Hundreds of PGA Golf Professionals lost
their jobs last week as a major national retailer, Dick’s Sporting Goods,
informed its PGA Pros their positions were being eliminated. As a company which
was founded by PGA Members, we at GolfTEC – the largest single employer of golf
professionals in the world – were saddened to see our profession as collateral
damage in the sudden strategy shifts that can occur in this new economy. Some
would blame the decision on a declining interest in golf, but I don’t see it that
way.
While I cannot speak to the reasons for
another company’s decisions, I am compelled to speak up for the golf industry,
for PGA Members and for GolfTEC.
PGA Pros have propelled a 100% increase
in our company’s revenues over the last five years. During that time, we gave
millions of lessons to hundreds of thousands of golfers who visited a GolfTEC
Coach at one of our 190 locations. In fact, outstanding work by PGA
Professionals at our improvement centers has GolfTEC poised for an exceptional
2014. This will include record highs in our revenues, number of lessons given
and the number of GolfTEC locations.
We are so bullish on the future of our
business specifically, and opportunities within golf generally, that we plan to
hire up to 100 PGA Professionals over the next six months.
This is a practical approach. It
recognizes PGA Professionals are the world’s best instructors, and that the
success of GolfTEC is built on making better golfers. When people shoot lower
scores they play more often and enjoy the game more. Golf needs this now,
because it’s the fuel that will help our industry grow across the board.
That’s where the PGA of America, the
LPGA and their affiliated golf professionals come in. Their training programs
are state of the art. They produce skilled professionals with a passion for the
game and an understanding of the business of golf. GolfTEC is the beneficiary
and we plan further investments to add domestic and international locations. We
believe we need to double our capacity to meet the demand right here in America
and the global growth in popularity fueled in part by the Olympics presents
great expansion opportunities abroad.
There are a number of people
who appear to share my view that it is a good time to invest in golf. Donald
Trump’s entry into golf course and resort ownership, Newcastle Investments’
recapitalization of American Golf, and the investments of Kohlberg & Co.
and Great White Shark Enterprises in Troon Golf all point to an upside for our
industry.
Location plays an important
role in any retail business and you can bet more study will go into how to best
position golf products and services to meet the new demands of golfers where
they live and work. GolfTEC’s strategy has been to optimize the convenience and
time allocation of our customers through smart siting of stores and
extraordinary customer service.
While others reference macro trends and
complain about long term declines, we focus on growing our business one golfer
at a time. Here’s what I asked of our 600 GolfTEC Coaches this week:
– Coordinate
with your local team and assign someone to reach out to PGA Members who have
lost their job. From one PGA Member to another the main message is to offer
your support.If you have positions open, or will expect to in the near
future, connect them with the hiring manager in your region.We’ve already
seen a number of applicants come through.
– Be
an ambassador to the game. Just like how we have centers up and centers down,
other businesses in the golf industry are experiencing varying results.Be
PROUD to be GolfTEC and continue to operate with the highest level of
excellence.
– Continue
to give great lessons and be the expert for your customers. In the end,
consumers make buying decisions based on the value an organization
provides.Businesses then evolve to meet those demands.Create value,
create demand and we’ll continue to grow this business and the game.
The industry is changing and we are
well-positioned to capitalize on these changes. Are you?
Sincerely,
Joe Assell
CEO and
Co-Founder
GolfTEC