Back to reality (Or: Back from my best show ever)

It always takes me a day or two to get back to reality after the GIS. That's me, a week ago today, enjoying a cold one from the pitcher's mound at PetCo Park in San Diego. Now, I'm back in my home office, trying to make sense of all the business cards and flash drives I collected over three quick days at the Golf Industry Show.

Even waiting at the airport and the flight home was productive. While waiting for my flight, I was invited to two different events. On my flight, I was seated next to one of our loyal advertisers.

Everyone I talked to was thrilled with the GIS. A lot of business was conducted, a lot of traffic at the booths, a lot of socializing once the show closed. If you missed it, you missed a great event. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about.

For me personally, the show couldn't have gone any better. The Golfdom redesign created a serious buzz for my magazine, and I heard a lot of high praise for the new look. My favorite compliment was when someone who is well known as a harsh critic told us the new look was "an absolute home run" and his colleague said "I'm looking at Golfdom and it feels like I'm reading Esquire."

For a magazine journalist and a fan of Esquire, that's like playing pick-up basketball and having a stranger tell you your game reminds him of the one time he got to play against Jordan. Or to put it in superintendent terms, that's like having a member's guest tell you the greens reminded him of Pine Valley.

Yeah, my head about floated right off my head when I heard that compliment. I needed someone to bring me back down to earth again. But instead I saw someone sitting in the airport reading the new issue and I couldn't help but smile. My best show ever? Probably.

Until the next one, at least.