Dick's Sporting Goods Fires In-Store Golf Pros

[ay33660]

It would be interesting to add a poll to this thread to see if people are more inclined, less inclined, or indifferent to buy from Dick's without an in house pro.

I think I am in the minority here but I buy from my golf pro at my home course almost 100% of the time.

This includes clubs, apparel, shoes, bags, golf balls etc.

I like the personal touch that my golf pro gives me. All the clubs are fitted and they use the latest video and launch monitors to fit me.

He is also the pro that I go to for lessons so he knows my swing well.

I also know that I am getting the real deal. No internet shopping for me ever.

I don't even like to shop at the big box golf store (Golf Town) up here in Canada.

I was pissed off at them because they drove my favourite local golf store (Riverside Golf) out of business.

My pro's prices are usually less than 10% more than the big box retailers.

[RFKFREAK]

You should watch the last issue of Jimmy Roberts "In Play" about all the counterfeit clubs on the market. It will make you never buy from eBay or a random dealer.

Just watched the segment on In Demand. It reminded me that I bought my 3 & 5 woods online last year on Ebay. Checked TM's website and they listed the seller as an EBay authorized seller. Whew. Haha

[RFKFREAK]

It would be interesting to add a poll to this thread to see if people are more inclined, less inclined, or indifferent to buy from Dick's without an in house pro.

Whereas I know Golf Galaxy and Dicks have the same owner and I rarely went to Dicks and usually went to Golf Galaxy before, this move by them makes me less inclined to go to Dicks and more to Golf Galaxy.

[wolfeman]

If there was a pro in my store you would never know it. The guys working in there always seem bothered if you want to hit something. They never come around to see if you need any help.

[Lihu]

I am one of those 560 PGA Professionals looking for a job as of 12:00 today when I had to call my wife and tell her the news. . .  I busted my ass to try and give my store the same feel I had at the green grass level my entire career to our customers at Dick's. . .

Sorry for the rant, been a shitty day and I don't appreciate the comments I have read online about golf pros at Dick's all day

I got many things done at Dick's, and appreciate the hard work you guys did. Sorry, you're all leaving.

A few of the pros in our area seemed to know that this was coming. Was it a complete surprise to you and your area?

[subsonic]

A couple of observations on retail. 1) I shut down a retail business that I owned this January. A friend and I started it 3 years ago to see if folks would pay slightly more for world class customer service. I can confirm that a majority of folks will not. They think nothing of taking your time to tell them what they need only to order it off the internet for a few dollars savings. I always checked my prices against the internet, so I know that I was competitive and worth the difference. Many would get hung up on the sales tax that I had to charge. I guess their kids did not go to public schools or they do not drive on roads etc... I do believe that it is only a matter of time before the government figures out a way to tax internet sales. They are losing a ton of tax money. 2) Successful companies are at the ends of the bell curve. Trying to live in the middle like Dicks was doing is a recipe for failure. Either be cheap (Walmart) or make it work high end. I use a high end golf shop for my purchases. Once the owner figures out you are not a tire kicker he really takes care of you. Not that he treats you bad initially, but once he knows you are serious about building a relationship, he takes great care of you. I buy everything I can from him. RANT ALERT: I watched the golf Channel show with Jimmy Roberts where the guy bought the counterfeit PING driver. Seriously?! You paid $150 for a club that was selling everywhere at the time for $300 and were surprised it was not legit? I like how he bought it online, but then took it into a brick and mortar store when he had a problem.

[ay33660]

A couple of observations on retail.

1) I shut down a retail business that I owned this January. A friend and I started it 3 years ago to see if folks would pay slightly more for world class customer service. I can confirm that a majority of folks will not. They think nothing of taking your time to tell them what they need only to order it off the internet for a few dollars savings. I always checked my prices against the internet, so I know that I was competitive and worth the difference. Many would get hung up on the sales tax that I had to charge. I guess their kids did not go to public schools or they do not drive on roads etc... I do believe that it is only a matter of time before the government figures out a way to tax internet sales. They are losing a ton of tax money.

