Taking the Home Depot concept of
bigger is better to the golf market, Golf & Tennis Pro Shop, Inc. has expanded to the Dallas market with the addition of PGA Superstores in Plano and Frisco. First-time shoppers are amazed at the sheer sizes of these stores—65,000 square feet at 8700 Preston Road in Frisco and 70,000 square feet at 600 Accent Drive in Plano.
“I’ve never seen so much stuff in one store,” one shopper could be overheard saying on a recent visit to the Plano store. “It’s not like any other golf store I’ve been in before.”
 Nearly everything golf-related can be found in the PGA Tour Superstores with rows and rows of golf balls, golf clubs, bags, shoes and other accessories, plus plenty of clothing options and even some golf-related home decor. Each store has up to eight hitting bays with simulators and launch monitor where qualified professionals can fit golfers with the proper equipment.
“At the PGA Superstores we have the experience and the technology to demonstrate how the right clubs can get you the positive results you’re seeking,” said Bill Baraban, a master golf professional who is director of instruction for the chain. In addition, players can demo club in other netted practice stalls, roll putts on large indoor putting greens and even hit shots from a sand bunker in a short game area.
A staff of PGA golf professionals is available to provide instruction at both locations. Heather Ruhe is the head pro at the Plano store. Others on the staff include Mickey Carey, Jared Kaplan, Jeff Ulrich, Gary Owen and Maulana Dotch. Edward Lapierre heads the Frisco staff that also includes Wendy Boyd, Brian Smith, Kendall Thomas and Sean Kayea.
 By combining data from the simulators and launch monitors to determine swing speed, trajectory and spin rate, the PGA Superstore staffs can even find the correct ball for you. Each store also has a clubmaking department, headed by a member of the Professional Clubmakers Society, that can make, bend, re-grip, re-shaft, repair or adjust clubs to improve performance.
Another thing that separates the PGA Tour Superstores from their competitors is the addition of a strong tennis presence, including a large array of equipment and apparel and even a regulation tennis court.
A group headed by former Home Depot executive Bill Hamlin acquired Martin’s Golf and Tennis, which operated for 35 years in Myrtle Beach, in 2004 with the idea of expanding to other locations. A thorough study of
franchises in the golf retail business convinced the group that another small golf store was not needed, but instead wanted to create a destination experience that would bring people into the game. A conversation between one of the store executives and touring pro Stewart Cink led to discussions with the PGA Tour that resulted in a licensing agreement that gave the store name the national credibility needed.
The two Myrtle Beach locations now operate as Martin’s PGA Tour Superstores. An additional PGA Superstore was opened in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell in 2005 and was followed by the opening of three additional ones in the Atlanta area at Buckhead, Duluth and Kennesaw.
“We’re thrilled about our PGA Superstores opening in Dallas,” said Hamlin. “Our stores are the only ones in the area that offer expert assistance coupled with access to state-of-the-art technology and an extraordinary inventory of products. Our goal is to give recreational players access to the kind of resources that are available to the pros on tour.”
Jorge Cora, the company’s vice president of marketing, indicated that additional stores are likely in the Dallas area. “There may be one more in 2008 and maybe two more in 2009,” he said.
The company is also looking to break into the Houston market and other Southwest markets. |
