shafts, in particular, are about to become much more in the forefront than they’ve traditionally been, since the USGA “legalized” interchangeable club components.

You’re going to get a lot more mixing and matching with shafts and clubs. It will be a lot easier now to try different shafts before you buy a club.

About a half dozen companies debuted shafts at the show, including Fujikura, Grafalloy, Graphite Design, Nippon and Aerotech, including some specifically designed for women, juniors and seniors.