Dick's Sporting Goods Fires In-Store Golf Pros

[flintcreek6412]

Sorry for those that lost their jobs.  Retail is a brutal business.  I have never been impressed by the PGA staffer at our dicks but ours isn't the biggest store either.  He's usually on a smoke break anyway and not around.  But I certainly won't generalize all of them based upon him.  I'm certain there are lots of good ones out there.

I personally won't buy clubs or most accessories at Dicks.   I prefer to support my local shop.  And after building a relationship I get better pricing too.  The locals are taking a beating by places like Dicks because guys come in and demo stuff on the range, then run buy it at Dicks for $20 less.   It's worth $20 to get the service from a local shop IMO.

As far as buying clubs online, never ever.   Too much fraud and fakes.   It seems timely that the golf channel just did a bit about fake clubs out there bought online.

TM and Calloway are a big problem but consumers must support it as well as shops.   IMO Titleist and Ping are on the money.  New models every year or 2.   It's no surprise that my Dicks doesn't even stock Ping or Titleist.

I think if the golf industry was like archery it would help the little shops better.   Who wants to support a big business that isn't invested in a community?  Look at the archery equipment at Dicks.   You won't see any top line bow from any major mfg.   Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, PSE, Etc.   They will only let their low tier bows be sold there and you can only get Pro series bows from dealers.   Even Cabelas and Bass Pro can't get them.

Anyway, I digress.   Golf is dying and no one is will to change.  The mfg want to make money now with no regard to the future.  The players want it their way as cheap as possible.

That's a lot of PGA positions thrown into this bad market.   Good luck.

I just recommend not going into insurance sales like most seem to.   It's getting just as bad with the all the online deals.

[Infamous 273]

My experience at Dicks was golf seemed like an after thought. the 8x8 small putting green had a rope with a lock on it and you had to ask or get help to try out a putter. The "golf" area seemed crammed into a corner and the selection seems...well somewhat like a Target or Wal-Mart, not like a store that was committed to the golf business. With that said we have a PGA Superstore 2 minutes from Dicks, and a Golfsmith 10 minutes away. Yes, there is a bit of over-population but if you are not "all-in" then you probably should get out...seems like that is what Dick's did. To blame it on the factors Dicks did..well those are excuses for their own shortcomings.

I agree with most of what you said. Probably the reason higher end golf club manufacturers like PING, Titleist, and Mizuno didn't sell their equipment there.

[Cool Breeze]

Quote:

Providing good service adds value to the company, too, and does contribute to the bottom line. It's just not as easily quantified as sales numbers.

That's very true.

Like someone said above, it was probably done as an experiment and when it didn't yield the desired results they scrapped it.

It sucks for the people who were laid off.  I know how that feels.

[Weston1986]

I was a golf pro at dicks less than a year ago and new that I had to get out quickly. Sales were plummeting and management was awful. Its an easy job to have as a golf pro but I was miserable going into work everyday. Management constantly up your ass and you hardly have the freedom to do what you want with the shop. I don't know if its at all stores but the one I was at our store manager would tell us what to say if a vp would come to visit.

Dicks doesn't really want to put in the effort to have a stand out golf section. You can see how they are trying to become some what of a walmart with golf equipment.  If people really understood what happens at some of these stores. All year you are unbelievably under staffed causing a large amount of stress to the employees. When someone high up comes they will bring all staff on and make the store look perfect. Then the person coming to figure out why sales are down and where all of the complaints are coming from sees nothing wrong. Its crazy how stupid it is.

I feel extrememly bad for  the pros who have lost their jobs. Do yourselves a favor and get out of the golf business. Im glad I saw this early in my career. Getting out actually provided me the opportunity to play.

[Rewster66]

My experience at Dicks was golf seemed like an after thought. the 8x8 small putting green had a rope with a lock on it and you had to ask or get help to try out a putter. The "golf" area seemed crammed into a corner and the selection seems...well somewhat like a Target or Wal-Mart, not like a store that was committed to the golf business.

