Top Ranked Pro Shops

Shops That Sell Themselves

CLUB + RESORT BUSINESS HAS RELEASED

its list of Top Ranked Pro Shops (including golf shops, tennis shops and other retail shops at club and golf course properti es) for 2021.

The table below shows the rankings of club and resort properti es that submitt ed entries, as judged independently by a panel of industry professionals.

The rankings refl ect the judges’ scoring of data provided on shop square footage; annual sales revenues; number of stockkeeping units (SKUs); percent of revenues from hard-goods and soft -goods sales, and from online sales; whether clubfi tti ng service is provided; the number of vendor demo days held; and shop ownership.

Entries also included descripti ons submitt ed by the club and resort properti es on why their pro shops should be top ranked, and a full complement of supporti ng photos. The judges weighted the data and material provided to score all entries.

In additi on to the profi les of the Top 5 ranked shops included in this issue, details about all of the Top Ranked Pro Shops will be presented online at clubandresortbusiness.com and across our socialmedia platf orms.

Ranking Club Location Pro Shop Total Sq. Ft.

Annual Revenues No. of SKUs % Revs. Hard Goods % Revs. Soft Goods % Revs. Online Sales Clubfitting? # of Demo. Days

Shop Ownership

1 The University of Texas Golf Club Austi n,, Texas 1,400 961,267 720 36 64 24 Yes 15 Club

2 Catt ail Creek Country Club Glenwood, Md. 1,200 1,000,000 1,500 55 45 0 Yes 10 Club

3 Bonita Bay Club Bonita Springs, Fla. 3,000 1,500,000 60 40 55 0 Yes 50 Club 4 BallenIsles Country Club Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 2,225 1,088,114 9,800 28 72 0 Yes 42 Pro 5 The Landings Club Savannah, Ga. 5,000 1,500,000 250 31 69 0 Yes 16 Club 6 Kenwood Country Club Cincinnati , Ohio 2,200 850,000 2,500 60 40 0 Yes 15 Club 7 Balti more Country Club Lutherville-Timonium, Md. 1,500 1,299,999 1,000 40 60 0 Yes 24 Pro 8 Circling Raven Golf Club Worley, Idaho 2,500 1,900,000 425 23 72 5 Yes 12 Club 9 Fiddler's Elbow Country Club Bedminster, N.J. 1,800 2,500,000 986 30 70 0 Yes 3 Club 10 Lexington Country Club Fort Myers, Fla. 4,000 500,000 1,200 35 65 5 Yes 35 Club 11 Sawgrass Country Club Ponte Verde Beach, Fla. 1,050 800,000 550 40 60 0 Yes 16 Club 12 The Bridgewater Club Carmel, Ind. 6,000 700,000 1,295 65 35 0 Yes 20 Club 13 Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club Lakewood Ranch, Fla. 800 854,000 850 55 31 1 Yes 23 Club 14 Sycamore Hills Golf Club Fort Wayne, Ind. 1,600 608,173 1,200 47 52 0 Yes 8 Club 15 Mizner Country Club Delray Beach, Fla. 1,101 350,000 230 6 11 0 Yes 1 Club 16 The Wigwam Golf Club Litchfi eld Park, Ariz. 2,000 900,000 415 54 46 0 No 4 N/A

Pro Shops

Ranking Club Location Pro Shop Total Sq. Ft.

Annual Revenues No. of SKUs % Revs. Hard Goods % Revs. Soft Goods % Revs. Online Sales Clubfitting? # of Demo. Days

Shop Ownership

17 Lubbock Country Club Lubbock, Texas 1,300 750,000 92 35 65 0 Yes 27 Club 18 Detroit Athleti c Club Detroit, Mich. 250 550,000 6,250 30 70 5 Yes 4 Club 19 Quail West Golf & Country Club Naples, Fla. 2,250 923,236 175 35 65 5 Yes 6 Club 20 Waynesborough Country Club Paoli, Pa. 1,350 550,000 850 17 38 0 Yes 16 Club 21 Bonita Bay Club Sports Center Bonita Springs, Fla. 1,619 774,000 5,000 20 80 0 Yes 6 Club 22 Bradenton Country Club Bradenton, Fla. 1,080 451,627 493 48 52 0 Yes 10 Pro 23 Brooklawn Country Club Fairfi eld, Conn. 1,200 400,000 250 40 55 5 Yes 20 Pro 24 The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. 1,000 900,000 80 30 65 5 Yes 12 Club 25 Atlanti c City Country Club Northfi eld, N.J. 1,000 500,000 10,845 30 70 0.1 Yes 6 Club 26 Belmont Country Club Belmont, Mass. 800 410,000 1,500 65 30 0 Yes 10 Club 27 Kalamazoo Country Club Kalamazoo, Mich. 1,400 624,999 250 30 70 0 Yes 6 Pro 28 We-Ko-Pa Golf Club Fort McDowell, Ariz. 2,000 1,330,000 290 16 51 1 No 2 Club

