Best of the PGA Merchandise Show: Irish PUB OG

Hands down, PUB OG was the best exhibit at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. How good was it?  On the first day of the show, the creators were thrilled because they had seven orders.  Near the time of show close on Friday, they had sold 25. It doesn’t sound like a lot until you know that each PUB OG is a small version of an Irish pub and sells for $80,000.  Of course, that includes everything, even ready to pour Guinness.

PUB OG is a closet-sized version of a pub. OK, kind of a big closet. It’s an octagon, about eight to ten feet wide, and, as they explained it, has just enough room to fit two foursomes.  One person at the bar pouring, four seated on stools, and three standing in the back of them. No social distancing here.

The door of the pub opens to face the front of the bar which has a mirrored back, just as you’d expect. Framed photos and drawings pack the walls. The PGA Show version even had a picture of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, and Darren Clarke with two of them holding major trophies.

To add to the fun, there’s even a secret compartment behind one of the photos where the bar owner can keep the good stuff.

Behind the bar, a variety of high and low shelves are within easy reach of the barkeep.  They hold all manner of notable potables in case you’d prefer a wee dram of something stronger than Guinness.

Each bar top is from a naturally fallen tree. This one was from a chestnut tree which had been planted in 1756 and came down in storm Ophelia in 2017. We know this because there’s a plaque on the bar top that says so.

Inside, the itty-bitty walls are packed with memorabilia of golf past.  Old drawings.  Framed tins from bygone days.  They even scent the interior with peat. You feel like you stepped back in time. I mean, these guys are good.

Now, everything about this pub can be customized to reflect the tastes of the owner. And so can the décor. If you want one painted hot pink, you can get it.  But this one was green, like a starter’s shack at many golf courses.

So how did the idea come about?   Some Irish-born men were frustrated during the pandemic when their local pubs, what the Irish and UK residents commonly call their “local,” were closed.  For more than a year. Think about it.  The Irish with no bar open.

As Paul Kelly, one of the PUB OG group at the show explained it, they all had too much to drink in a non-bar location one night, and the frustration of not having their locals resulted in the idea of making individual portable bars for back yards or for events. But they didn’t want just any bar. They wanted the exact feel of a real pub.

As luck would have it, one of the group was Cormac Artt, who has built all kinds of experiences at Universal and who is also an expert in making movie sets. He had the construction know-how and the eye for detail. The result was a small, intimate bar that might resemble what you see on PBS murder mysteries, but custom-designed to each owner’s taste.  Many people have compared it to the Jigger Inn, which is by the 17th hole of The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, but is a famous small pub.

All in all, PUB OG is exactly what you’d expect. Dark and cozy. Taps holding Guinness or other favorites.  It is so comfortable, you really want to settle in for an afternoon of conversation with friends.