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Why do big box stores hire non-golfers?


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The Lake Grove GS was always good to me also. The one in East Northport is ok I can't recommend the one by the Roosevelt field mall. Not a big fan the associates never seem to want to help and seem out out when asked a question.

I agree, the East Northport store is really hit or miss. They're nice when it's quiet, but trying to get a question answered when there's more than a few people in the store is nearly impossible. They're great with the community, though. They brought all the Commack golf team kids in to have a putting competition and eventually gave them a bunch of swag like tees and bag accessories, so they're all right in my book. The Dick's down the road is massive but the sales folks are fairly standoffish in the golf department.

Dom's Sticks:

Callaway X-24 10.5° Driver, Callaway Big Bertha 15° wood, Callaway XR 19° hybrid, Callaway X-24 24° hybrid, Callaway X-24 5i-9i, PING Glide PW 47°/12°, Cleveland REG 588 52°/08°, Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 56°/13°, 60°/10°, Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter w/SuperStroke Slim 3.0 grip, Callaway Chev Stand Bag, Titleist Pro-V1x ball

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I agree, the East Northport store is really hit or miss. They're nice when it's quiet, but trying to get a question answered when there's more than a few people in the store is nearly impossible. They're great with the community, though. They brought all the Commack golf team kids in to have a putting competition and eventually gave them a bunch of swag like tees and bag accessories, so they're all right in my book. The Dick's down the road is massive but the sales folks are fairly standoffish in the golf department.

i agree, that's the golfsmith i go to regularly, and sometimes i'm able to have questions answered, and other times it's impossible. overall a good store with good knowledge

Mike

Titleist 910 D2 8.5deg Driver

Titleist 913 fd 13.5deg 3 Wood

Taylormade RBZ Tour 18deg 5 Wood

Titleist 735 Irons

Titleist Spin Milled 52deg Wedge

Mizuno MP 56deg Wedge

Scotty Cameron Studio Stainless Putter

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@dkolo @mikeranaldo any of you guys head to the Carle Place GS? That was the one I was referring to by the mall in my earlier post I heard they moved up the block I wonder if the service is any better. I go to the PGASS in Westbury now. Awesome store a lot of the employees are knowledgeable and seem to enjoy golf and always willing to help

  :sunmountain: eco lite stand Bag
:tmade: Sim 2 Max driver
 :callaway: Mavrick 20 * hybrid
:tmade: M2 3HL                               :mizuno: JPX 923 5-gw                           

 Lazrus 52, 56 wedges

:scotty_cameron:
:true_linkswear:-Lux Hybrid, Lux Sport, Original 1.2

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Kind of eating my words in this thread lately.

I had emailed customer service at Titleist a few months ago, asking how I would go about buying a headcover for a 910h I bought used a few months ago. They told me that I wouldn't be able to buy one directly from Titleist (no surprise, their website spells that out pretty clearly), but that if I went to any of the three Golfsmiths near me, they should be able to order a 913h headcover for me. Sounds great. The customer service rep made it clear that I might have to press the people at Golfsmith, that they might not know what I was talking about, but that they definitely all have the ability to order a headcover for me.

So. I try each of the Golfsmiths, and it's the same story from each one. First I check the bin they have that's filled with old headcovers, and (somewhat predictably) none of them have Titleist ones. I talk to the cashier, who tells me that they can't just sell one of the ones behind the counter, which I understood. I then asked if they would be able to order one for me. Two of them flat-out said "no," one told me go to the back of the store, near driving range stall 3. I'm thinking, "oh great, they've got a Titleist rep here by the fitting cart, I'll be able to order one straight from him."

Nope. He's talking about the isle where they sell aftermarket head covers and the $30 socks-with-Callaway-logos they'd gladly like to sell you. I walk back to the front, tell him thanks but no thanks, and walk out.

A few days later I realize that I should have asked to speak to the manager. So I go back, to all three Golfsmiths, and ask the managers. STILL, they have no idea what the **** I'm talking about, and I again leave empty-handed.

So the point of this post is state my frustration over Golfsmith's sales staff, and also to ask y'all if anyone would like to sell me a Titleist 910h or 913h head cover.

@jamo ,

Here's a 910H for sale on Ebay:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261444028421?lpid=82

Here's a 913H for sale on GlobalGolf for much less:  http://www.globalgolf.com/golf-accessories/1026916-titleist-913h-hybrid-headcover/used/

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@dkolo @mikeranaldo any of you guys head to the Carle Place GS? That was the one I was referring to by the mall in my earlier post I heard they moved up the block I wonder if the service is any better. I go to the PGASS in Westbury now. Awesome store a lot of the employees are knowledgeable and seem to enjoy golf and always willing to help

I wish Westbury were less of a schlep. The practice stall membership deal is such a fantastic bargain considering how much I spend for range buckets all year. If I lived within 15 miles, I would be at the PGA SS daily.