With that said we have a PGA Superstore 2 minutes from Dicks, and a Golfsmith 10 minutes away. Yes, there is a bit of over-population but if you are not "all-in" then you probably should get out...seems like that is what Dick's did. To blame it on the factors Dicks did..well those are excuses for their own shortcomings.

That is completely opposite of our local Dick's...., the golf section probably takes up at least 1/4 of the store but considering it is the only major player in our area other than one of the local courses that packs nearly as much equipment but at an inflated price compared to Dick's.

God Bless!!! Ray

[Strausy007]

Feel bad for the guys out of work.  Unfortunately, we don't have much other than a Dick's in my area.  They have a fairly large golf section and the Pro was a nice guy who knew his stuff.

[mcanadiens]

I'd be interested to know what the difference in pay rate was between the PGA guys and the average Dick's employee.

[RFKFREAK]

I've bought a couple of golf related items at Dicks but, for the most part, for my retail golf purchases, I go to Golf Galaxy.

I knew Dicks had a pro but the Dicks was in the local mall and I really dislike going to the mall.

The PGA pro at Dicks was nice and all but the fact that the store was in the mall and that it also caters to a bunch of other sports, it makes me more comfortable to go to Golf Galaxy.

[turtleback]

From a loss of jobs perspective, obviously this is sad news.

But it seems like an experiment that simply didn't work out - golf pros in a retail sporting goods store.

When I think of a golf pro, I think of the guy at the club giving lessons & running the pro shop; not working at Dick's. In a way, it almost seems undignified for the pro to work in that environment.

You make some good points.  The added value of a golf pro to a golf course seems way higher to me than the added value of a golf pro to a sporting goods store.

Particularly since we are in an environment where lots of people think nothing of going to a Dick's or a Golf Galaxy or a Golfsmith, use their facilities and advice, and then go buy the clubs online because they can get them cheaper.

But it DOES suck for those affected.

[Dave2512]

I think some probably didn't realize DSG price match and they were also pretty good with trades, especially around holidays with 50% trade increases, and the rewards are pretty good. The problem is limited iron set selection. They did okay with woods and hybrids but that's about it. Our local DSG  has 3 yr old wedges on the rack. I've bought equipment there in the past but eventually I outgrew what they offered, I wanted more options than one or two mainstream iron sets. The accessories are limited too, GG has 5x as many bags.

[Spyder]

You make some good points.  The added value of a golf pro to a golf course seems way higher to me than the added value of a golf pro to a sporting goods store.

Particularly since we are in an environment where lots of people think nothing of going to a Dick's or a Golf Galaxy or a Golfsmith, use their facilities and advice, and then go buy the clubs online because they can get them cheaper.

But it DOES suck for those affected.

I know a guy that did this a few months ago. He went to GS and tried some Callaway X2 Hot Pro irons because he saw them on RockBottom for $279.00 for the full set of 3-PW (insane deal and like $400 less than what GS/GG were selling them for). He went in, used the irons on a sim and made the order from his phone while he was still using the damn clubs. Based on principle, that sounds wrong. But $400.00 is a lot of money to 99% of the population and he did what most logical people would do. I definitely can imagine that people did this with more knowledgeable people at Dick's since they had certified professionals staffed. The GS by us has maybe two people who know what they're doing and they just opened less than 2 months ago. The rest of the staff looks like they're gearing up to go into their senior year of HS this fall.

Hopefully these guys find jobs at courses, training facilities and/or ranges as soon as possible. I don't like hearing that anyone lost their job, let alone a mass quantity of what is likely a group of quality guys with a passion for the game.

[3putter]

This is definitely sad, anything involving people losing their source of livelihood is simply rough. I found out a year ago that they had in-store pros when I was just looking around the store.

I have never had a use for them, but it looks like some people did. As mentioned by others, if golf is to be grown, the cost will have to come down.

EDIT: I have never bought a club/balls full price in my life, and I don't plan to start now...so these stores will probably never get any of my money. I pick up tees off the ground, so I'm not buying that either.

