Fitting that last year’s PGA Tour money leader, Matt Kuchar, should be the guy to sound the opening bell for the 2011 PGA Merchandise Show. Together with jazz artist Branford Marsalis — who played a pre-show set as well as the “Star-Spangled Banner,” Smilin’ Matt’s ceremonial opening tee shot sent an army of exhibitors, buyers and media types into battle for the next big thing, or things, that would return the business of the game to a profitable footing.

It worked. By 9 a.m. the aisles were packed and the buzz had ratcheted up several notches thanks to big companies like Callaway, Titleist and TaylorMade-adidas-Ashworth, who needed an entire wing of the huge Orange County Convention Center to house their myriad of products, displays and salespeople — and welcome such contracted stars as Natalie Gulbis, who signed autographs near the company’s own food court. No mistaking who rules the industry’s equipment side at the moment; by any measure — sales, player signings, technological leaps, you name it — the TaylorMade team is on a white-hued roll that shows no signs of abating. Gary Gallagher, product line manager for the popular Burner club series, showed off his new line of white-finished sticks with obvious enthusiasm. “The Burner driver is selling even better than the R11 right now,” he told us. “Many people don’t want to mess with the adjustments, they just want a club right out of the box that will help them hit it further.”

It seems every discussion of what’s new in golf clubs these days must start with TaylorMade, and the new drivers, fairway metals and hybrids do nothing to change that. They’re conversation pieces that back up the unusual color with great performance. Besides enhancing the average player’s distance, these clubs’ unusual look — white crown, black face — also aid in alignment, perhaps an unexpected bonus. “Most good players want the face a little open at address since they can turn the ball over so well, and one look down at these clubs shows exactly where the fact is compared to the target,” Gallagher told me.

Earlier, TaylorMade/adidas accessory guru Jose Miraflor ran us through both brands’ array of gloves, training aids (including an effective and inexpensive putting practice device), lightweight bags, socks and more — even a cool, reversible ballmark hatclip that appeals to both men and women. There’s no corner of the retail equip biz that this outfit hasn’t explored, and their design crew is on point right now from a functionality standpoint.

Indeed that word, “functionality,” is one leg of the descriptive stool most golf apparel companies are standing on these days, adidas and Ashworth included, along with “performance” and “layering .” At ProQuip — the Massachusetts company that kept last year’s winning European Ryder Cup team dry during those Wales downpours — it’s all about “warmth, dryness and breathability,” according to CEO Peter Dalton, who showed off a lightweight waterproof jacket with four-way stretch fabric that’s as quiet as it is protective and offered in men’s and women’s styles. At Sunice, giving golfers enough room to swing without cutting their garb to balloon-like proportions is priority one. They follow that philosophy through a striking, sleek line that, like equally inventive Antigua (whose Desert Dry shirts boasted some of the show’s most handsome two-toned color schemes), shows plenty of creativity in such finishing touches as little ball-cleaning towels stitched inside a jacket’s zippered pocket, or drawstrings that can be manipulated from inside that same pocket — good stuff to the intrepid golf traveler for whom a little inclement weather is no big deal. Zero Restriction’s line — which shared display space with sister company Fairway and Greene — offered one of the show’s widest-ranging outerwear selections, while Swedish company Abacus kept it simple, and simply European in cut and flavor — with its water- and wind-proof Tour Wedge jackets and Grange Wind anoraks. And we can’t forget the feet; keeping them warm to a tasty tee is North Carolina-based Kentwool, whose line of golf-specific socks are the softest and driest we’ve sampled in recent memory. If they’re good enough for Bubba Watson, they’re more than good enough for us.

We’ll explore more from the wide and fascinating world of golf apparel in our next entry, but to finish up here we’ve got to check in on a couple of longtime FG favorites, Tour Edge and Sun Mountain.

Catching our eye in Tour Edge’s booth was the new line of Exotics XCG4 sticks including a lightweight driver; the CB4 line designed for lower handicappers (the fairway wood is a standout); the new T-Balance putter with its unique 90-degree-bent shaft; and the Backdraft GT Plus Putter with its oversized grip and $49 price tag. We’ll have reviews of the XCG-4 and CB4 soon. Montana’s Sun Mountain dazzled us yet again with its collection of carry and cart bags sporting enough special (and functional) features to make a gear geek swoon. Their new four-wheel push cart folds to an unbelievably small size for easy trunk storage, while the newest incarnation of an old-favorite — the Four 5 carry bag with its 14 individual club dividers, eight pockets and redesigned base that allows easy mounting on a motorized cart — caught our eye right away. Oh yeah, these folks make some solid outerwear, too.

Next up: What’s happening across the pond in Wales and Ireland, among other spots.