More than 100 attendees participated in the 2025 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Conference at Mission Resort + Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, marking the 18th annual gathering of retail experts prior to the PGA Show in Orlando. The conference, held Jan. 18–20, allowed golf retail experts to spend two days discussing business trends, creative ideas and future opportunities for golf merchandisers at facilities of all types.
The award-winning group of PGA of America Professionals, AGM members and golf industry leaders gathered at the invitation-only event spent time in breakout meetings, networking opportunities and panel discussions centered on a theme of “Built Different” to reflect the unique nature of the event’s attendees.
The esteemed group included nine present and past national PGA Merchandiser of the Year honorees and 103 Merchandiser of the Year awards earned at the PGA Section level. In all, attendees represented buying influence at more than 177 unique facilities with nearly $225 million in gross sales last year.
“We’d like to use this conference as a chance for you to learn what motivates all of you to be different and how that makes you better,” said Brian Folino, President of PGA Magazine, at the outset of the conference. “Our goal is to provide you the platform to exchange ideas, learn from each other and share your best practices about how you get the most out of being built different.”
The 2025 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Conference, a part of the PGA Magazine Conference Series, began with a Saturday networking event and dinner honoring the three national 2024 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year Award winners: Morgan Jewell, Robert Koontz and Jason Loomis.
The three national winners took the stage on the conference’s last day for a panel discussion that covered topics from finding and keeping staff members, how they mentor younger professionals and what they see coming next in the golf business.
“I look around this room and I’m so curious about what everyone else is doing in their golf shops,” said Loomis, the 2024 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for public facilities and General Manager at Great River Golf Club in Milford, Connecticut. “Being here is such an accomplishment for my staff and all they’ve done to transition from being a transient golf shop to making our facility feel more like a member-focused club.”
Added Koontz, the 2024 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for resort facilities and Head Professional at the Pete Dye Course at French Lick (Indiana) Resort: “I’m constantly looking at what my fellow PGA of America Professionals and merchandisers are doing, and we’re always learning from each other. I’m having fun this week coming up with new ideas with our vendor partners and seeing what’s going on in other golf shops.”
“What’s happened for me since I won the award is more communication with more people: members, staff, peers and vendors,” explained Jewell, the 2024 PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities and Head Professional at Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida. “My network’s really expanded since winning the award.”
Attendees participated in a number of breakout sessions that allowed them the chance to share best practices, identify trends and discuss ways to improve their respective businesses. This year’s breakout topics covered tournaments and outings, corporate sales, the strength of relationships, market trends, consumer behavior, buying strategies, the role of data and visual merchandising. Each breakout session was facilitated by award-winning PGA of America Golf Professionals.
Conference attendees also discussed how they are taking advantage of the surge in golf’s popularity to forge deeper bonds with customers.
“We’re really digging in deeper with members beyond the ‘How’d you play today?’ conversation in the golf shop,” said Victoria Matthews, AGM, the Director of Retail at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. “We’re making sure we’re learning about their family, their lives outside of the club. That builds trust.”
Attendees also found valuable time to network and learn from each other in more casual settings, including a football-themed dinner party held at Mission Resort + Club.
“I’ve come to this conference before, and I always walk away with so much knowledge and multiple pages of notes,” said Dustin Ames, PGA, Head Professional at Jug Mountain Ranch in McCall, Idaho, and the 2022 Rocky Mountain PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for resort facilities. “All of us in this room are doing the same things at different facilities. We’re all providing the customer service and working to get to know them better, and it’s a great reminder that we’re not alone in our challenges and opportunities.”
Presenting partners of the 2025 PGA Merchandiser of the Year Conference included Antigua Apparel, Golf Genius Software, Mission Resort + Club, the PGA of America, Pukka, Revo and SanSoleil. Supporting partners included Ghurka and Sterling Cut Glass.
