There are three great ways to buy golf clubs. You can purchase from a green grass account. This is usually an on course Pro Shop. You can purchase from a retail store, think Golfsmith or Dick’s. Finally you can purchase online, either at online retailers or places like ebay™. All three have pros and cons, but all three do a really good job of parting you and your money!
Green Grass Accounts
Cantigny Pro Shop
It’s a logical place to start. When you go out to play golf or practice, you automatically become a potential customer to the “green grass” account. Your local golf facility should have some type of golf merchandise on display.
Pros
- Green Grass accounts have PGA Professionals, it is their job to know about golf equipment and products. Many of the Professionals are on staff with the major manufactures. This means that they play a specific brand of equipment, and have their names associated with that brand…ever see a PGA Professionals Staff bag?
- Local Sales Representatives assisting in the sale and care of each individual brand. Usually a local person. This helps in a variety of ways. Sales Reps get hard to find items, deal with warranty issues and trouble shoot problems for the Golf Pro. Special orders tend to be faster and easier to do with green grass accounts.
- Pros at “green grass” accounts tend to know a lot about a particular product line(s). Since they carry it, play it, they have a wealth of knowledge…and know how to explain it!
- Most..and I mean most…of the Professionals at a golf facility have superior customer service, if you buy a product from them, it’s because they want you to spend your money on green fees or range tokens. For most golf shops, the money is in the repeat customer using their other services. Selling clubs is a by-product, not a necessity.
- Green grass accounts are stable…I mean that they tend to stick around, and are open from first light to darkness…including Sundays!
Cons
- Limited product brands. Most Pro Shops won’t carry every manufacturer. Or have accounts with every manufacturer. It would be impossible to fit them all into the limited sales space they have.
- Lower in-stock sku’s (stock keeping units…or stuff)
- Tend to have higher costs. This is very true for must have things such as balls, gloves and apparel. Since you are there, they gotcha! They rely on margin, over volume.
Retail Box Stores
Dedicated to the sale of anything golf related. These stores can be as large as 50,000 square feet of equipment overload. Golfsmith and Golf Galaxy are golf/ tennis only stores. Dick’s is a mega sports store with golf, fishing, men’s and women’s apparel, shoes, fitness and any “ball” sport utopia. The retail box stores know how to merchandise…they know how to set up displays, and are somewhat knowledgeable (the sales force knows product, the cashier not so much…)
Pros
- Vast selection of products. Everything from A-Z.
- Large in store inventory…multiple products with the same characteristics. And most stores have a very large demo section…you can hit the ball in a net
not the best option, but better than most. - Most have a trade in program…at least you can get some $ for your old equipment to help defray the cost of something new. In fact you can find some used clubs at great prices.
- Close outs…this is a great reason to stop by a big box store. They have plenty of last years or later merchandise to choose from. If a manufacturer has too many of last years model in a warehouse, they will sell it to a Big Box retailer (due to the logistics and distribution power) at an excellent discount…which means you get it for a lot less.
- The ability to find what you want in one stop. These stores have literally thousands of sku’s (stuff) from every manufacturer and then some. Dick’s currently purchased the Hagen name, and McGregor Line…they then cut out the middle man and offer some ridiculous prices on decent products.
- Box retailers can sell on volume, and are motivated to turn over product (saves room and makes $) so you can get great sales pricing…
Cons
- Staff knowledge. Imagine if you had to know everything about 8 manufactures…who have 6 product lines…wow that would even hurt my head! When you go to buy a “new” car…you don’t have the Toyota’s hanging out at the Ford store…So this can be somewhat tough when deciding on a specific brand…it can be overload. Too many choices can confuse.
- Limited hours of operation. I’ve tried to buy stuff on a weekend (it’s still light outside) and found the store closed. They are also located in high traffic areas, making parking and travel times difficult.
- Sometimes I feel so alone….hello…anyone there? With such a large space, there is not too much interaction…and these “helpers” are paid to make the store $…the questions they ask are not really about me, but rather how much I plan to spend.
- Customer service can become a nightmare. Not all Big Box retailers are bad…but with the volume of customers, sometimes you can become a lost name and number. I had a student once that bought some clubs (heck it was a great deal) the problem was they shipped the wrong set (she was a lefty) it was a righty…then it took 8 weeks for her to get the clubs…TWO months…in the middle of summer? Her season was gone before she got her sticks. And she didn’t even get a discount or a towel…was very sad.
On-Line Retail or Auction
Beavergolf.com a community on the Web
This is the area that has taken off. It’s always on….24/7. Items get shipped directly to your house, no need to drive around. On-Line retailers tend to have some great prices…You get exactly what you want, in the size shape or color…All types of manufactures are available and hard to find items are just a click away.
Pros
- Buy what you want when you want. Every option is available to you. Prices are generally lower (most of the big manufacturers won’t allow them to advertise a lower price than Green Grass, but they almost always have some special to entice you…like free shipping or an extra club or a free towel)
- Super low pricing on discontinued products…they make a killing on selling 2nd-3rd generation clubs. Auctions like ebay can let the market dictate what prices are. I’ve seen some really low prices on great clubs. The used golf club market feasts on the auction based platform. Owners and sellers can help each other out.
Cons
- Not being able to physically hold or touch the merchandise
- Shipping costs and times. Some on-line sellers find creative ways to inflate the cost…especially handling fees.
- Restocking fees and return processes
- Customer service? Some are exceptional (TGW and Golfsmith) some are not so good. Getting answers to questions about a particular item is kinda like asking a NY cabbie directions to Boston…won’t happen. You must know exactly what you want…the internet is also a great resource for information…like dlrgolf.com
- Paying by Credit Card…I do enjoy using Paypal…and have found that in most cases ebay is very concerned with customer satisfaction
- Buying used equipment and relying on a photo for what you get..you never know how it’s been used..at least the best sellers have a return policy, plus you can leave a bad review if needed on a transaction.
- When a deal is too good to be true…there are scam artists out there so buyer beware…deal with only people that have good reputations…if you notice more than 10% of the comments are negative…move along.
In the End
When you feel the need to get some new golf gear, take a look at all three. I’m sure that something might catch your eye. I highly recommend using a Green Grass Account if possible. These guys are good, they have an interest in improving your game, and they don’t want to lose you as a customer (since they have a smaller number). If you do have a problem, it usually just takes one phone call to get it fixed.
For Big Box retailers…I like Golfsmith and Dick’s. They have lots of product and some great pricing on golf balls and accessories. The amount of in-stock clubs makes it very possible that they have what you need. Chicago Bills Golf in Hanover Park is a hybrid..not quite as large as a BBR but way bigger than a GGA…plus Mark and Norris are golf guys..and they have as much knowledge as anyone I know about all the major manufactures. They provide all the pros of a GGA but have superior customer service when compared to a BBR.
On-line retailers are the 900 pound gorilla. They are changing how every retailer model works. They are never closed and offer the widest assortment of inventory around. As we move forward, I suspect that a greater percentage of my purchases and yours will be done online. I’ve noticed more and more PGA Instructors (Lou Solarte comes to mind) are offering web based sales of equipment. It makes sense, they understand the game, and can use it provide the buyer with information…also they are providing club fitting with purchases, so that’s a good thing! The web also allows specialty or niche retailers the opportunity to sell unique golf products. Beavergolf.com is run buy a local golfer, who wants to provide a specific feel to his “community” of golfing contacts. Ebay and the auction websites offer you the opportunity to buy or sell…which keeps more money in your pocket and that’s a good thing…isn’t it?