29 Spring Run Golf Club Bonita Springs, Fla. 2,065 380,000 1,000 10 90 2 Yes 10 Club 30 The Milbrook Club Greenwich, Conn. 847 275,000 650 59 41 2 Yes 4 Pro 31 Reunion Golf & Country Club Madison, Miss. 1,300 250,000 227 30 70 0 Yes 8 Club 32 Prett y Lake Golf Club Plymouth, Ind. 675 162,000 222 48 38 0 Yes 3 Pro

Pro Shops

1

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS GOLF CLUB

AUSTIN, TEXAS

THE ICONIC LONGHORN LOGO OF the University of Texas is internati onally recognized—and The UT Golf Club brings an element of luxury to the brand.

The club’s golf shop carries upscale, highquality products for the avid golfer—from classic drivers and sti tched leather belts to sterling Longhorn wine glasses and Christmas ornaments, it is a one-stop shop for golf and gift needs.

The UT Golf Club has built on its shop’s onsite success by enjoying an explosion of growth in online sales, with each year breaking the previous year’s record. Online sales now account for nearly a quarter of the shop’s nearly $1 million in annual revenues—an unprecedented stati sti c for a private golf club. In an interview published in the November 2020 issue of Club + Resort Business, Kayli Lopez, who also manages UT Golf Club’s on-site casita lodging operati on in additi on to directi ng the shop’s online sales eff orts, provided these insights into how that part of the shop’s business was boosted out of necessity during the pandemic, and has conti nued to grow ever since:

How were sales at the UT Golf Club impacted in the immediate wake of the pandemic?

As in-person sales declined, our online sales increased. We saw around a 20% increase of online visitors in March 2020 when stores were forced to shut down, and then about a 30% increase in May. The number of visits to our site conti nued to rise each month, as an opti on for safe shopping from home.

How did you initi ally address the decline of in-person traffi c?

We promoted to our members the opti on of shopping online in conjuncti on with curbside pick-up, as the safest opti ons.

Online sales are sti ll fairly uncommon in the club industry; what’s been your thought process in emphasizing them?

As the University of Texas has alumni all over the U.S., we knew we had to promote online to garner the att enti on of our nati onwide network. And with the pandemic, you had no choice nati onwide network. And with the pandemic, you had no choice but to reach your audience through online promoti on.

What are the most eff ecti ve ways to increase online traffi c?

We are in a new age where informati on travels faster than wildfi re. On top of increasing our digital presence, we also have great members who are out there representi ng and promoting our brand by word of mouth. We have also established a presence on social media, through which we enjoy sharing our content with all of our followers and fans. They get to keep up with what’s new, along with restocks as soon as they drop. We send a weekly newslett er and e-blast to our members with any and all updates, to ensure our network base is most informed. You can follow us on @shop.utgolfclub & @utgolfclub.

Do you off er online exclusives?

While we do have a few items that we carry both in-store and online, we off er exclusives in both realms from ti me to ti me, favoring both types of clientele.

How are you striving to increase in-person traffi c?

We conti nuously update our pro shop with fresh merchandise, so our members always have new items to pick up. On top of this, our golf tournament and club events tend to draw the social members to the club. Everyone knows where to get the hot gift s!

Pro Shops

2

CATTAIL CREEK COUNTRY CLUB

GLENWOOD, MD.

THE CATTAIL CREEK COUNTRY CLUB pro shop has now reached $1,000,000 in sales for fi ve consecuti ve years, and has also been named the #1 Green Grass account for TaylorMade over that same period. Corporate-order revenue has increased by 50% over each of the last four years.

The club off ers an award-winning Mill River program for its membership and has earned top 100 Pro Shop status from the Associati on of Golf Merchandisers.

The Catt ail Creek shop features lifestyle brands not typically found in most pro shops, inThe Catt ail Creek shop features lifestyle brands not typically found in most pro shops, including loungewear, apparel and blankets cluding loungewear, apparel and blankets from Barefoot Dreams, and fragrances, from Barefoot Dreams, and fragrances, candles, loti ons, soaps and other products candles, loti ons, soaps and other products from Thymes. Overall the shop maintains a wide variety of 1,500 SKUs that are well-balvariety of 1,500 SKUs that are well-balanced between hard (55%) and soft (45%) anced between hard (55%) and soft (45%) goods. The shop also features a private, clubThe shop also features a private, clubbranded bourbon label from Woodford branded bourbon label from Woodford Reserve.

