Having David Howell - their top European player - as the biggest name in the game to visit the show brought the crowds flocking to the Cleveland stand on Friday and they remained all weekend.

Howell was very impressed. He said: 'The show's great. I had a chance to look around and it?s really interactive. It's great to see so many smiling faces. There are loads of gadgets and

new clubs for people to try out. It?s fantastic.'

Davis added: 'David's visit was a big crowd puller - but we have been busy all day long on all four days.'

Cleveland?s experience was repeated for Callaway and Wilson Staff, with the former's square driver attracting a lot of interest, while the latter claimed to have sold more clubs than any of the other exhibitors.

Wilson's Andy Clift said: 'We have shifted lots of sets of our Di7 irons and the DH6 hybrids have been extremely popular. I think it has been shown that we have sold more sets than anyone else. It has been a phenomenal show for us.'

Callaway's Cameron de Buck was another happy exhibitor. 'The interest in our products has been fantastic,' he said.

It was a similar story for Yonex whose bays were full from the moment the public were allowed in at 10am each morning, to the close of the show every day.

american golf was the London Golf Show's official retailer for the first time - and project manager Matt Bacon reported great feedback from the thousands who flooded through the store on all four days.

He said: 'We had four bays where anyone interested could try out a club before buying and our staff were able to meet their expectations and needs very well.

'They were extremely impressed by the fact that we could measure them up for their clubs and get them custom-fitted on site within 15-20 minutes, free of charge. And of course, we were able to offer bargains galore with our ultra-competitive pricing.

'The show has been a great success and we are very proud to have been part of it.'

And show visitors were also happy.

Pals Daniel Crane and Josh Watson, both 16, travelled up from East Grinstead, in Sussex, and were pleased they made the effort.

Crane said: 'It was our first visit to the show and we spent a lot of time, having a look at the different stalls trying to find things to buy.'

And Watson was pleased to walk away from the american golf store with a new Ping G5 driver and some new balls.

Lee Wigmore, from Broxbourne, and Lee Hicks, from Stanstead Abbotts, who travelled from Hertfordshire together, could not believe the bargains they found. The duo, who play at The Hertfordshire, walked away with armfuls of goodies. One picked up a Srixon driver reduced from ?250 to ?40 while the other bought two C02 rescue clubs for ?20 each.

'You can?t go wrong with that can you?' they chimed.

Thirty-six-year-old Claire Stevens, from Islington, is not a member at any golf club, but saved 'loadsamoney'.

She said: 'I bought some new clubs and had a go on a simulator and practised my putting. The show is great for the development of the game and I really enjoyed the fashion show and seeing what the latest styles are.'

It was a long day for many of the visitors, but David Reynolds, who travelled down the M4 from Merthyr Tydfill, with his 15-year-old son Chris, found the perfect way to chill out before the long journey home.

David said: 'It has been a fantastic show with lots of things to look at and try out, as well as some great entertainment. It was worth the long trip and we'd both come back again.'

But maybe the happiest of all visitors was 15-year-old Jamie Rutherford, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, who won an all-expenses paid trip to Sawgrass, in Florida, home of this month's TPC.

The teenager, who is a member of Knebworth GC, was one of 21 finalists for the Sunday shoot out on in the SPARKS floating green challenge on the dockside at ExCeL, after they had all managed to stop their ball inside a small target area on the artificial green, suspended in the middle of the dock, some 71 yards from the tee.

As one of just five competitors in the second round of the play-off, Jamie's sand wedge finished around three feet from the pin. But in the pressure-cooker atmosphere he was the only one of the finalists to hold their ball on the green, negating the need for a third round.

'I can't wait to take dad to Sawgrass, it is going to be a fantastic experience,' he said.

The prize - supplied by the venue and Supertravel Golf - comprises a seven-night, stay-and-play package for two at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Spa; two rounds on the TPC Stadium Course; complimentary flights; a complimentary ticket to the World Golf Hall of Fame; and exclusive access to the hotel's private Cabana Beach Club, located minutes from the resort, along the 26-mile Ponte Vedra Beach.

AND IF YOU CAN'T WAIT UNTIL 2008 FOR LGS -

The Golf Show Co Ltd, owner of the London Golf Show, is launching The Golf Show, NEC Birmingham, 2007 at the National Exhibition Centre from November 16-18.