Life With No Pro (Possibly)

[GB72]

Had an email from the club a couple of weeks ago confirming that our club pro was to leave. Since then there has been no word of a replacement. Had an email today that the shop would be shut for a few days whilst the club carried out a stock take and apologies for any inconvenience during a transitional period but, again, no word of any replacement.

Looks like the club may be starting the new season without a resident professional. How things pan out will be interesting and I am not sure how much of a loss it would be but still intrigued to see if this is the route we are going down.

 

[One Planer]

Does/Did the current pro and shop see much use Greg?

 

[MendieGK]

Had an email from the club a couple of weeks ago confirming that our club pro was to leave. Since then there has been no word of a replacement. Had an email today that the shop would be shut for a few days whilst the club carried out a stock take and apologies for any inconvenience during a transitional period but, again, no word of any replacement.

Looks like the club may be starting the new season without a resident professional. How things pan out will be interesting and I am not sure how much of a loss it would be but still intrigued to see if this is the route we are going down.

Interesting really. However, assuming you weren't having lessons with the pro, i can see it working fairly easily. IMO Clubs need a businessman to run a pro-shop and someone working in there who is a proper club fitter/builder.

I am not a pro, far from it, but i believe i know more about the production of golf clubs etc etc than most pros would.

 

[GB72]

Does/Did the current pro and shop see much use Greg?

Not sure to be honest as I am not up the club that much. Stock levels have certainly dropped since I have been there with less brands in place. I was happy taking my lessons from Bob so I did not use the pro much.

 

[Rooter]

IMO Clubs need a businessman to run a pro-shop and someone working in there who is a proper club fitter/builder.

Spot on, At my club, the guy that runs the pro shop is actually both of those, which i imagine is pretty rare. But he also now runs another 2 pro shops at 2 local clubs. Each club has their own resident pro who is I suppose looked at as the shop manager, and this guy is the area manager if you will. Works very very well. Also he is in some shop consortium of sorts, I cant recall the name, but this is becoming absolutely necessary to give them the ability to compete with the retail giants.

Hope it gets sorted Greg!

 

[Foxholer]

Interesting really. However, assuming you weren't having lessons with the pro, i can see it working fairly easily. IMO Clubs need a businessman to run a pro-shop and someone working in there who is a proper club fitter/builder.

I am not a pro, far from it, but i believe i know more about the production of golf clubs etc etc than most pros would.

That's not the 'modern' way though. A modern Pro is primarily/almost completely a teacher/retailer, though there's a segment on club-building in the PGA course. The Pro-Shop area is too valuable to have the equipment required for occasional club repairs/building, so unless there's a spare building available elsewhere, that can be used, the entire shop is devoted to retail goods - with some limited facilities for the likes of grip fitting squeezed in somewhere! The idea that a Golf Pro was also the club repairer pretty much died when steel shafts meant that re-whipping was no longer required!

There are the occasional ones that continue to repair, but definitely an insignificant minority. Many will actually know or have access to club builders though. A couple I know of have Loft/Lie machines, which don't take up much floor/storage space, but provide a good service and income.

As for the OP. It doesn't seem as if the Club is particularly communicative about what is actually happening - though at least there is some information being issued. I would have thought there would have been some indication of their plans.

 

[MendieGK]

That's not the 'modern' way though. A modern Pro is primarily/almost completely a teacher/retailer, though there's a segment on club-building in the PGA course. The Pro-Shop area is too valuable to have the equipment required for occasional club repairs/building, so unless there's a spare building available elsewhere, that can be used, the entire shop is devoted to retail goods - with some limited facilities for the likes of grip fitting squeezed in somewhere! The idea that a Golf Pro was also the club repairer pretty much died when steel shafts meant that re-whipping was no longer required!

There are the occasional ones that continue to repair, but definitely an insignificant minority. Many will actually know or have access to club builders though. A couple I know of have Loft/Lie machines, which don't take up much floor/storage space, but provide a good service and income.

As for the OP. It doesn't seem as if the Club is particularly communicative about what is actually happening - though at least there is some information being issued. I would have thought there would have been some indication of their plans.

