Retail Opportunities:
Fitness as a Lifestyle

Bonnie Hamilton is the AGM Director of Retail at Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, Virginia.

Washington Golf & Country Club has a robust golf fitness and wellness program. We refurbished our free-standing fitness center more than five years ago with state-of-the-art equipment and hired certified instructors who teach yoga, Pilates and barre. We also have a massage therapist and even hired nutritionists to hold seminars throughout the year.

With the coronavirus pandemic present since the spring, our fitness instructor has conducted an array of Zoom classes, as well as outdoor sessions in an area supported with heaters to ensure a comfortable, welcoming setting.

It is essential that golf operations, especially PGA Professionals, also incorporate strength and stretching programs that play a major role in a holistic approach to improving members’ health, as well as their golf swing. Combining golf and fitness efforts has proven successful in increasing participation, as well as in boosting retail sales.

With traffic in the fitness center currently very limited, we decided to bring fitness apparel into the golf shop, including lined leggings, hoodies, joggers, Tommy John Henleys and Theraguns. People come into the shop and want to support it now more than ever. Plus, with more of them working from home, these types of fitness items can cross over into at-home wear, as well. What started as a connection between fitness, nutrition and golf has now also become a lifestyle and fitness trend that we are successfully incorporating in our golf shop.