The Demise Of The Local "Mom & Pop" Golf Shops

[1badbadger]

I learned yesterday that a local golf institution has closed it's doors for good.  

It's significant for several reasons...it was a shop that I managed for over 6 years, and it's where I met and got to know many very good friends and acquaintances, so there is a personal connection.  It wasn't much to look at...it looked like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, and for a long time on the inside too.  It wasn't a high class joint, and we did so much club work that it seemed like a fine layer of graphite dust was a constant no matter how often we cleaned. But it had character. It had personality.  Imagine if Cheers sold golf equipment and did club repair.  No, we didn't have a Rebecca (Kirstie Alley when she was hot), but we had a Coach, a Sam, and a Woody who worked there (yeah, I was probably Sam), and a bunch of Norms, Cliffs, Pauls and Frasiers who came in every day, and everybody knew your name.  Guys came in to hang out and shoot the sh*t. The fridge in the back was always stocked with soda and water...just throw .50 into the coffee can on the top shelf and help yourself.  If you don't have .50, just shake the can so it sounds like you threw money in it...we didn't care.

Despite the dust and lack of refinements, even well-heeled members from the top private clubs in town enjoyed the atmosphere and comradery, and it's where all the Tour players who lived in the area came for club work when they weren't playing in tournaments.  And it seemed like every year during the local PGA Tour event, a player would break a club after the tour vans had left (tour trailers are only at tournament locations Mon-Wed and leave before the start of official play at most events) and we'd get a call just before closing time that Craig Stadler or Rich Beem needs a club re-shafted right away, and they would drive over in their courtesy car and hang out while we fixed them up.

I have nothing against the big box stores...they fill a need too, but they are pretty much the same and offer all the same stuff.  When I traveled and was in other towns I liked going to the mom and pop shops.  When I saw "Buy/Sell/Trade" in the window, it was usually worth stopping, because you never knew what you might find.  And you had to dig.  You might have to dig through a big barrel of putters or a bunch of iron sets piled in the corner, but that was what was fun.  Even if you didn't buy anything, almost every time you at least saw something cool you hadn't seen in years.  And these stores are all but extinct.  R.I.P. Golf Stop.

Does anyone else miss the little local shops as much as I do?

[boogielicious]

22 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

I learned yesterday that a local golf institution has closed it's doors for good.  

It's significant for several reasons...it was a shop that I managed for over 6 years, and it's where I met and got to know many very good friends and acquaintances, so there is a personal connection.  It wasn't much to look at...it looked like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, and for a long time on the inside too.  It wasn't a high class joint, and we did so much club work that it seemed like a fine layer of graphite dust was a constant no matter how often we cleaned. But it had character. It had personality.  Imagine if Cheers sold golf equipment and did club repair.  No, we didn't have a Rebecca (Kirstie Alley when she was hot), but we had a Coach, a Sam, and a Woody who worked there (yeah, I was probably Sam), and a bunch of Norms, Cliffs, Pauls and Frasiers who came in every day, and everybody knew your name.  Guys came in to hang out and shoot the sh*t. The fridge in the back was always stocked with soda and water...just throw .50 into the coffee can on the top shelf and help yourself.  If you don't have .50, just shake the can so it sounds like you threw money in it...we didn't care.

Despite the dust and lack of refinements, even well-heeled members from the top private clubs in town enjoyed the atmosphere and comradery, and it's where all the Tour players who lived in the area came for club work when they weren't playing in tournaments.  And it seemed like every year during the local PGA Tour event, a player would break a club after the tour vans had left (tour trailers are only at tournament locations Mon-Wed and leave before the start of official play at most events) and we'd get a call just before closing time that Craig Stadler or Rich Beem needs a club re-shafted right away, and they would drive over in their courtesy car and hang out while we fixed them up.

I have nothing against the big box stores...they fill a need too, but they are pretty much the same and offer all the same stuff.  When I traveled and was in other towns I liked going to the mom and pop shops.  When I saw "Buy/Sell/Trade" in the window, it was usually worth stopping, because you never knew what you might find.  And you had to dig.  You might have to dig through a big barrel of putters or a bunch of iron sets piled in the corner, but that was what was fun.  Even if you didn't buy anything, almost every time you at least saw something cool you hadn't seen in years.  And these stores are all but extinct.  R.I.P. Golf Stop.

Does anyone else miss the little local shops as much as I do?

We had one that I frequented when I started playing for real back in 2008. Nice place with nice people. But Golf Town came in the next town in over in 2012 and that was it. Golf Town became Golf Smith became Golf Galaxy. The staff there is nice too but I worry that they'll lose their jobs at some point if Dick's decides to move on.

[Golfingdad]

I have great memories as a kid of going to the barber shop with my brother and dad.  (A real barber shop, pre Supercuts and Sportsclip days.  They had Penthouse and Playboy magazines on the rack to peruse while you waited.)  Anyways, I digress ... my brother and I would go first and while my dad was getting his hair cut, we would "sneak out" to the golf shop next door and spend 10-15 minutes putting on their little astroturf practice green or just wandering around looking at all the shiny clubs.

It doesn't technically qualify as a "mom and pop" store, I don't think, as it was a Nevada Bob's, but still, it's long gone and those are good memories.

[caniac6]

We had a couple here, but they closed when Golf Galaxy came to town. If anyone goes to Pawleys Island, there is a good one there. It's called The Golf Center, and, I believe, you take a left at the first light south of Litchfield resort. Very nice folks.

