Even as the diabolical and unrelenting pandemic held us hostage, golf somehow managed to escape its grip and survive. No, make that thrive! As one of the against-all-odds good news stories of the last few years, golf’s boom continues to echo loudly. That is what I heard time and again after talking to golf shops across the country to find out what they’re selling and how their sales have been. By all accounts, it will take a lot more than nagging inflation and recession fears to slow the surge.
Head Pro: Jamie Stevens
With a few lean years behind it, Westfield Golf & Country Club in Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, is enjoying a resurgence. And helping to lead the charge at the Donald Ross course is second-year head pro Jamie Stevens. “People are spending more freely since the pandemic,” Stevens says, a loosening of the purse strings that accelerated during the pandemic and shows no signs of abating. As well, supply chain issues from last year have been pretty much resolved, and probably most importantly, a kinder, gentler Mother Nature has cooperated with recent winters that have allowed the club to open with minimal green issues.
Still, to meet the challenge of online and local retail competition, pros must be creative if they want their shop to do well, and Stevens is sticking to a game plan that has proved to be successful. Part of that plan is fitting. “We did lots of fittings this spring,” Stevens says, noting that the days of buying clubs off the rack are pretty much over. “The Callaway Paradym and Rogue are flying off the shelves,” he says, and while he’s a Callaway staff member, Stevens plans to add more brands to the shop and offer fitting days for other brands.
Preferred pricing for members and their guests has also helped to drive sales, with the price-point on Cleveland putters and Srixon Soft Feel balls proving to be particularly attractive. His ‘buy three sleeves of balls, get the fourth free’ season-long promotion has also been successful. On the soft goods side, price-friendly Nike apparel has done well, as have Lopez and Antigua. Foot Joy and Callaway shoes are mainstays, as is Nike headwear. Coming soon will be a Callaway glove offering that features the Westield logo. “Times are good,” Stevens says, “and we’ll do our best to capitalize on what we have.”
