Club Pro, do they need our support?

[Val]

People forget what a club pro does and what he gets paid for. Ours is like many others, he gets a retainer and im not sure how much but it's likely to be between £20k-£30k or so plus % of visitor fees and whatever he makes through his shop and off lessons. Our pro also has 2 assistants (not ass pro's but basically helpers for the shop), helps on medal day only collecting fee's and ensuring guys are on the tee in time etc etc, the other is his dad who gives him a day or 2 a week off.

So what does he do other than sell mars bars, equipment and take money?

Ours has a major input into the course iteslf and helps the head greenkeeper, he has a close relationship with the main committee guys and gets on very well with them. He also works very closely with the juniors and gives each a certain amount of free coaching throught the school holidays.

I reckon in the height of summer our pro is at the course around 60 or 80 hours a week. In the winter he'll be there 30 or 40 despite having hours when few people come to the course.

It's also worth noting through the shop he has to pay for his stock and outlay cash before he sells it too, I was told by a local pro that the average pro shop overdraft in summer can easily be as high as £60-£100k depending on what he has. On top of that he has to compete with good online shop sites and good shops like AG, DG, good driving range shops and the likes.

Need our support? Absolutely and probably now more than ever.

 

[dufferman]

Our pro carries very little stock but works hard to match on prices. I know Hawkeye got a great deal on his Titleist and I do very well on my FJ's. He provides a decent service, not only in terms of lessons, but in the other stuff like repairs. I've always had really good turnaround for my needs. He organises the comps well and the fact he's been there for over fifteen years means he must be doing something right.

Out of interest, when you say 'great deal', do you mean a great deal compared to the web etc, or just a great deal from the original pro shop price?

 

[MadAdey]

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Need our support? Absolutely and probably now more than ever.

But it is about time some of the old school club pros realised that there is a recession on and they need to be more competitive. They say they can't compete with online prices. That is a load of old crap. My pro does, as I said before when the R11s got released DG and AG wanted £329 for it my pro was selling it at £299!!!!!

Cost of living is going up and people need to find bargains. Anyone who runs their own business will tell you straight away that your prices have got to be competitive if you want to make any money. Remember £20 3 times is more than £50 once. Or in other words make smaller profits but more of them. That is how my pro is still managing to sell plenty of stuff.

 

[Garush34]

We don't have a pro at our place but if we did id rather support him even if it cost a little bit more than going to DG/AG to have them pushing whatever it is that's best for them to sell. I'd like to think that a pro would give his best and honest advice to members as they would give repeat business. And for me this would be more valuable then saving £20.

Id obviously prefer to save money but I'd only be buying big purchases that I knew id be using for a long time and there for would get value out of it. things like gloves tees etc., I just pick up on my travels and when I need them.

I do use a pro for lessons but he is about an hour away. Had a few lessons and he has suggested changes to the bag but has never come across as needing to push the sale. just advises what's suitable and the price he has available. in the end after searching around I went back to him and bought my irons cos i knew that he knew my game and what would be suited best to help me improve down the road and what would last. plus he usually does a deal on the lessons which helps to save a bit here and there.

 

[Val]

But it is about time some of the old school club pros realised that there is a recession on and they need to be more competitive. They say they can't compete with online prices. That is a load of old crap. My pro does, as I said before when the R11s got released DG and AG wanted £329 for it my pro was selling it at £299!!!!!

Cost of living is going up and people need to find bargains. Anyone who runs their own business will tell you straight away that your prices have got to be competitive if you want to make any money. Remember £20 3 times is more than £50 once. Or in other words make smaller profits but more of them. That is how my pro is still managing to sell plenty of stuff.

Your are absolutely right, our pro is pretty good and will always try and price match the internet particularly for cash where he doesnt have to pay a cc transaction fee, flip side to that at £1.20 for a bottle of water and 80p a Mars bar i feel he is on the high side especially when Tesco will do you 6 bottles of water for £1.40.

Tough gig I have to say, at the end of the day they have a living to earn too.

 

[MadAdey]

Tough gig I have to say, at the end of the day they have a living to earn too.

It is a very tough gig without a doubt, but with some good business sense they can make good money from it. I think the younger generation of pros have got the right idea. My pro decided to go into it after graduating from university with a business degree. Someone that I grew up playing with and spent all my school years with, became a pro after graduating from university. Both of them are making good money as they are treating as a business rather than a hobby that they are getting paid for.

 

[dufferman]

Another question to whoever is out there reading...