2) Successful companies are at the ends of the bell curve. Trying to live in the middle like Dicks was doing is a recipe for failure. Either be cheap (Walmart) or make it work high end. I use a high end golf shop for my purchases. Once the owner figures out you are not a tire kicker he really takes care of you. Not that he treats you bad initially, but once he knows you are serious about building a relationship, he takes great care of you. I buy everything I can from him.

RANT ALERT: I watched the golf Channel show with Jimmy Roberts where the guy bought the counterfeit PING driver. Seriously?! You paid $150 for a club that was selling everywhere at the time for $300 and were surprised it was not legit? I like how he bought it online, but then took it into a brick and mortar store when he had a problem.

Agree 100% with you.

I have NEVER buy anything on-line. Don't want to.

Just hate people that go and get all the advise from a local retailer and then shop on-line for a few $$$ savings. Do they think the retailers work for free?

Why chase a deal for a few bucks when there is a possibility that you will be buying a counterfeit product.

Exactly why I purchase my golf gear ONLY from my golf pro. It is well worth the money.

[DwightC]

Sadly, there are more guys who want to make a living out of golf than the game can support.  I don't see that changing anytime soon.  This stuff is cyclical and I'm sure there will be another golf boom, but not for a while.  And we're still working our way through the overhang from the last one.  It may be satisfying to point the finger at counterfeiters and fake clubs, but the problems are a lot bigger than that.  Free markets can be cruel and the adjustment of supply to demand can be brutal, but those are the arrangements that we've collectively embraced in this country.

But, oddly, the game of golf can flourish even while the business of golf flounders.  In retirement, I'm astonished at how little it costs to play at nice places, Monday through Thursday.  And nobody needs new gear every year.  Still, it's hard on the guys who get laid off, the members of clubs that go belly up, etc., and you've got to feel for them, unless you are a complete a-hole.

[cfritchie]

A

RANT ALERT: I watched the golf Channel show with Jimmy Roberts where the guy bought the counterfeit PING driver. Seriously?! You paid $150 for a club that was selling everywhere at the time for $300 and were surprised it was not legit? I like how he bought it online, but then took it into a brick and mortar store when he had a problem.

Yea,

I saw the same thing...I buy a few things online but only from top legitimate sellers. I'm a professional photographer and 90% of what I buy is from a local camera store that caters to the professional. The extra 10-15% I pay is worth more then that in the expert service I get in return. On some level I understand if it is a one off or rare purchase...like a car....I'm not married to one dealership so I have no problem playing them against each other.

[WUTiger]

... I have NEVER buy anything on-line. Don't want to. ...

Only thing I bought online was my X20 Tour irons. I had bought the regular x20s from a local shop, and had tried the Tours at the same time.

I later bought the Tours from Callaway PreOwned, in part because it had a PX 5.0 shaft. (Few shops had any left except for 6.0 flex or stiffer.)

If I wanted to add a wedge from a model group I had previously bought, I would consider online.

Otherwise, I go with Golf Galaxy or Golfsmith and test it out before buying.

[turtleback]

I agree, I think it has to do with cost (I have zero data to back this up), but an influx of new, eager teachers may reduce cost because....ya know....supply and demand...right?

Nah, cost is a factor but not one that releasing 500 guys on the nation is going to affect, IMO.

I think the real reason is that a lot of guys are just more interested in playing the game than in studying and practicing to get better.  They may have taken a few lessons along the way but not on a consistent regular basis.  And they may go down to the course sometimes intending to hit the practice range, but they know their time for golf is limited, and so it is easy to talk themselves into playing instead.

I'm one of those guys and I know a lot of others like me.  I admire the guys on here who really burn to improve and work at it and really devote themselves.  To really do that requires a commitment and that is admirable.

But we all have different lives and different priorities.  And I think on balance that most golfers are more interested in playing the game than working at it beyond a certain minimal level, as compared to taking regular lessons and following an organized practice and improvement routine.  They would like to play better, but in the totality of their lives golf doesn't occupy a high enough priority to support the kind of effort we see a lot of guys on here putting in.

It isn't right or wrong, it is just a consequence of it not being a one size fits all world.  And the teaching pros could all drop their rates to some ridiculously low level and that would still have little or no effect on most of the people who do not take lessons now, IMO.  And even if they did, it would be short term because they would still rather play than practice, so they won't get full value from the lessons, therefore they won't work that well, therefore they will not continue.

