Once a year, the forces that actually make golf work, the powers behind the throne, the engines of the golf industry, all gather in one place, to attend GIS, The Golf Industry Show.   The latest results from intensive research and development are on display, important business deals are negotiated, and meetings that determine the future of golf are held in every corner, aisle and restaurant.

The business of golf carries over, beyond the show floor, into the various parties that populate the nightlife surrounding the GIS.

Some parties are well-attended, others are less popular, but a few sparkle and shine, attracting the top people in the business.  Yet, the hardest ticket to acquire, the most sought after, the most coveted invitation in the entire GIS orbit remains . . . The TurfNet Beer and Pretzels Gala.

If you haven’t heard of The B&P or have never managed to secure an invitation, it means just one thing:  You are not among the chosen, the elite, the favored few.

I’ve only been once, and I was ushered out fairly early in the evening, so I don’t really know what goes on at Beer and Pretzels, except for what I read between the lines in the TurfNet Forum.

Meanwhile, rehearsals for B&P 2013 go forward; here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the making of an audition tape, one of many that TurfNet receives.