Patrick Crow, the 2019 Illinois PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Private Facilities, is the PGA Director of Golf at Chicago Highlands Club in Westchester, Illinois.
We carry traditional golf brands such as Peter Millar, G/FORE, Straight Down and KJUS, as well as non-tradi-tional golf lines like lululemon. Adding lululemon to our merchan-dise mix has been huge in growing our business, allowing us to offer more athleisure products than ever before. Their skirts work great on the golf course, as well as on the tennis court, and the entire catalog of lululemon products has done well for us. I believe a good portion of our increase in women’s sales in 2021 was attributable to our success in selling more athleisure brands. The new lines brought a new segment of customer to our golf shop, and this helped with increased sales across all brands.
Having a full fitness center on our property has allowed for more flexibility in our golf shop, enabling us to change golf shop merchandise with the seasons. In the heart of the golf season, we are primarily selling golf-specific merchandise. Our golf shop transitions in the shoulder months, however, to offer more fitness and athletic apparel.
The athletic lines of Peter Millar and Ralph Lauren have done very well. For men, the Peter Millar Lava Wash hoody was a great seller and sold out almost immediately every time we were able to bring them in. The ABC Jogger from lululemon is a must to carry for men, as well.
For women, the Align Leggings and the Define Jacket from lululemon are some of our best sellers, and we also do well with their Everywhere Belt Bag, which can be worn across the waist or as a cross-body bag that’s great for workouts when you need to carry just a couple of small items. They come out with different seasonal colors all the time, and most women have more than one to match multiple outfits.
The ability to entice members and guests into your golf shop by selling more than just traditional golf merchandise expands your potential revenue streams. This not only helps with sales, but it provides a fantastic experience and vital service for members and guests, knowing that the golf shop can satisfy all their shopping needs.
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