NWO Golf Links December 2016

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Golfsmith, Dicks Sporting
Goods, Golf Galaxy and
PGA Tour Superstore are all
included under the “Big Box
Store” category and represent
the majority of the retail golf
equipment sales in the United
States.
I do not want to bash the
big box store, but rather
educate golf consumers,
about the hazards of golf
retail. Hopefully you can
make the best choices about
where to spend your money
and what to spend it on.
Spiffs and Commission
Working on commission
simply means that you get
paid based on how much you
sell. A spiff is a bonus that is
paid for selling a particular
item, or brand.
Having a motivated sales staff
is a fine thing – it gives an
incentive to help customers
instead of whacking balls in
the simulator – but it becomes
problematic, when it is the
reason to push certain products
on unsuspecting golfers.
Stores that have house brands
often pay a higher commission
on those sales because there is
more margin. Spiffs can also be
a major incentive, especially if
the sales clerk is making $10/
hour, andcanearnanadditional
$50 for selling Brand X.
A simple solution to this
problem is to be direct. Ask
your salesperson if they’re
paid on commission or with
spiffs. You don’t have to storm
out if they are, but take their
advice with a grain of salt.
Lack of, or Misused, Fitting
Capabilities
Most Big Box Stores have
invested in first-tier launch
monitors, but that doesn’t
necessarilymeanthateverything
is on the up and up. One of the
oldest tricks in the golf retail
book is “juicing” the launch
monitor to spit out distances far
beyond what golfers will see in
the real world.
“Wow, Mrs. Haversham,
you’re hitting it 320 with that
new driver!”.
There is a simple fix for this
problem, bring your own
clubs for comparison.
A more difficult problem
is the lack of fitting
components. If the shafts and
heads available for testing
Big Box Store
Club Fitting Advice
NWO Golf Links