Here’s a Q and A look at a cross-section of golf courses across Canada, how their retail pro shops have come through everything during COVID-19 and, of course, what’s hot.
TORONTO GOLF CLUB
Mississauga, ON
Head pro: Doug Rankin (does the buying along with pros and shop attendants)
How has the pandemic affected the way you’ve done business in the pro shop?
“Both the 2020 and 2021 seasons were unique. 2020 was a presentation of products purchased in the fall of 2019, so it was business as usual, and we took delivery of product in March/April with great expectations, only to find out we’re shut down for COVID,” said Rankin. “We had a better understanding of our purchasing needs for the following season, but we were cautious of our “buy” for 2021.
“Our team, led by head associate Laura MacElwain, scrambled to bring in product in a timely manner, so with ‘eyes wide open,’ she was able to bring in fresh throughout the season. Open to Buy is such an important retail concept and last year was a terrific example of staying flexible.”
Is the way you display items a factor in sales?
“We used to have up to eight sets of irons on the wall, with all our club sales based on fittings. We converted the cabinetry away from club displays to more clothing shelving, hangbars and half-form mannequins. Much better use of soft goods display and merchandising space.”
What drivers do you stock?
“All of the companies produce great equipment, so we focus on the big four: Titleist, Callaway, Ping and TaylorMade.”
Irons?
“TaylorMade fills the need for good players with their P790 series; Ping G425 irons are beautifully engineered and easy to fit, especially for players with special fit requirements. Titleist T100s and Mizuno offer great looks with solid design for consistent results.”
Wedges?
“Vokey SM9s all day long.”
Hybrids?
“TaylorMade, Ping, Titleist.”
Fairway woods?
“A tie between Rogue Max and Stealth.”
Putters?
“Scotty Cameron all day long. Odyssey is also a good option.”
Men’s clothing?
“johnnie-O is strong, as is Peter Millar, Holderness & Bourne, and FootJoy which is a staple for us.”
Women’s clothing?
“Always do well with SanSoleil, Lucky in Love, Daily Sports, Kjus, Foray Golf and Levelwear. One gem for us for a few years has been Vuori, a terrific leisure, lounging brand.”
Golf shoes?
“FootJoy, Puma and Ecco.”
Golf balls – high end and value ball?
“ProV1, ProV1x and AVX are the staples. Tour Soft is a nice option.”
Hats?
“We load up on a few different brands: New Era, Ahead, Levelwear and Imperial are all good.”
Sunglasses?
“Maui Jim are fantastic for golf and fly fishing.”
Gloves?
“Titleist Players, FootJoy StaSof and FJ Custom.”
GPS or yardage electronics?
“Bushnell units and golf watches.”
Golf bags?
“Titleist, Callaway, Ping and Sun Mountain. People love to buy new golf bags at our club, it’s unreal!”
Impulse items?
“Glassware, scotch glasses with TGC logo, Roots hoodies and sweatshirts for fall and Christmas.”
ESSEX GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Windsor, ON
Director of Golf: Alex McIntyre,
Golf Shop Manager: Carmen Murphy
How has the pandemic affected/altered the way you’ve done business in the pro shop?
McIntyre: “We’ve been more conservative buying merchandise. With COVID-19 rules limiting customers into the golf shop, it was obvious to us to limit purchases. We expanded to an online store readily available to our members and guests and that did help with sales. We have since discontinued it based on the limited volume of sales going forward and the site upkeep.”
Merchandising tips?
“Our shop manager and I try to buy for members’ needs, not our personal tastes. We buy what we feel is current and sellable.”
Drivers?
“We carry all the major brands but rely on our professional staff to promote club fitting when members are looking to buy.”
Irons?
“Same as above.”
Wedges?
“Vokey.”
Hybrids?
“Titleist and Ping.”
Putters?
“Scotty Cameron and Odyssey.”
Men’s clothing?
“FootJoy, Donald Ross, Penguin, johnnie-O, Peter Millar, TravisMathew and Ralph Lauren.”
Women’s clothing?
“Swing pants are favourites. Also, the Tail long sleeve sun top, Lucky in Love and Ralph Lauren.”
Golf shoes?
“FootJoy, Ecco and G/Fore.”
Golf balls?
“Pro V1 and DT TruFeel.”
Golf hats?
“Company branded: Titleist and TravisMathew. New Era, and Levelwear with the Essex logo.”
Sunglasses?
“Maui Jim and Sundog.”
Gloves?
“FootJoy private label. FootJoy Pure Touch is a favourite for the low-handicap player.”
GPS or yardage electronics?
“Bushnell products for rangefinder, Garmin watches for wristwear.”
Impulse items?
“Branded water bottles by Yeti and Tempercraft. Theragun Mini and Prime (massagers).”
SQUAMISH VALLEY GOLF CLUB
Squamish, B.C.
Golf Operations Manager, Derek Beuk
How has the pandemic affected the way you’ve done business?
“What has lingered is a definite challenge in getting stock and supplies. The ‘supply-chain issues’ thing is actually a thing. We are accustomed to doing our spring bookings in October/November with a February/March delivery. The past couple years, and specifically this one, I am at about 60 per cent of my orders and some aren’t slated to arrive until June 1. The biggest issues have been with bags, hats and clothing.
“Running the pro shop as a small business outside of the green fees revenue could be devastating to the bottom line. The first two months is usually when members and public guests are getting new gear and outfitted for the season. The saving grace for us is even the bigger outlets like Golf Town are in the same predicament so it’s not like customers can go elsewhere to find what you don’t have.”
