When I arrived at Apawamis, they gave me and our team a blank canvas on what I wanted the operation and merchandising concession to be, and also the experience we were going to provide the membership. When the new golf shop opened right before Opening Day in 2013, the membership loved it and has supported us every day since.
The golf shop exudes the traditional feel of Apawamis, which was founded in 1890 and is one of the six oldest private clubs in the country. Its displays, done in a sophisticated cherry wood, are decorated with the many antiques I have collected over the years, including a working Singer Treadle sewing machine from the early 1900s.
The brand selection also reflects the upscale nature of the club and includes Peter Millar, johnnie-O, Greyson, Holderness & Bourne, B. Draddy and Zero Restriction for men and Peter Millar, Polo Ralph Lauren, IBKUL, Straight Down and Zero Restriction on the women’s side. But my merchandising philosophy revolves less around selling product than spending time with the membership, as I play dozens of rounds with members at Apawamis each year and travel approximately 45 days with them annually.
Don’t get me wrong, I love having a successful business, but that’s just a byproduct of loving the game and loving my role as a PGA golf professional. I love to play, compete, teach, tee it up with my staff and learn more each year about the 600 families at Apawamis with golf privileges – learn about their backgrounds, goals with golf and what they desire from the golf operation. It’s been really cool that Apawamis has allowed me to be myself – to be all about golf – and see the shared benefits that result from just loving golf.