When Putter's Edge decided to expand through dealerships, South Florida was at the top of the list. It was also high on the list for two wild ladies named Rita and Wilma.

On September 20, representatives of Putter's Edge landed in Fort Lauderdale at the same time Hurricane Rita was passing a bit further south. Fortunately, Rita was still a relatively young and weak tropical storm, and only brought a few days of pounding rain and brisk winds. The team was able to complete visits to the top golf stores in Naples, asking them to evaluate the Putter's Edge hallmark: PAR (Pure Absolute Roll) putting turf.

Those three leading golf merchants not only loved the unique artificial turf, they asked Putter's Edge to replace their existing indoor putting greens with the realistic PAR alternative.

Larry Zee, owner of Zee's Pro Line was surprised. "I thought the putting turf we had on our green was adequate until I putted on PAR1. I have never seen anything like it. It's perfect for our customers to try out a new putter."

Edwin Watts Golf Store Manager, Peter O'Rourke, had his sales staff try out the greens. The staff, comprised of past PGA pros and instructors, came to a unanimous consensus: It rocked them like a hurricane. "We've been wanting to replace the turf on our green for some time," admitted O'Rourke. "It rolled to about a 16 stimp, but we hadn't been able to find anything realistic until now."

Company Founder, Terry Elkin, and some of his crew returned a month later with 40 portable greens, huge rolls of uncut turf and enough marketing materials to cover the area. What they found when they arrived was pure carnage. Hurricane Wilma, with her Category 3 eyewall, had passed just miles from downtown Naples the day before.

"It was sobering to say the least," noted Marketing Director, Jeffrey Wills. "It put our own plans in perspective as we saw the flooding, the damaged homes and all the uprooted palms and bannion trees strewn about. Why is there a hurricane every time we visit?"

Surprisingly, the storms didn't dampen the enthusiasm at the golf shops. As soon as each facility had power restored, Putter's Edge was there to install their new putting surface. Matt Harris, owner of Alf's Golf, couldn't decide between the championship speed PAR1 (10½ stimp) or the standard speed PAR2 (9½ stimp), so he chose both turfs, in a side by side installation.

"Our customers come here from all over the country," Harris reasoned, "and this will give them the opportunity to choose their new putter on a surface that is similar to their home course."

The greatest compliment was paid when Bobby Grace came to the Edwin Watts location, showcasing his new line of McGregor Bobby Grace Putters. Bobby Grace told Mr. O'Rourke that Putter's Edge PAR turf is the best synthetic turf he has ever putted.

If you are in South Florida, take shelter at one of these fine golf retailers and see if you don't agree.