[mvmac]

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2014/7/24/are-the-dicks-layoffs-a-statement-about-the-health-of-golf.html

Quote:

And while certain sectors of the business are undoubtedly flat or down, the story eventually suggests that the layoffs were in part related to the actions of a company that has since admitted in its own reporting a serious mistake was made :

Dick's said it sold only 2 percent fewer drivers in the first quarter this year compared to the first quarter of 2013 but that the average price of those drivers was down 16 percent. On average, the golf business accounts for about 15 percent of Dick's overall revenues.

As TaylorMade's largest retailer, Dick's was hit hard after it bought all four models of the driver TaylorMade released last year. The glut of merchandise forced Dick's to sell at under the suggested retail price.

Letter from the PGA of America to those pros that lost their jobs.

[inthehole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ay33660

Agree 100% with you.

I have NEVER buy anything on-line. Don't want to.

Just hate people that go and get all the advise from a local retailer and then shop on-line for a few $$$ savings. Do they think the retailers work for free?

Why chase a deal for a few bucks when there is a possibility that you will be buying a counterfeit product.

Exactly why I purchase my golf gear ONLY from my golf pro . It is well worth the money.

Different strokes ... I'm not ashamed to say I have no loyalty for local golf shops.     I don't buy Titleist, Ping or other super high end golf brands that never significantly discount their products, so the chance of me buying counterfit is slim.    I did buy new Mizuno irons, but that was from a big box store.     I buy a crap load of golf clubs online from the couple largest online dealers (the reputable guys we all know about).    I have bought a metric $hit ton of clubs on eBay as well, but again, don't pay top dollar and don't buy Titleist or Ping, so the chance of buying a counterfit is minimal.    I just don't feel the need to buy any first year model golf equipment and pay through the nose for it.

I just really like buying 1-2 year old clubs for dirt cheap online ... I'm a golf bottomfeeder

[Lihu]

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2014/7/24/are-the-dicks-layoffs-a-statement-about-the-health-of-golf.html

Letter from the PGA of America to those pros that lost their jobs.

This is an all too familiar scenario, where corporate executives and their minions of "administrators" lay off actual contributing members of the company rather than thinning down their own ranks of overpaid minions. Instead of reducing the bureaucracy that has been stifling their financial growth, they find a quick solution to appease their shareholders as long as they keep their own jobs.

This has been happening to many other fields such as Automotive, Aerospace, Medical, etc. Even the cost of education is very high because of the appalling amount of administration involved.

I feel really bad for the PGA professionals, especially the ones who have helped me in our local store.

[Kieran123]

Wow....that's a lot of people.

Golf is really struggling. A few courses in Calgary are cancelling their Mens Open because there aren't enough players.

I have drastically cut back on golf this year. The only times I can play are weekends, and shelling out $100 per round is just ridiculous now.

[jbishop15]

This is an all too familiar scenario, where corporate executives and their minions of "administrators" lay off actual contributing members of the company rather than thinning down their own ranks of overpaid minions. Instead of reducing the bureaucracy that has been stifling their financial growth, they find a quick solution to appease their shareholders as long as they keep their own jobs. This has been happening to many other fields such as Automotive, Aerospace, Medical, etc. Even the cost of education is very high because of the appalling amount of administration involved. I feel really bad for the PGA professionals, especially the ones who have helped me in our local store.

Totally agree. Laying off these guys is only a short term solution. Quickest way to save a buck.

[ditchparrot19]

I've been watching some of the Montreal event on Golf Channel this afternoon and have seen a couple of those Dick's/TaylorMade combo ads in which a guy does Sharpie sketches at lightning speed. They encourage people to come into the store and have the Dick's pros fit them with an SLDR driver or SpeedBlade irons.

I sent an email to Dick's asking whether this might constitute false advertising in light of they announcement earlier this week. They promise on their site to respond within 24 hours, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they come back with.

[mcanadiens]

I saw the same ad last night. Funny how little attention you pay to any of them.

I guess you can play with the definition of "pro". I mean, the people on the floor are getting paid. They just won't be PGA anymore.