tage of market conditions and their ability to
flex their authoritative muscles. Specifically,
that means wherever PGA Professionals are
active in their knowledge of clubfitting, in-
struction and how to throw successful demo
days, figures are no doubt higher. Are you part
of that group? If not, it’s time to hone your
skills. PGA Professionals often say that they
can convert 90 percent of the golfers that they
fit for clubs into on-the-spot purchases. Typi-
cally the longer someone waits after getting
fitted, the less likely they’ll come back and buy
the clubs. And the less likely they’ll buy those
clubs from the person that fitted them.
Private club members tend to be very de-
voted to their own facility, when it comes to
buying clubs. Golfers getting fitted at resorts
or at daily-fee courses also prefer to buy where
they get fitted, but don’t have an emotional
attachment to the facility. So if you’re at one of
these types of facilities, you could benefit from
perhaps matching prices from local discount
shops to secure the business – or emphasize
that your prices are already competitive,
thanks to MAP pricing restrictions. Long gone
are the days when green grass shops have to
stock complete sets of clubs. Instead, clubfit-
ting systems let PGA Professional get the right
club specs first, then have customized sets for
the customer ship within as little as 48 hours.
The bottom line is that if you’re not doing
custom clubfitting at your facility, then you’re
not going to be in the game. That’s not true for
just woods and irons. The same premise holds
true with putters. There are many custom fitting
shops popping up all over America armed with
sophisticated equipment and launch monitors.
Many of these facilities also have putter studios
that are equipped with high-speed video cam-
eras and electronic gauges that again find the
ideal putter specs and head shape for some-
one’s putting stroke. PGA Professionals have an
added edge: Those geared with all of the proper
equipment can also help golfers improve both
their swing and course management skills, and
generally add a human element to all of the
computerized data that a launch monitor spits
out – much more so than the customer will ever
find at an off-course shop.
“I’ve taught a session on this topic at the
past three PGA Merchandise Shows, trying to
encourage green grass shop operators and
on-course PGA Professionals, and trying to
convince them they can compete,” says Tom
Stine, co-founder of Golf Datatech, based in
Kissimmee, Fla. “Even though the numbers
say that on-course isn’t what it once was, PGA
Professionals still can compete because
golfers still have to walk through their shops.
That hasn’t changed. And because of clubfitting, customers have to see the real ball flight
when the figure stood at 23. 46 percent. Irons
have taken a similar path, currently hovering at
21. 27 percent on-course, its highest since the
21. 55 percent mark seen in 2006. For irons, the
low point for on-course sales share was 19. 12
percent in 2007.
Putter sales on-course are still on the
decline, having plummeted from 58. 12 percent
in 2002 to just 37. 43 percent this year. With that
said, the putter market is finally showing signs
of promise. In the past year, the putter market
has essentially stabilized, from sales at on-course shops last year of 37. 69 percent. Thus, it
may be safe to say that the club market share
erosion suffered at green grass shops for most
of the past decade is slowing down immensely
– and in fact may be reversing.
What has caused this phenomenon? In
general, it’s PGA Professionals taking advan-
bankruptcy. A company
statement reportedly described
the move as “a mechanism to
implement the agreed upon
balance sheet restructuring,
and will not impact the
fundamental business of True
Temper or its day-to-day
operations.” The company
brought in a new group of
investors to pay off its bank
loans completely, while other
lenders are receiving equity in
the company in exchange for
eliminating the company’s debt
to them. “I’m feeling really
optimistic,” about the new
financial situation, says
president and CEO Scott
Hennessy, who adds that the
company is increasing its
marketing efforts for 2010.
Because of is new group of
private investors in place, True
Temper is no longer a publicly
traded company. True Temper
has also named Scott White
director of sales, golf
products.... Summit Golf
Brands named Andy Bell
president of Fairway & Greene
and Zero Restriction.... Srixon
debuted Z-TX fairway woods
($249) with a Custom 455
Maraging steel face, Starburst
variable face technology, and a
TWIN CAM sole positioning
extra weight toward the
perimeter; the Hybrid ($199)
with 9 grams of weight in the
sole and 6 grams in the heel;
and premium forged Z-TX irons
($899/set) for low to mid-handicappers, with a slight
cavity-back design and 5 grams
of tungsten weight on the heel
and toe of the sole.
Ecco introduced its
Spring/Summer 2010 golf
shoes. The men’s collection –
which ranges from $140 to
$450 per pair – includes the
top-end World Class GTX with
soft, breathable uppers,
elegant leathers, stability, and
leather welt midsole; Ultra
Performance Hydromax with
an advanced outsole that
enhances traction, reduces
weight and ensures flexibility;
New Classic GTX with richly
patterned “Lizard” and
“Pinnacle” leather uppers;
Casual Cool II Premier and its
this Just In
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