The shopper-friendly design and traffic flow patterns of the pro shop at Shingle Creek GC has helped it rank among America’s best for three straight years. |
Pro shops sales hinge on good design that creates open and unimpeded access so customers can come in, find the merchandise they seek, and go back on their way.
Whether it’s the customer who dashes in to pick up a replacement pair of sunglasses before tee-off, or the one who wants to leisurely browse for the perfect shirt with a club logo, a pro shop is a constant hub of activity. So it’s no surprise to learn that as many new shops are being built or redesigned as part of clubhouse expansions or upgrades, a premium is being placed on traffic flow.
“In the front door and out the back” is how Dave Scott, Director of Golf at the Shingle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., describes the flow in a shop that has been ranked among America’s best for three years running.
“You pull up to complimentary valet parking, where they take your bag and car and walk you to the door,” Scott explains. “You check in, go downstairs, and pick up your waiting cart with bags inside. Afterwards, you walk through the restaurant to get to the shop, where you can do some browsing before you pick up your car.”
SUMMING IT UP
• Good traffic flow is a key to effective design of pro shops and other retailing outlets—not only to maximize sales, but also to have the best control over all activity.• Table displays tend to be falling out of favor and replaced by two- and four-way hanging racks and other more flexible fixtures. • Watch how customers act in existing space—and position sale items in the places they don’t go. |
Mike and Anna Ricket, Golf Professional and Retail Manager, respectively, of Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan., moved into their club’s remodeled pro shop in mid-June—and acquired a special appreciation for the value of good traffic flow while they waited for it to be completed.
“We were housed in a double-wide trailer during the renovation, which included tearing down the previous building and putting up a new one slightly more to the west,” says Anna Ricket. “The new building is connected to the locker rooms and grill area by a breezeway. And we’re now just 10 steps away from the first tee box.”
“The new space seems more inviting,” adds Mike Ricket, noting that classic dark wood tones have replaced the dated oak. “I think the newness and openness of it has brought in more activity. We now have more visibility for more merchandise.”
The shop at Indian Hills now routes traffic to one of three doors—one that leads to employee areas, one to the grill and locker area, and one to tee-side. More hanging fixtures and fewer folding fixtures are now in place. The main counter stands between the two entry doors. But a secondary cash wrap area is housed in the back of the shop, ready to handle customer overflow.
“During the holiday season, it turns into our gift-wrapping station,” Anna Ricket notes.
At Horseshoe Bay Resort, Director of Golf Glenn Lee oversees several shops that succeed by avoiding typical retailing design fallbacks, such as fluorescent lighting or shopping aisles. |
Windows to a New World
For Glenn Lee, Director of Golf at Horseshoe Bay (Texas) Resort in the heart of Texas Hill Country, a 2008 pro shop renovation literally opened up a new world to customers. Windows behind the counter now showcase the 18th green of one of the resort’s three Robert Trent Jones, Sr. courses—a view previously only enjoyed from within the confines of the manager’s office.
During the nine-month renovation, a temporary shop was set up in the so-called “golfer’s den,” a 400-sq. ft. space usually used for storage and as a sitting area.
Lee says the renovation did not gain any square footage, but changes in carpet and lighting have had a dramatic effect.
“Our center wrap is further back, with an L-shaped counter that abuts an entry hallway to the dining area,” he says. “More people now come through the shop.”
The newest outlet at Horseshoe Bay, the pro shop for its Summit Rock course, features a bank of flatscreen TVs that broadcast radar, news and sports. As Lee points out, “the longer we keep them in the shop, the more opportunity to sell.” As other shops at the resort are renovated, he expects TV monitors to always be built into the design in the same way.
In all cases, though, Lee notes that Horseshoe Bay will always be careful not to get “too retail” in any of its shops. “There’s no fluorescent lighting, only accent lighting,” he explains. “There are also no aisles. In fact, the only built-in [fixture] is the L-shaped counter, where we display high-end items like range finders or jewelry.”
Working out of a double-wide trailer while waiting for the Indian Hills CC pro shop to be renovated gave Anna and Mike Ricket, the club’s Retail Manager and Golf Director, new appreciation for the value of traffic flow. The upgraded space features a more inviting openness and better merchandise visibility. |
Creating Comfort Zones
Before any shop is renovated, Scott says it’s worth taking the time to watch how customers act in your existing space. “What certain areas are selling? I know my top three or four areas, versus where [merchandise] is going to sit,” he says. “When we find an area that we can’t get traffic to, that’s where we put sale items.”
In a shop environment, says retail specialist Tery Young, it’s important to try to implement an “acclimation zone”—an open area with no stock that can give casual passers-by a reason to go in.
“The potential customer is not going to walk into clutter,” he explains. “Psychologically speaking, they often pass by a shop doorway, see they’re not interested in what’s out front, and move on. If it’s more open [at the front of the shop], they’ll be more intrigued to come inside.”
Young recommends keeping the main register area in the back, to entice the customer to walk through the store—but in a position where associates can meet customers at eye level and extend a welcome and an offer to help.
Last but not least, the shop layout should make it easy for the team to keep things neat and organized. In addition to being a sales deterrent, “a cluttered display lends itself to easily miscounting inventory,” Young notes.