Dom's Sticks:

Callaway X-24 10.5° Driver, Callaway Big Bertha 15° wood, Callaway XR 19° hybrid, Callaway X-24 24° hybrid, Callaway X-24 5i-9i, PING Glide PW 47°/12°, Cleveland REG 588 52°/08°, Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 56°/13°, 60°/10°, Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter w/SuperStroke Slim 3.0 grip, Callaway Chev Stand Bag, Titleist Pro-V1x ball

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Kind of eating my words in this thread lately.

I had emailed customer service at Titleist a few months ago, asking how I would go about buying a headcover for a 910h I bought used a few months ago. They told me that I wouldn't be able to buy one directly from Titleist (no surprise, their website spells that out pretty clearly), but that if I went to any of the three Golfsmiths near me, they should be able to order a 913h headcover for me. Sounds great. The customer service rep made it clear that I might have to press the people at Golfsmith, that they might not know what I was talking about, but that they definitely all have the ability to order a headcover for me.

So. I try each of the Golfsmiths, and it's the same story from each one. First I check the bin they have that's filled with old headcovers, and (somewhat predictably) none of them have Titleist ones. I talk to the cashier, who tells me that they can't just sell one of the ones behind the counter, which I understood. I then asked if they would be able to order one for me. Two of them flat-out said "no," one told me go to the back of the store, near driving range stall 3. I'm thinking, "oh great, they've got a Titleist rep here by the fitting cart, I'll be able to order one straight from him."

Nope. He's talking about the isle where they sell aftermarket head covers and the $30 socks-with-Callaway-logos they'd gladly like to sell you. I walk back to the front, tell him thanks but no thanks, and walk out.

A few days later I realize that I should have asked to speak to the manager. So I go back, to all three Golfsmiths, and ask the managers. STILL, they have no idea what the **** I'm talking about, and I again leave empty-handed.

So the point of this post is state my frustration over Golfsmith's sales staff, and also to ask y'all if anyone would like to sell me a Titleist 910h or 913h head cover.

@jamo ... I have a 910h cover that you can have.  (It's in the garage somewhere, I'll just have to find it)

I lost it a few months ago playing with my dad and brother at their CC.  I asked them to keep checking the lost and found for me, but never heard anything.  I happened to see one of those "$30 Callaway socks with logos" :-P while wandering through our new local PGA Superstore, so I grabbed it.  A couple of weeks later my dad comes to visit and brings with him ... my 910h headcover from their lost and found. :doh:

Anyway, if you haven't already found one in the last day, it's yours.  (I actually prefer the sock simply because the weight of the vinyl top of the Titleist cover was more than the elastic band could stand.  So while walking, it would frequently work itself loose and almost fall off before I noticed it.  I'm sure I'll just lose it again if I put it back in the bag.  The sock never seems to budge.

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@jamo ... I have a 910h cover that you can have.  (It's in the garage somewhere, I'll just have to find it) I lost it a few months ago playing with my dad and brother at their CC.  I asked them to keep checking the lost and found for me, but never heard anything.  I happened to see one of those "$30 Callaway socks with logos" :-P  while wandering through our new local PGA Superstore, so I grabbed it.  A couple of weeks later my dad comes to visit and brings with him ... my 910h headcover from their lost and found. :doh: Anyway, if you haven't already found one in the last day, it's yours.  (I actually prefer the sock simply because the weight of the vinyl top of the Titleist cover was more than the elastic band could stand.  So while walking, it would frequently work itself loose and almost fall off before I noticed it.  I'm sure I'll just lose it again if I put it back in the bag.  The sock never seems to budge.

I'll draft a PM.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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@dkolo. I hear you on the trek to Westbury. I just moved to Babylon so it is a bit farther now. I bought the $99 member card opening week and they had a deal where they hand you a $75 gift card it was a no brainier.

