The Retail Shop

Last week, we talked about the power of your logo. I mentioned that I would discuss what the finest golf shops do with their brand in their shops this week.

In the last month, I have been to a bunch of Top 100 golf shops across the country. We have several right here, in Upstate NY. Many of these places have a Director of Retail, a Merchandising manager, or someone along those lines. A person who is coming to work every day to keep the shop looking new and fresh, clean and updated, ever changing. Most of us don’t have that luxury. In fact, most of us are not even lucky enough to visit shops like this to see how they do what they do (if we are lucky enough, it’s because we are playing golf there, and we can’t wait to get out on the golf course – not poke around the golf shop).

If you look at the best private golf shops in the country, they all have several thing in common. First, they do a ton of volume. Second, a lot of that volume is driven by apparel – specifically logo apparel. Third, they don’t display a lot of golf clubs, but they sell a ton of them. They have just enough golf club inventory on display to beg the question – “can you get…” Got him!! Fourth, they know their brand. They sell their brand. They have a facility that clearly showcases their brand. The facility matches the brand and the brand matches the facility. Take a look at a couple of examples:

The golf shop at Pinehurst resort. ALL Apparel is logo’d. Putterboy is the showcase of their brand and he is featured everywhere. You can’t get him anywhere else. Do they sell golf clubs? You bet they do, but they don’t have any on display. They have merchandise exclusively for #2, #4, the cradle… They treat each golf course as a sub- brand within the larger facility wide brand. Putterboy is an icon – they know it, and they elevate him.

I was in BallenIsles CC golf shop a few weeks ago. They have 5 retail shops on property. ALL of them sell golf merchandise, but only one is the main shop. There are no golf clubs in the main shop other than a few putters and package sets. They have a fitting center that showcases all the golf club inventory they sell.  Every piece is branded with the club logo. No clubs in the golf shop, yet they will do mid-six figures is club sales. 

I was in the Palm Desert last weekend and I played the Stadium course at PGA West (A must play if you’re in southern California!!). This golf course is a Pete Dye design, and the 16th, 17th and 18th holes are what inspired the last three holes at TPC Sawgrass. A Risk/Reward par 5, an Island green par 3, and a long par 4 with water all down one side. The island green is called “Alcatraz”. Fitting… The golf shop has a TON of “Alcatraz” merchandise. That is their sub-brand. They have 9 golf courses there now. I went and played the mountain course as well – interestingly, there was no “Alcatraz” merchandise in that golf shop. They know their audience. You want Alcatraz merch? Go to the shop at the Stadium course.

While in the Palm Desert, I also went to Mission Hills CC. They had an LPGA Major there for 50 years, now a Champions Tour event, and part of Q-school. They have three golf courses there. They separate out Members merchandise from the tour event merchandise. Smart. They let that sub-brand be it’s own thing.

When asked, all of these clubs said they fit and sell plenty of clubs, but they don’t merchandise with them. They “sell” clubs to their members (and guests) almost behind the scenes. The guys at Mission Hills showed me their club storage room, and it was rather full. Interesting that they didn’t waste display space on them.

Let’s look closer to home. The folks at Turning Stone Resort have retail dialed in. They are an annual fixture for merchandiser of the year in the CNY PGA Section, and they should be. They do it BOTH ways. They have a retail shop at each golf course. Any clubs in those? Nope. They have all logo’d apparel in there. They sell that part of their brand exclusively at their on course shops. Then, they have a Super Store inside the golf dome.  Clubs galore. Apparel that is branded and not. Bags without logos. A fitting center. It’s hard to not think that they don’t treat these as two separate brands within the same brand. I LOVE that concept. Turning Stone creates sub-brands within the resort brand much like Pinehurst does.

Oak Hill CC? Oak Hill is a top retailer and merchandiser on a national stage year in and year out. HOW do they do it? For starters, they have putters and wedges on the sales floor. All other clubs are locked away. They have a separate area for fitting carts near the driving range. All apparel is logo’d. You can get that Peter Millar shirt anywhere, but that logo… That logo makes it special – a talking piece. It makes it a shirt that you will only wear on special occasions. Oak Hill members are proud to wear that crest, Guests are honored to have it in their closet for just the right day. They have non-golf items in the shop that fit the brand. Leather suitcases. Oak plates and bowls made from trees on property. A members only collection.  An acorn shaped ball marker that can be hand stamped. The list goes on…

Dick’s Sporting goods. Perhaps we don’t think of Dick’s as a specialty retailer. They absolutely are!! They are different than the traditional green grass golf shop. Does that mean we can’t learn anything from them because they are different? Absolutely not. There is plenty to learn from them. They have racks and racks of everything. Is anything branded with the Dick’s logo? No. With all due respect, who want’s that? They know their brand, and it doesn’t need to include their logo. Their brand is selection and inventory depth. It’s different than the facilities above, but it’s effective for THEIR brand.

Dick’s House of Sport.  Yes. This is different. The branding is different. Each area is a local pro shop. It’s got a local theme. It feels like a GIANT Dick’s store, yet it feels different. Hats off to them for creating a different vibe. That is impressive and not easy to do. 

What can we learn from the retail brands above? Each of these retail businesses is it’s own brand.  Several are large enough that they have a brand within a brand – a sub-brand, if you will. You may find, for example, that a person might buy a Donald Ross golf shirt with the Pinehurst Resort logo on it, then continue shopping and buy a Travis Matthew shirt with the #2 logo on it. Would that person buy the two shirts if they had the same logo on them? My guess is no. Would that person buy two shirts if there is no logo on either? My guess is they might not buy either one. Without the logo’s, the shirts become more of a price thing. The player thinks I need a golf shirt to wear while I play. Why spend $120 on a shirt when I can get one for $75. Creating sub-brands will create a different market niche for your shop. That same player might now say Cool!! a “ABC” Club logo shirt. Price is less of an issue when it is branded.

How might you create a sub-brand? Do you have a special logo? Add it to a shirt or a headcover. By making it more of a one of a kind, you can elevate what people want from you. Co-brand with an OEM (Callaway headwear with your logo on it) – that is unique and different.

What can be learned from all of this? Differentiate yourself from yourself. Huh? If you only offer the same old, same old, you will only sell the same old. If you add new things, you will sell more of the new and the old. Create your sub-brand – a brand within your brand. Try to merchandise without golf clubs. This actually forces you to sell golf clubs (as opposed to putting them on display and hoping they sell themselves).  If you don’t have a person who is a merchandiser, then guess what? YOU are that person!! How are you going to make a difference? Learn what the best of the best does, and try to do what they do. I know, it takes time and effort – making money takes time and effort. It’s worth it.

I hope this helps!!