Dave Scott, Director of Golf at Shingle Creek GC, observes where customers like to go within a shop—and then puts sale items in the spot that doesn’t get traffic. |
Hang ‘Em High
Shingle Creek’s Scott hopes to soon modify his shop’s octagon-shaped middle nesting table. “It’s currently thigh-high; we’re hoping to raise it to be six-and-a-half feet tall, with a shirt waterfall on top and a straight bottom,” he says. “On the top of each of the eight sides, we’ll feature a half-mannequin.”
In its current state, Scott notes, the table holds between 64 and 72 pieces comfortably. Once the hanging racks have been added, he says, there will be enough capacity for 250 pieces.
Merchandise on table displays seems to move much more slowly than when hung on slant walls or two- or four-way racks, Scott reports. In addition, the thin, stretchy nature of clothing made from “tech” materials, now favored by golfers for how it offers greater freedom of movement while wicking away sweat and moisture, doesn’t fold as nicely as cotton.
“If I were to redo this shop again, I’d have all hanging fixtures,” he concludes. “It just offers more flexibility. Plus, some people are reluctant to ‘mess up’ a table display in search of their size. While we tape sizes to folded items, we find that [customers] prefer to search through clothing that’s on hangers.”
Logos and Ladies Take the Sales Lead
Logos and Ladies Take the Sales Lead At ORLANDO’s Shingle Creek GOLF CLUB, Director of Golf Dale Scott says that necessary items like gloves, sunscreen and balls are usually sold before a round, but that many golfers then come back to make additional purchases after their games. Big sellers this year, he reports, are ball markers and divot tools. “Hat clips are really popular with women, made popular by the LPGA players,” he adds. “Men buy them, too, but women buy them much more.”At Texas’ Horseshoe Bay Resort, Director of Golf Glenn Lee reports that “less than 2%” of all that’s sold in the property’s several pro shops does not have a logo on it. “Most members belong to multiple clubs, so they like to have this logo to wear at the other clubs,” he explains, noting that insulated mugs and tumblers are also popular. In addition, Horseshoe-branded stemless wine glasses are big sellers. “The specialty wine glasses are a great tournament gift,” Lee notes. “Membership perceives this as high value.” At Indian Hills CC in Mission Hills, Kans., Retail Manager Anna Ricket notes that while in previous seasons she has carried more men’s than women’s clothing, her current inventory ratio is about 50/50. “The sales volume has justified us carrying more product,” she says.—HG |
A ‘Monster’ Success
What started as a table feature in the golf shop, featuring some plush toys and other branded merchandise, has turned into a monster of the best kind: In July 2008, Miami’s Marriott Doral Golf Resort and Spa Hotel debuted the Blue Monster Pro Shop.The shop’s name refers to the world-famous golf course, the TPC Blue Monster at Doral. Doral’s Retail Director, Tonya Morrow, hit upon the idea to help build the brand by creating a blue monster character—depicted as a family-friendly, dragon-like creature in plush toys and children’s items, and as a pair of menacing eyes for more adult-themed merchandise—nearly three years ago. All of the Monster-branded items sold so well in the main pro shop that the Doral team then decided to build a separate store on the property around the concept. Doral brought in Tery Young, a design and merchandising consultant from San Francisco, to create the new store, essentially from scratch. His canvas, so to speak, was 1,200 square feet that was formerly occupied by a Greg Norman Collection store. “We were careful not to overlap too much merchandise with the [main] pro shop,” says Young in detailing the initial rollout strategy for the Monster store (pictured at right). “Our clothing, souvenirs and other merchandise mainly revolve around the idea of ‘I took on the Blue Monster and won.’” The front display window of the store features ominous eyes made of frosted glass. Inside, a 3-D logo springs from the cash wrap area. The shop features unique fixtures throughout, with a bold blue color theme accented with plastic turf and grass-green hues—to suggest “fresh sky and grass,” Young says. “We’re not just marketing to golfers, but to parents and kids looking for a memento of their stay at the resort,” Young says of the distinctly non-pro shop look of the store. “We’re selling laptop cases alongside the golf cases.” While Young wouldn’t expect too many clubs to go with a store design as unusual as the Blue Monster store, he does believe that the pro shop concept in general could use some modernization. “Even as traditional as golf is, pro shops are a little behind,” he says. “Look at the technologically advanced clothing that’s now being sold. It’s hard to stay hip and youthful when your surroundings are dated.” Some of the golf equipment manufacturers are taking it upon themselves to try to help narrow the gap, he notes. “Nike’s fixtures are starting to bring in fresh, lighter woods and aluminums,” he offers, as an example. In fact, Young adds, just a switch to more flexible fixtures may be the key to keeping up with the times on a budget. “Doral’s Men’s Shop recently did a facelift of 2,000 square feet for somewhere between $10,000 and $15,000,” he says. The shop achieved a more “youthful look,” he says, by “using a color scheme of navy, white and chrome, incorporating a natural-fibers carpet and stone.” |
“With essentially [nothing but] new paint, fixtures and flooring,” Young says, “they’ve given a fresh new life to the space that could easily give them another six years.”—HG
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