  :sunmountain: eco lite stand Bag
:tmade: Sim 2 Max driver
 :callaway: Mavrick 20 * hybrid
:tmade: M2 3HL                               :mizuno: JPX 923 5-gw                           

 Lazrus 52, 56 wedges

:scotty_cameron:
:true_linkswear:-Lux Hybrid, Lux Sport, Original 1.2

:clicgear:

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I shop at Dick's quite a bit, if I know what I want, I just buy it when I find it, or I'll ask someone just to point it out.  But if I'm looking for real advice, I just make sure I ask the PGA Pro they have, as they have one in all stores.  I'd think you'd get better answers if you just made sure you talked to them when you went in.  That being said, there are times when I will shop the local golf training center which has a pro and master club builder.  I got fitted for my PING driver there last year, because they've been a PING fitter and a well recognized one for as long as they've been in business.

I don't have any Golfsmiths or anything in my area... but also keep in mind it's going to vary by store.  Same thing with Lowe's and Home Depot etc.  You might walk into one Lowes and need help in plumbing and find out it's a 20 year old kid who doesn't know the first thing about plumbing.  You might walk into another and find a retired plumber working there who can answer every question you have.  It also depends on store management.  It's up to each stores management team to select who to hire... some will care about getting good people and some just need to fill the quota and keep payroll down.

Callaway XR 9.5 + 1, Taylormade R15 3 Wood, Burner 3 Rescue, Callaway XHot 5H, Warbird 4H, Nike Vapor Fly 6-AW Irons, Titleist Vokey 54, 60 Wedges, Taylormade Rossa Fontana Putter, Srixon Z-Star Tour Yellow.

Best Score 2017:  82 (Traditions at the Glen, Par 70)

Favorite Course - Conklin Players Club (Par 72) - Best Score 86

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  • 4 weeks later...
I thought I'd offer this counter point to the discussion: I dropped by Golftown the other day to kill some time. Was perusing the golfball aisle when I asked a young salesmen if they carried V2 Gamers. He mumbled that they didn't have them in stock but were expecting to get some. Then he said, "don't bother with those, they're crap balls". Then he told me all about how proV were the only decent ball and continued to go on at great length about HIS game and how HE needs a ball to respond. Every comment I made about the different properties of various balls was met with more explanation of HIS game. Never once asked me, the customer, about MY game in an attempt to ascertain what ball might be suitable for what I am looking for in a ball. I'm pretty sure that if I was a new player looking to buy gear and I got this egoist as a salesman, I would have walked out a $60/dz box of balls and a set of mb blades that I can't hit. This Golftown is 5 mins from my house but everyone that works there seems to suck for one reason or another. I'll be driving the extra 25 minutes to go to the other Golftown where the staff seems to better understand their role in the buyer/seller relationship.

Yours in earnest, Jason.
Call me Ernest, or EJ or Ernie.

PSA - "If you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!"

My Whackin' Sticks: :cleveland: 330cc 2003 Launcher 10.5*  :tmade: RBZ HL 3w  :nickent: 3DX DC 3H, 3DX RC 4H  :callaway: X-22 5-AW  :nike:SV tour 56* SW :mizuno: MP-T11 60* LW :bridgestone: customized TD-03 putter :tmade:Penta TP3   :aimpoint:

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I realize there is a lot of turnover in retail stores because in many cases the people working there are only doing so until they find better jobs.

I'd guess the interview questions for these positions is basically geared towards do you know anything about golf, are you somewhat intelligent and are you able to work a cash register.  I am sure every store has a few really good employees who give decent advice and are great to deal with but I believe they are the minority and too often we find people like I encountered or @Ernest Jones

Joe Paradiso

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I've found myself to be better off testing clubs at a course than going to a store to try them out myself. At a store it's pretty evident that everyone there is working to get the sale, which is completely understandable, but it's also fairly obvious which companies are paying the big bucks to the stores for their items to be promoted. In my testing I've had irons that I hit quite poorly, worse than my current irons in every category, tweaked and tuned in five different ways to try and make it work for me while and iron that appears to be a slight improvement over my current set was all but ignored by the salesman.

In contrast, my on-course experience has been that the people there tend not to get involved unless you're asking for their help. I prefer this myself, since I know what I'm looking for, but the one problem with going to a course is that they often may only have one brand to demo. For example, most courses around me have teaching professionals sponsored by Ping, and thus carry mostly Ping items with a few other brands of putters in the pro shop. There is one course though that has a professional sponsored by Titleist, so that course also has some Titleist equipment to try. While the number of different brands is extremely limited in this environment, you're free to test a full set of irons instead of just a 6 iron and you get to try it in more of a real-world scenario. Going to the driving range is always preferred to me over hitting off of mats into a simulator. I always fall into a habit of hitting it fat when I hit off of mats, because it's an easy miss to get away with there without noticing it too much.

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Note: This thread is 3615 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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