Pro Shops

3

BONITA BAY CLUB

BONITA SPRINGS, FLA.

THE BONITA BAY CLUB IS recognized as a leader in the industry for customer service, ameniti es, programs and a forward-thinking approach. These att ributes remain consistent within the club’s retail operati ons, which also include a separate shop (ranked #21) in its Sports Center complex.

Bonita Bay Club’s golf shop carries a wide array of apparel brands, accessories, and lifestyle off erings year-round. Regular trunk shows, promoti ons, and ever-changing dynamic displays keep members excited about returning to the golf shop on a recurring basis to see what’s new.

Three to four ti mes a week, the golf staff ’s clubfi tt ers are set up on the club’s driving range to market and fi t the latest equipment using TrackMan, GC Quad, and Toptracer technology. On other days, private clubfi tti ngs are available by appointment.

The club’s overriding retail philosophy is “Our members should never need to leave the property to purchase apparel and equipment”— and its shops’ performance prove it is more than a mott o; it is reality.

4

BALLENISLES COUNTRY CLUB

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.

Pro Shops

BOTH THE TENNIS AND GOLF shops at BallenIsles CC are operated with the pride of consistently delivering excepti onal customer service and sati sfacti on through all facets of the golf and tennis operati ons. Whether it’s the day-to-day operati on in the shop, trunk shows, or fi tti ng and demo days, the shops’ staff s conti nually strive for fi ve-star service for members and guests, 365 days a year.

The Pro Shop Concierge provides warm, friendly, and personalized service customized to each member’s personality, needs and budget. The merchandise team off ers “personalized shopping consultati ons” and assistance for gift -giving ideas for special occasions and holidays. The special-order business in the Golf Shop alone represents close to 20% of total revenue, highlighti ng a year-round dedicati on to personalized shopping.

The assortment of merchandise carried in the BallenIsles shops caters to what its membership likes, while also featuring what is new, exciti ng, and current. Most recently, the shops have introduced “lifestyle” lines that have proved to be very successful, including in-demand brands such as Lululemon, Lilly Pulitzer, Alashan Cashmere, Peter Millar and Lucky in Love.

The off ering of golf club hard goods, with the newest and the most up-to-date technology, has put the club on the cutti ng edge for having several excepti onal fi tti ng/demo days. And the depth of the BallenIsles’ shops’ assortment and off erings—12 men’s lines, 15 ladies’ lines, 5 headwear vendors, and golf bags, balls, gloves, tennis rackets, stringing services, accessories and youth items—all contributed to doing over $1 million in annual sales.

It all starts in the BallenIsles’ pro shops with a warm welcome, a customized fi ve-star experience, and ends with a fond farewell.

Pro Shops

5

THE LANDINGS CLUB

SAVANNAH, GA.

THE LANDINGS CLUB’S RETAIL OPERATIONS are driven around the club’s strategic mission to “Att ract, Retain, and Engage Members.” The focus is on retail being both an amenity and a service that enhances the lifestyle of the membership.

The Landings Club, one of the largest private clubs in the country with over 7,500 total members and 3,500 golf members. features four unique golf shops across six championship golf courses: Marshwood, Palmett o, Oakridge, and Deer Creek. With the size of the club, it is seen as important to focus on the membership’s retail needs that stretch beyond golf and into lifestyle, aestheti cs, and home. The emphasis is on ensuring that the club’s retail operati ons are service- focused, providing desired products for many parts of life without a requirement to leave the club gates, thus also serving one of the club’s key goals, of member retenti on.

Member engagement is a key part of why people join a private club, and The Landings Club’s retail operati ons play a key role in pursuing this objecti ve, through the creati on of yearlong retail social events and programming. Events are driven around the enhancement of not only the shopping experience, but the lifestyle for members. They range from fashion shows, with members as models, to classic demo days.

With four independent golf shops, creati ng a wellbalanced vendor/partner matrix is also an important part of the club’s retail philosophy. This balanced matrix allows

each shop to have its own unique identi ty and allows them to collecti vely att ract, retain, and cater to the vast and varied preferences of such a large membership. Creati ng unique off erings and a unique DNA for each shop allows for deeper vendor partnering, while sti ll providing a vast variety of brands, styles, and accessories across the club.

Service is a staple within all club operati ons, including retail operati ons. Focusing on special orders, proacti ve sales, and personalized touches are key in the fundamentals of retail operati ons and life at The Landings Club.

