I came on board at Windmill Golf Center 11 years ago as a member of our maintenance staff, gradually transitioning into the golf shop and eventually taking on a role in all aspects of our golf operation. When needed, I will still hop on a mower or two.
Windmill has three nine-hole short courses that golfers use to practice their pitching, chipping, bunker play and putting. We also have one of the largest driving ranges in Ohio, with 20 covered bays (10 heated), and 30 additional grass hitting stations in season. We differentiate ourselves from other ranges by having high-quality range balls and nine target greens that maximize anyone’s practice session. Windmill has an indoor putting green and four Trackman fitting bays where we assist our customers in finding a custom fit set of clubs that suits their skill level and body type. With every major equipment brand sold in our golf shop, hard goods sales are definitely buoyed by our extensive custom-fitting program.
The Windmill Golf Center golf shop is owned by our PGA of America General Manager, Trent Maxwell. As his Assistant Operations Manager, my role involves a bit of everything that happens in our operation. I spend a couple of days per week in the golf shop and am involved in the buying process with Trent. Our sales vendors come to us to show new product and discuss the best merchandise mix for our golf shop.
I will schedule our vendors for a second visit — this one just after the PGA Show — to train our staff on the details and benefits of each equipment line, so we can engage customers knowledgeably and provide the best possible service, boosting sales. I will also apply this practice for soft goods, albeit on a smaller scale. These same apparel vendors will handle some of the actual ordering for our golf shop based on the past performance of their product. Of course, Trent has to approve each order, but the partnerships we have formed with our sales reps have been successful for both them and us.
The equipment reps will return for a full schedule of demo/fitting days; though with the vast knowledge and expertise of our in-house professional team, every day is a demo and fitting day at Windmill Golf Center. We have a lot of shafts from Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway and much more! You name it, and we likely have it.
My teaching hours are spent in one-on-one lessons and small groups of adults and kids. We’ll look at their equipment and physical capabilities to ensure their equipment (whether existing or new) will work. So, there’s sometimes a fine line between what the student needs more — lessons or clubs — but we will never sell them a set of clubs without ensuring the swing is capable. If the swing needs attention first, we’ll forego the club sale until the student’s skills can support the investment in new equipment.
Alex Daniel is a PGA of America Associate Assistant Golf Professional and Assistant Operations Manager at Windmill Golf Center in Macedonia, Ohio.