[Lihu]

What's funny is that my local shop is still around, and the retired golfer who owns the shop still runs and owns it. He only closes the shop to play golf. I still get my $1 used Pro-V1xs there, and various wedges. Meanwhile, Golfsmith had been purchased by Dick's and is now Golf Galaxy.

[TN94z]

The local golf shops here closed because of the online businesses. The only other golf shop in town has been Dicks. Now there is a Sports Authority that has opened. Dicks still has the best selection of clubs but the local golf shop actually knew what people were talking about. Dicks will hire anyone to work the golf department.

[Golfingdad]

8 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Meanwhile, Golfsmith had been purchased by Dick's and is now Golf Galaxy.

Our Golfsmith closed as well (well pretty much all of them did) but it's not been replaced by anything.  There is a PGA Superstore a mile up the road so I doubt there is much need for another golf shop.  We also have a couple of Roger Dunn's in the area.  It's a chain, but it's always felt a little more mom and popish to me - maybe because of the name.

[Lihu]

Just now, Golfingdad said:

Our Golfsmith closed as well (well pretty much all of them did) but it's not been replaced by anything.  There is a PGA Superstore a mile up the road so I doubt there is much need for another golf shop.  We also have a couple of Roger Dunn's in the area.  It's a chain, but it's always felt a little more mom and popish to me - maybe because of the name.

I feel the same way about Roger Dunn, I still have a lot of store credit because my kids needed fittings and they gave it back when we purchased clubs. Very friendly and honest, even though they're pretty big.

[dennyjones]

We had a local golf store close last year,  King Par.   They manufactured or had somebody manufacture the Olimar and Knight brand.   I really enjoyed their tent sales.   Sad to see small operations go, whether golf or other businesses.

[jamo]

There aren't even any big box stores in my area anymore, let alone mom and pop shops. 

[Buckeyebowman]

It's the same for a lot of things like dennyjones said. Most of the local fishing and hunting stores are gone, and the same for golf! Heck, even the local neighborhood grocery stores are gone. We used to have Par Dee's golf shop, as well as Special Tee golf! Par Dee's was where I bought my first set of "good" clubs. Well, at least better than the Sam Snead Blue Ridge clubs from K Mart or Woolworth's or wherever they were from!

[iacas]

The only really quasi-mom-n-pop store around here was a Pro Golf or something like that. Part of a small chain of stores. It closed almost a decade ago.

We have a Dick's. We have an Erie Sports Store. We have some smaller things at some courses.

That's about all Erie really needs, IMO.

[1badbadger]

1 hour ago, jamo said:

There aren't even any big box stores in my area anymore, let alone mom and pop shops. 

This is a problem.  It's bad enough the smaller local shops are disappearing, but it sounds like there are more and more places that don't have any golf stores!  When I moved to Ft. Worth in the late '90s and got into the business, there were a lot shops in town:

• Supreme Golf (local chain with 5 locations)
• Golf Stop
• Tour Line Golf
• Golf USA
• Golf Etc.
• Target Golf
• Champions Golf
• Leonard's (still in business)
• + Golfsmith and Edwin Watts in Arlington (20 min away) plus the golf course and country club pro shops.

Much less now

[StefanUrkel]

All that means in economics terms are lower prices for consumers and more consumer's surplus

[caniac6]

32 minutes ago, StefanUrkel said:

All that means in economics terms are lower prices for consumers and more consumer's surplus

The funny thing was was that the local stores were the same price as Golf Galaxy. The difference was the wholesale prices. One guy told me they were selling more product than ever, but their profit margins had gotten smaller. The big stores had a bigger buying power which let them buy at lower prices. I guess a lot of small operators don't really see a future in working harder for less money.

[JonMA1]

We have a Mom & Pop golf store in this area along with a couple sporting goods stores. 

I quit doing business with the shop after I purchased a set of irons from them. The fitting went nothing like the Mizuno website advertised (the shop is a certified retailer/fitter). The owner at the time was all about moving merchandise - less about selling the right equipment. Not a terrible person, but certainly not the most honest.

Last year, the shop was sold to a former employee who I always thought of as a decent guy. I went back and bought a demo driver from him this year. He took the time to have me take some swings in the sim and fit a proper shaft to it. Instead of buying everything online, I'm now going to make purchases from him when it makes sense.

Sometimes smaller Mom & Pop shops go out of business not because of the big box stores, but simply because they treat customers poorly. I don't mind spending a little bit more for a product when the shop is locally owned, it's convenient, and I'll receive good advice. But when the owner and all the employees of a hardware store, for example, have nothing but contempt for customers, driving 10 miles to do business with someone else becomes an easy choice.

While I'm not happy to see any business fail, it's no surprise when it happens.

[mcanadiens]

In the relatively brief time period I've played golf, I don't really think we've had anything other than the big boxers and course pro shops. Now with the demise of the local Golfsmith, we have less. 

Not really much of a deal one way or the other for me. All my clubs are either bought used or cast offs.

[dennyjones]

47 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

Sometimes smaller Mom & Pop shops go out of business not because of the big box stores, but simply because they treat customers poorly. I don't mind spending a little bit more for a product when the shop is locally owned, it's convenient, and I'll receive good advice. But when the owner and all the employees of a hardware store, for example, have nothing but contempt for customers, driving 10 miles to do business with someone else becomes an easy choice.

+1