In first year at National Western Center, Colorado Golf Expo draws its most attendees since pre-Covid
By Gary Baines – 3/9/2026
DENVER — When it comes to putting on an annual consumer trade show, there are inevitably a lot of variables involved.
But for the 2026 Colorado Golf Expo, which wrapped up on Sunday, there was even more than typical.
In play was a new venue as the Expo moved from the Colorado Convention Center, where it had been for the past four years, to the National Western Center’s Livestock Center (LVC). In addition, there was wildly varying weather, with snow on Friday and sunshine and mild conditions on Saturday and Sunday. Also new this year were free parking for attendees, a new floorpan, a new decorator, etc., etc.
But while the reasons certainly vary, the overall formula seemed to work — at least judging by attendance figures.
Kevin Morton, who has owned and run the show since late 2022, reported on Monday that 9,170 people attended the three-day Expo — the most since 2019 and an increase of 1,155 over last year. And the attendance was the second-highest number since 2014, with only the 9,937 seven years ago surpassing the total from over the weekend.
The long-putt challenge was a popular spot over the weekend.
“I am extremely pleased with how it went,” Morton said of the 2026 edition of the Expo. “Saturday was busy, busy, busy. I think that was one of the best days that we’ve had in a very long time. I can’t wait to do our satisfaction surveys that we send out to see what people think, but everyone I spoke with was very happy with the new location, and all the vendors that I spoke with loved the new location. And they were even more thrilled about the move-in and move-out situation that was very seamless compared to prior years. That’s why we were done (with move-out by noon on Monday). It was a lot easier than planned.
“You know, (the strong attendance) just shows that people want to have the show. They go to the show, they enjoy the show, and, if the weather’s right, they’re going to be there.”
Lenny’s Golf has by far the biggest footprint for any vendor at the show, and it’s not unusual to see long lines at its multiple checkout stands. Owner Nick Nosewicz, a two-time CGA Match Play champion, indicated that while there are some kinks to work out — particularly with this being a new venue — and improvements that can be made, he likes the general direction that the show is taking.
“Kevin’s doing a good job and has a good vision,” Nosewicz said via text on Monday. “The Golf Expo is in good hands and we’ll only get better from there. … The show is extremely good for us. A lot of work, a lot of fun. I couldn’t do it without my family and our team. That’s part of what makes it so special. It’s fun to see it grow each year bigger and bigger for us. And hopefully, we found a new location for the future.”
Shopping for merchandise is one of the main draws at the Expo.
Looking at it from the perspective of attendees, Nosewicz said, the “venue is better for the patron. Free parking is very accessible, (and it’s) easy loading and unloading for us.”
Indeed, the no-pay parking undoubtedly was a plus for the Expo, with Genesis of Littleton sponsoring that end of things this year after pay-for-park being the norm for most during the years at the Colorado Convention Center. Morton said leading up to the show that having free parking and close-in parking were the top two items of feedback the Expo has received from attendees in recent years. And he’s hopeful that remains part of the show in future years.
“I think that is a huge benefit for the value of the ticket price — having free parking,” he said. “I think that’s just a huge thing. We would need to have a sponsor who would be able to manage that. But I think we’ll probably stay the same way” in that regard.
The CGA was among the many exhibitors at the National Western Center.
Between exhibitors and sponsors, Morton estimated the number on hand for the 2026 show was in the “upper 80s.”
Nosewicz, for one, sees potential for growth.
“It would be nice to see 10,000 in attendance,” he said. “We need to incentivize golf courses to attend. It seems like most golf courses don’t realize the impact that the Golf Expo has in getting in front of 9,000 people.”
Among the exhibitors/sponsors at the show, as always, were the CGA, the Colorado PGA and the First Tee Colorado Rocky Mountains. The CPGA once again provided free 10-minute golf lessons to those interested. The Lenny’s Golf area featured about 10,500 square feet of space. The nearby driving range/demo area at the Expo included 16 bays.
Ashley Tait-Wengert was among the Colorado PGA professionals who gave free 10-minute lessons.
Much of the focus at the Expo continues to be offering an early-season opportunity to get deals on merchandise, equipment, services and rounds of golf — and a place to try out new clubs. The Expo also offers contests, interactive games and entertainment, and information on travel destinations.
There’s Junior Golf Central, Back 9 Mini Golf, a long-putt challenge, a SynLawn Chipping Challenge, and simulators for the Local Drive and ParHopper closest-to-the-pin contest. There was even an area where kids could use Legos to build mini-golf holes and the like.
New this year, “X Golf” brought its large X-Force One mobile golf simulator set-up to the Expo.
The Expo didn’t cater to just adults.
“As we were closing on Sunday, there were still people in line at the X Golf simulator, and there were still people on the long-putt challenge,” Morton said. “Normally the last hour or so gets to be very quiet. But this year, there were a lot more people staying a lot longer. I think it was what I call the ‘stickiness factor.’ You know, people were just staying for longer and having a good time.
“I’m one of those show managers who likes to walk around and talk to the vendors just to make sure everything is OK. And one of the problems that came up was, they were running out of things to sell. They were selling product faster than they had expected this year. What a horrible thing to have to deal with,” he said with a laugh.
At times, the checkout lines were extended over the weekend.
Overall, while he had a very busy weekend, Morton left the 2026 show with a smile on his face.
“It was pretty much unanimous for the exhibit that the new location is the place to be,” he said. “I think that was a challenge, but they said it was seamless. So that’s fantastic. The people that I talked to who were attendees, they liked the free parking. So I think we really kind of hit it out of the ballpark with making it easier for vendors, easier for attendees. And I think that showed by the numbers that we had. I think that everybody was happy.”
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com