The Town Hall Meeting drew a large, enthusiastic crowd on Tuesday at the PGA Fall Expo at Mandalay Bay. (Photo: The PGA of America)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Some 700 PGA Golf Professionals, retailers and industry leaders participated in Monday's PGA Fall Expo Golf Tournament and Demo Day at Badlands Golf Club in Las Vegas. The third edition of the PGA Fall Expo Golf Tournament provided nearly 250 exclusive playing opportunities during two shotgun starts for attendees who wanted to test the latest equipment in real playing conditions.

Tournament players enjoyed one of Las Vegas' premier courses, breakfast, lunch and an evening reception, plus a PGA Fall Expo tournament gift bag loaded with products from participating manufacturers. A $2,000 prize was awarded to the top PGA team with prizes and trophies presented to the low-scoring amateurs.

The Demo Day filled every hitting bay, practice green and spot in vendor village at Badlands Golf Club with more than 40 golf manufacturers demonstrating their latest equipment, training aids and accessories.

Free to all PGA Fall Expo attendees, the Demo Day kept PGA Golf Professionals and golf retailers actively engaged by testing the newest golf products throughout most of the day, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Market leaders such as Callaway Golf, MacGregor, Tour Edge and Wilson Golf were among the equipment manufacturers demonstrating their newest introductions, while companies such as CT&T Electric Cars, FlightScope, Greg Norman Collection, Ogio and Pride Sports drew crowds to see their latest apparel, accessories and services.

"This is a great opportunity to see new technology that we will have in our golf shop next spring," said PGA Professional Gary Schneiter of Pebble Brook Golf Links in Winslow, Ariz. "You really have to hit it, feel it and see how the ball carries off the club before you buy it in this day and age."

Golf's annual fall marketplace continues with vendor sourcing, education seminars, indoor equipment testing, business best practices and networking events at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. More than 400 golf-related exhibitors will command 54,000 net square feet of interactive exhibit space to introduce wide-ranging merchandise that will debut at golf retail next spring.

Tuesday's full schedule included exhibitor news conferences, 12 education & business seminars, a free AGM designer round table presentation, The PGA of America's Town Hall Meeting, the free "Think Outside the Box" marketing presentation, plus a host of interactive product debuts and equipment testing opportunities.

Day 1 activities were capped off with the return of the popular industry reception, the Elations Welcome Reception, at the House of Blues, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This year's event features Dennis DeYoung, a founding member of the rock super group Styx, who will perform Styx classic songs with his own band. The PGA Fall Expo continues on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.