Many say AM or DG are pushing specific clubs or brands. Why would this not happen with a pro? Could he / she not sell you a set of TaylorMade's for £500 when a set of Wilson Staff's for £300 would be just as good? Why is it that AM will only sell you what they are being asked to sell when they have a huge range, maybe bigger than a pro, to offer you?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

flip side to that at £1.20 for a bottle of water and 80p a Mars bar i feel he is on the high side especially when Tesco will do you 6 bottles of water for £1

Tesco = Rapacious, ruthless and uncaring

What Tesco charge for anything is neither here nor there to me as I avoid crossing the threshold of any of their stores as best I can.

 

[Val]

It is a very tough gig without a doubt, but with some good business sense they can make good money from it. I think the younger generation of pros have got the right idea. My pro decided to go into it after graduating from university with a business degree. Someone that I grew up playing with and spent all my school years with, became a pro after graduating from university. Both of them are making good money as they are treating as a business rather than a hobby that they are getting paid for.

Definately needs some business sense thats for sure.

Craw and I have had this conversation before and we both have said we'd have ebay shops with all our pro shop stock on it.

 

[Val]

Tesco = Rapacious, ruthless and uncaring

What Tesco charge for anything is neither here nor there to me as I avoid crossing the threshold of any of their stores as best I can.

Sansburys, Asda and Morrisons are similar in price

 

[MadAdey]

Definately needs some business sense thats for sure.

Craw and I have had this conversation before and we both have said we'd have ebay shops with all our pro shop stock on it.

there are a couple on Ebay doing it already. That is where I got my 3-wood from. Thing is the pro could then start taking stuff in on part-ex and shipping it out via Ebay.

 

[Garush34]

Another question to whoever is out there reading...

Many say AM or DG are pushing specific clubs or brands. Why would this not happen with a pro? Could he / she not sell you a set of TaylorMade's for £500 when a set of Wilson Staff's for £300 would be just as good? Why is it that AM will only sell you what they are being asked to sell when they have a huge range, maybe bigger than a pro, to offer you?

The way i look at it is, if I'm gona buy from a pro chances are I've had lessons with them before. so therefore would ask their opinion on what to buy considering, how I play/swing, then take into consideration how much said upgrade/purchase would cost. I can then way up if I think it would be worth it. also I know the pro i use will let me try out the club out on the practice area and let me compare between my current club and others I'm considering buying and see the actual results.

Whereas if I go into AG/DG and ask so guy that works there and I've never met before and who has never seen me swing a club before and he recommends this club would be better for me than this one. And yeah I can go and have a hit on their virtual range and they can tell me what the data says but how do I know its accurate??

Plus for me I've worked in sales before for a large electronics company, and there were many a time where i was told to recommend one item over another cos it made the company more money. And if I recommended something else it was frowned upon.

So that's why I would be wary of AG/DG pushing certain items. And that's not to say a pro wouldn't but if he wanted repeat business I don't think it would make sense to push items just cos it made more money than giving a customer the best service especially in a recession.

 

[JoeDavidsonNG]

Unfortunately, it seems in parts of the UK, Club Pros just arent doing tot the trade they used to. Myself working in a well stocked shop for 3 or 4 years, i have seen it firsthand.
Obviously, as already mentioned countless times, the internet is a cut throat business for undercutting eachother, thats the bottom line.
Mself owning a Golf Clothing website (nichegolfer.com) know exactly how it effects the local pro's. but its as simple as who can offer the player what they want, and the marketing is the KEY.
A lot of pros, dont market their businesses well enough to compete.

 

[moogie]

Have to say that Spike at your place always comes across as providing a very good service for the members and the shop appears to be well supported.

Yes Alan, Spike has good support from members, shop sales, and busy with lessons too
It does help. I suppose, that in his younger days, he was a Junior at the club, and remembered by many from that far back
Hes still a local lad, that lives just across the road from our club
George (another Pro) & Assistant young Ross (I know from my old club too) are both good lads aswell
Gotta good set up :thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You'll have to ask Hawkeye for the details but I think he matched vs internet best price

 

[AMcC]

Yes Alan, Spike has good support from members, shop sales, and busy with lessons too
It does help. I suppose, that in his younger days, he was a Junior at the club, and remembered by many from that far back
Hes still a local lad, that lives just across the road from our club
George (another Pro) & Assistant young Ross (I know from my old club too) are both good lads aswell
Gotta good set up :thup:

Spike has his work cut out on the lesson front, my sister is taking lessons from him, maybe his first failure lolne:

 

[moogie]

Spike has his work cut out on the lesson front, my sister is taking lessons from him, maybe his first failure lolne:

Ha , good one

U DO realise I will have to print this page out and keep for a possible future blackmail plot..............or maybe just tell Jim.......