PROP UP THOSE SALES

  The golf shop at your club is a special place.  It is the hub for golf and fun.  It provides the starting point from which the golf day begins.  The Professional and staff are here, ready to serve, troubleshoot, protect, improve, and manage the day of golf for all.  The shop also houses all of those golf toys we love so much.  Golfers get charged up about new clubs, shoes, apparel, balls, and everything else.  One way to do a better job promoting your merchandise is by developing themed areas in the shop, throughout the season using props.

  I believe that for most players, golf is a local game.  Golf courses are many times in the neighborhoods where we live.  Why not create a series of themes and stories about the area, your area, which will build traffic, interest and fun, keeping men and women in the shop a bit longer, providing you with a very interested audience and higher sales.

  Let’s think props.  Begin very local.  Think about your area high schools.  Are you near the beach?  Who is your golfer?  If many are boomers, you have a great variety of themes and props to choose from.  What about big events coming to the area this year?  Think about building displays using props around the interests of your players.  Create stories around daily interest, local heroes, area life.   Begin soon to build a display calendar for your year.  Of course, you can also add The Masters, and other larger than life events which will draw conversation and sales.  Following are 5 thoughts for building winning golf shop themes this year.

5 thoughts on adding flavor to your shop this season:

1. Begin with your golfers.  If they are boomers, research common items from the 60’s and 70’s including old record players, album jackets, old baseball gloves, transistor radios, doll collections, and of course old clubs
2. Add items that give your shop a real warm feeling, like old suitcases, kitchen items, recipe books, and other household pieces which can create deep memories and real nostalgia
3. Build themes around the local schools using school pennants, themed golf bags, team photos, and things that will draw parents, grand-parents, together with the kids this season
4. When summer approaches, create a beach story, with all of the appropriate gear for a magical trip to the sea shore
5. It’s still golf, so create themes around the great shots and rounds of your golfers, as well as stories about the greats of the game.  Display memories, both old and those yet to be made.  You will be amazed by the traffic, conversation, and sales.

  The golf shop can be about theatre.  Work the prop idea.  Visit great retail stores to see how their pros do it.  Once you give it a try or two, you will create some grand looks that will make a difference to your players and your sales.

The highfives series is written by Jack Dillon.  He is a golf shop expert.  He can help make this year your best merchandise year yet.  Allow Jack’s passion, experience, and success to create a winning attitude in your shop.  He is a speaker and consultant.  He can be reached at highfives81@yahoo.com, or at 407-973-6136.  If you know you can do better, ask Jack to be your shop coach this season.