Merchandising tips?
“With golf being so popular, how we display or present things to entice a customer to maybe make an impulse purchase isn’t really an option as most things are going out the door as soon as they arrive. With such a shortage in the industry, we aren’t sitting on stock. For example, every spring I put last year’s shoes on blowout and typically have 15-20 pairs left over from an original spring order of 60-80 shoes. This year I had two pairs. We ran out of umbrellas, towels, ball markers, headcovers and divot tools and I had the smallest remaining inventory of balls ever.”
Drivers?
“Maybe I sell four to five stock drivers, woods or hybrids combined over a season. The ones I stock are mostly demos. Our shop carries Ping, Titleist and Callaway equipment, if we do at all.”
Irons?
“We’re seeing a run on Ping G425 equipment.”
Wedges?
“Vokey, that has been consistent over the past 10 years.”
Hybrids?
“All Ping equipment.”
Fairway woods?
“Ping.”
Putters?
“We don’t do huge business with putter sales so I don’t stock a huge selection.”
Men’s clothing?
“Ping, adidas, FootJoy and Under Armour. Similar to equipment, the popularity depends on who’s wearing it on tour and for us, price point. For us, adidas is selling better than the rest.”
Women’s clothing?
“Our female members are loving the bright colours and busier patterns of companies like Tribal Golf. We have a large selection of their clothing. The ladies love it. The designs work well and the clothing is super comfortable and light wearing. Golf dresses seem to be gaining traction; we’ve sold a bunch.”
Shoes?
“Mainly FootJoy. We started stocking adidas last year with really good success and feedback.”
Balls?
“We carry Titleist and Callaway. Pro V1 by far outsells any of them. As a value ball, the Supersoft smashes it out of the park.”
Hats?
“Our own, actually. A couple years ago we started getting our hats from our local embroidery company called Mountain Crests. They order the hats in (popular brands like FlexFit and Yupoong) and we have them done with a 3D stitch of our logo. I carry Callaway, Ping and Titleist hats, but ours sell 10-1, easily, due to the popularity of the logo.”
Sunglasses?
“Not a whole lot of requests so we’ve never stocked them.”
Gloves?
“Fairly exclusive with FootJoy. The price point fits our demographic.”
GPS or yardage electronics?
“I made the choice to steer clear of electronics a couple years ago. The amount of work needed to support these items isn’t worth the minimal return, in my opinion. I’d rather direct them to a good supplier, or online where they seem to be cheaper than I could sell them for anyways.”
Bags?
Sun Mountain has been our best seller year to year. We started carrying the Big Max brand last season due to its price point and we are very happy with the response.”
Impulse items?
“Our best impulse item was from 2018 – the Jimmy the Joint headcover. It was a white tube-shaped head cover with frizzy brown hair and bloodshot eyes. It had a Canadian flag on the front and the date, October 17th, 2018, to commemorate the day marijuana became legal in Canada. It was a big hit.”
GOWAN BRAE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Bathurst, NB
Head Pro and Retail Manager: Chad Townsend (does buying with Director of Golf Adam Chamberlain)
How has the pandemic affected the way you’ve done business in the pro shop?
Townsend: “We had it pretty good pre-pandemic when we could rely on that standard 7-10 day window for clients. Now, we’re definitely a bit more cautious in terms of promising and not being able to deliver. It’s been a change in that regard, but by the same token, it really hasn’t affected club sales. Since the pandemic began, we’ve had our busiest couple of years.”
Merchandising tips?
“I wouldn’t say we’re re-inventing the wheel here; we’re just making sure the displays stay fresh. We’re fortunate enough to be two hours from the nearest Golf Town so a lot of people see the products here as opposed to in a big box store. We try to have as much product on the floor at all times. It comes down to making sure it’s well maintained and visible.”
Drivers?
“We stock the new model of every brand out there. We probably sell 95-plus-per cent custom fit. The biggest runaways so far this year have been Stealth and Rogue.”
Irons?
“I’d say the biggest positive surprises would be the new Mizuno series. 223 and 225 have been going very well. Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway are always selling well.”
Hybrids and fairway woods?
“We’ve seen a bigger growth in Cobra. Callaway, TaylorMade and Cobra have been our standouts, with a sprinkling of Titleist.”
Wedges?
“Pretty clear-cut Vokey. It’s tough to beat those guys.”
Putters?
“Scotty Cameron. More and more people justify the expense for spending a couple of extra bucks on a club you’re going to use for a lot of your shots. Odyssey also does very well.”
Balls?
Pro V1 and Pro V1X are the leaders; their three-for-one promo remains very popular among our membership. Also, good sales of Chrome Soft.”
Shoes
“We sell a lot of Ecco. We do FootJoy, Puma and adidas, too.”
Men’s clothing?
“FootJoy is probably most popular. Sunice still does well. We’re probably one of the shortest golf seasons in the country so people definitely need some layering.”
Women’s clothing?
“By leaps and bounds, it’s lululemon. We picked up that brand last winter and it’s taken over nicely. They’re doing more and more golf stuff. The ladies love it.”
Hats?
“We do every brand manufacturer hat and we generally sell a lot of our own (Ahead).”
Gloves?
“FootJoy and Callaway.”
Bags?
“We’re seeing a lot of Callaway and Titleist fly out the door.”
Impulse items?
“We sell a lot of Corkcicle stuff, whether it’s your standard tumblers or whiskey wedges or cigar glasses. Point-of-sale stuff people pick up for occasions and people tend to pick up as gifts. The Wingman is very popular. We started doing Theragun which has been very good, too.”