[turtleback]

I know a guy that did this a few months ago. He went to GS and tried some Callaway X2 Hot Pro irons because he saw them on RockBottom for $279.00 for the full set of 3-PW (insane deal and like $400 less than what GS/GG were selling them for). He went in, used the irons on a sim and made the order from his phone while he was still using the damn clubs. Based on principle, that sounds wrong. But $400.00 is a lot of money to 99% of the population and he did what most logical people would do. I definitely can imagine that people did this with more knowledgeable people at Dick's since they had certified professionals staffed. The GS by us has maybe two people who know what they're doing and they just opened less than 2 months ago. The rest of the staff looks like they're gearing up to go into their senior year of HS this fall.

Hopefully these guys find jobs at courses, training facilities and/or ranges as soon as possible. I don't like hearing that anyone lost their job, let alone a mass quantity of what is likely a group of quality guys with a passion for the game.

It is kind of too bad that the logical people did not take it to the logical conclusion, which is next time they may not be able to do that since Dick's may not be there.  I have no problem with people saving themselves $400, my problem is with using the facilities and advice of a business when they have no intention whatsoever of buying there.

[RFKFREAK]

It is kind of too bad that the logical people did not take it to the logical conclusion, which is next time they may not be able to do that since Dick's may not be there.  I have no problem with people saving themselves $400, my problem is with using the facilities and advice of a business when they have no intention whatsoever of buying there.

Yeah, but I think most people would do that.

Most big name stores, rightly or wrongly, are looking to maximize their profits and aren't looking to do anything else.

I know it's not the same but if you go back 100 year or more, most businesses weren't taking into account the human component of their labor force.  Most of them were just out to maximize profits.  It wasn't until laws were passed that the labor force began to be treated better.

Business is mostly about their bottom line, and seeing as how businesses are run by people, it's not surprising that consumers would go into a big monetary purchase and be mostly concerned about their bottom line and working out the best deal for themselves, even if it comes at the expense of the consumer getting free information from the business.

I will say that a local businesses will usually be more willing to cut someone a deal on a major purchase which is why I'd prefer to spend my golfing equipment money at a local small business.  I just haven't found any here because it's never been a top priority for me.

[Spyder]

It is kind of too bad that the logical people did not take it to the logical conclusion, which is next time they may not be able to do that since Dick's may not be there.  I have no problem with people saving themselves $400, my problem is with using the facilities and advice of a business when they have no intention whatsoever of buying there.

There will always be a way for people to beat the system though. If not Dick's, they'll do this same thing with GS as my buddy did, or Golf Galaxy. Or, they'll pay $50-150 for a fitting at a training center and then go buy their clubs for much less online as well. As long as iron sets are $800 off the rack at the big box stores, people will remain inclined to do their shopping online for 50% less and that is understandable and reasonable in my opinion. I can't think of anyone that is going to pay $200-500 more for irons to say "Hey, at least I supported a privately owned and operated golf equipment store!". People may do that to receive a hassle-free warranty, or with a fitting included, but not solely for the purpose of being a stand-up guy with the intention of supporting the golf economy. At least, nobody that I know will do that - regardless of their financial means. In fact, the people I know who make the most money tend to be the most cautious and are the ones looking for the steepest discounts.

This isn't what ultimately did Dick's in though. Aside from people being able to find better deals online, Dick's did a bad job of marketing the PGA Pros that they employed. If somebody started a poll based on whether or not people knew PGA staffers were located in Dick's stores across the country, I bet the vote is a 5-1 no or worse.

[MS256]

It is kind of too bad that the logical people did not take it to the logical conclusion, which is next time they may not be able to do that since Dick's may not be there.  I have no problem with people saving themselves $400, my problem is with using the facilities and advice of a business when they have no intention whatsoever of buying there.

I've never done that because I never felt like it was a proper thing to do. I never thought bad of someone else doing it but just was unwilling to do it myself.

Among most people I know it's commonplace to use the store's facilities to get some numbers on their swings so they can make a more educated purchase somewhere else (like a used club on-line).

Until I saw your comment I figured I was the only one that thought it wasn't fair to the store.

[mvmac]

I'd be interested to know what the difference in pay rate was between the PGA guys and the average Dick's employee.

From the comments below the article

[mcanadiens]

Thanks mvmac.