But, IMO a good pro shop wouldn't have much equipment to immediately buy nowadays. Custom fitting is so important, pretty much everything should be made to order. That's just my view, but then again that's the reason why i don't buy equipment from pro shops.

Also, i don't profess to know the salary of a golf pro in the shop but i would assume they would 'command' a higher salary than someone who probably knows more about the equipment but is not qualified?

 

[AmandaJR]

I feel our pro is an integral part of the club and we'd be poorer if he wasn't around. I don't actually have lessons with him although have attended a couple of his group lessons. The shop is very much a focal point for tee bookings, competition signing in/paying plus retail and club fittings/testing.

Then there's the Captain/Pro challenge which is always over subscribed. Generally though seeing Al around the place regularly trotting to and from the range or practice area, or in the shop or playing golf with his wife on a Thursday afternoon kind of makes it a better place and he's like the glue that sticks everything else together. He knows everyone, everyone knows him and for all those reasons and more I think he's an extremely valuable asset to the club.

Oh - he was also out with the head greenkeeper redefining the fairway/rough on every hole last week...good to have a pro golfing mind working that out!

 

[bluewolf]

At my club, the Pro shop is quite small with only a few essentials. However, it is part of a small chain of Pro shops at local courses with a large "superstore" type shop with a very good range in easy driving distance. It's a very good system with several tied pros and a couple of Pros at the Superstore..

 

[golfdub]

Had an email from the club a couple of weeks ago confirming that our club pro was to leave. Since then there has been no word of a replacement. Had an email today that the shop would be shut for a few days whilst the club carried out a stock take and apologies for any inconvenience during a transitional period but, again, no word of any replacement.

Looks like the club may be starting the new season without a resident professional. How things pan out will be interesting and I am not sure how much of a loss it would be but still intrigued to see if this is the route we are going down.

We have just had exactly the same problem at our club as the pro left early feb so the shop has been shut ever since but now we have a new pro about to start in April.


I'm sure it will work in the long run as its so important to get the correct person for the job as its more than likely they will be there for a very long time to come.

 

[SammmeBee]

We have just had exactly the same problem at our club as the pro left early feb so the shop has been shut ever since but now we have a new pro about to start in April.


I'm sure it will work in the long run as its so important to get the correct person for the job as its more than likely they will be there for a very long time to come.

Wrotham??

 

[SGC001]

We have just had exactly the same problem at our club as the pro left early feb so the shop has been shut ever since but now we have a new pro about to start in April.


I'm sure it will work in the long run as its so important to get the correct person for the job as its more than likely they will be there for a very long time to come.

Do you mean james? I went along to see him for aimpoint. If so, shame i'm sure he would've been an asset to your club.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Our pro shop is really small in terms of square footage. Our pro doesn't carry too much stock but will order in and price match. He's been there about 20 years and seems quite happy doing what he's doing. He'll do the standard repairs (grips) and lessons but never seems to really push the business or put himself out

 

[Evesdad]

Our pro shop is really small in terms of square footage. Our pro doesn't carry too much stock but will order in and price match. He's been there about 20 years and seems quite happy doing what he's doing. He'll do the standard repairs (grips) and lessons but never seems to really push the business or put himself out

This is the same as ours.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Our pro left a while back, no biggie, he was pretty rubbish.
Now the Owners daughter Evie is a 2nd year assistant pro and is giving lessons.
Feedback is that she is pretty good.
She has also set up an indoor studio on a nearby industrial estate with a trackman primarily for lessons, but you can also play virtual courses too

We like Evie

 

[bluewolf]

Our pro left a while back, no biggie, he was pretty rubbish.
Now the Owners daughter Evie is a 2nd year assistant pro and is giving lessons.
Feedback is that she is pretty good.
She has also set up an indoor studio on a nearby industrial estate with a trackman primarily for lessons, but you can also play virtual courses too

We like Evie

Why did I read that last sentence in a Leslie Phillips voice?

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Why did I read that last sentence in a Leslie Phillips voice?

You Dhurty Old Maan ( he said in his best Steptoe voice)


Thats Evie on the right holding the trophy