Deb Bacon is the Pro Shop Manager at Alpine Country Club in Demarest, New Jersey.
Deb Bacon on the importance of carrying non-traditional apparel pieces in your golf shop:
When I joined the team at Alpine Country Club, I decided to bring in some athleisure wear and implement a more casual element into the shop. I started with a one-day trunk show with a collection of women’s hoodies, sweatshirts, athletic jackets and other athleisure items. The trunk show was very successful, so we decided to bring some product into the shop. For men, we brought in joggers, which are doing great too. We’ve always had hoodies, but recently added even more to our selection! As this has been the trend industry-wide, I definitely think there’s an opportunity for success in our golf shop with this type of apparel, especially as a private club. In fact, I took women’s apparel out of the back corner of the golf shop and moved it up front, merchandising it with our men’s apparel. We did this because women will often buy four or five pieces at once, while the men will buy one.
Deb Bacon on the business impact of carrying non-traditional apparel pieces in your golf shop:
With the reputation we’ve developed in our shop, our women members bring their friends from other clubs because very few other shops are carrying these items. I’m carrying sweats and hoodies for the colder weather to cater to those members and customers don’t let the temperature affect their fashion. Men’s joggers have done extremely well, so I put those out front. I also decided to bring in very unique product – they look like golf pants, but when you look closely, you see a banded bottom. Despite being all pull-on, our men, who are used to button pants, love them once they try them. Finally, for our women members, skorts with leggings attached are great for cooler spring and fall days. A lot of these pieces are more like items you wear to the store, or out and about. In fact, a couple of the guys are wearing the joggers on the course, but the women really haven’t. So, I ordered knit jogging outfits for women for 2023. The day the rep was here, a couple of members came in and saw them and said, “You’re going to order them, right?” That’s great feedback. They’re going to buy them somewhere, so why not here? We want to be their shopping destination.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email debb@alpinecc.org.
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