LANCASTER CC’S DEFINING MOMENTS

The Pennsylvania town known for horse-drawn buggies and shopping outlets now has a new attraction— a 121-year-old club with a classic golf course that has reimagined its facilities and repositioned itself for an exciting new period of growth and distinction.

By Joe Barks, Editor

The Sunset Bistro in Lancaster CC’s new Pavilion combines casual dining with simulator stations that can be converted for non-golf activity such as baseball pitching (below), to appeal to younger users along with golfers. A separate golf simulator room is located off to the side of the Bistro for private instruction and functions.

LOOKING OVER THE LATEST LIST

issued by U.S. News & World Report of “Best Places to Retire in the U.S.” doesn’t prompt any eye-rubbing—until you get down to #5. There, under the expected listings of Florida locales such as Sarasota, Naples, Daytona Beach and Melbourne— and ahead of the next three that are also in the Sunshine State (Tampa, Fort Myers and Port St. Lucie)—is Lancaster, Pa.

Yes, Lancaster—with a population of under 60,000 and known to most (even to many from within the state) as just a place to take a weekend drive to go to shopping outlets and open-air markets, share the road with the Amish and Mennonite communities’ horse-drawn buggies, and eat big Pennsylvania Dutch buffet meals.

Its tourist attractions and throwback vibe certainly helped Lancaster earn such a prominent and surprising spot on the list. But the town shouldn’t be typecast as just a place to enjoy quiet golden years, either. And the description accompanying the U.S. News listing made it clear there’s more to what the area has to offer:

“Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers a balance between natural and commercial spaces that residents appreciate. Expansive farms rub elbows with manicured suburbs, which lead right into the bustling city. Each area boasts its own unique groups of inhabitants: farmers, families, college students and young professionals. From close-knit church communities to the indie coffee-shop scene, Lancaster holds something for everyone.”

EMBRACING THE CHANGE

Lancaster Country Club (LCC), which was founded in 1900 and features three distinct and classic nine-hole golf courses designed by William Flynn, is a 400-plusacre property with a story that mirrors the town’s traditions, transformation and newfound prominence. For much of its history, the club thrived as the center of Lancaster’s social and recreational fabric. But as with many clubs of its type and age, and especially those in the Northeast that saw major shifts in their economic and demographic bases, it became more difficult over the years to maintain its connections with the community and keep its facilities, and relevance, in step with the times.

The club did draw acclaim when Lancaster CC hosted the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and drew record attendance, with 135,000 spectators for the week, while also generating renewed interest in the area, and its attractions, as they were shown during the tournament broadcast.

Still, the forces, inside and out, that had been eroding the club’s standing and viability remained at work. And by 2017, when Ryan Granruth, CCM, arrived to be the club’s new General Manager/Chief Operating Officer, the warning signs had become increasingly hard to ignore.

“Our average age was 69, and the next year brought a real low point,” says Granruth, who was taking on his first GM position after assistant GM roles at Baltimore Country Club, Denver Country Club and The Lodge at Ventana Canyon. “We were a very old, traditional club with an identity tied primarily to our rich history and championship golf.

“History and tradition are great, but you can’t hang your hat just on those things,” Granruth adds. “Our facilities were on life support, with $5 to $6 million needed just for infrastructure projects that members wouldn’t even see. And to attract new

and younger members, it was clear we needed to become more of a year-round club with a full range of amenities. It was time to get the club going in a new direction.”

CLEAR DEFINITION

Granruth and the LCC Board set to work to fashion a plan for addressing both the pressing issues behind the scenes and for improvements that members, current and potential, could see as immediate enhancements. After an initial proposal only drew support from 57 percent of the membership in May of 2018, everything was “reexamined and repackaged,” Granruth says, and a new plan drew 87% approval a year later.

That put things in motion to schedule the start of construction in March 2020 for what was branded (through a staffnaming contest) as “A Defining Moment”

The Lancaster CC management team now has a fully defined slate of amenities to provide to members throughout the property on a year-round basis. Left to right: Michael Jordan, Director of Racquets; Steve Wettig, Facilities Director; Tanner Seipp, Executive Chef; Meghan Stambaugh, Director of Membership; Dan Garner, CFO; Ryan C. Granruth, CCM, GM/COO; Josh Saunders, Director of Grounds; Rick Gibson, Director of Golf; Rachel Shelley, Director of Communications; Ryan Huesman, Assistant General Manager; Amanda Boughter, Fitness & Wellness Specialist.

AT A GLANCE:

Lancaster country cLub

Lancaster, Pa.

With features and comforts that include a fountain and splash pad, in-water chaise lounges and a terrace set aside for those seeking “peace and quiet,” the new Lancaster CC pool complex rivals experiences to be found at the most exclusive resorts.

Founded: 1900 Ownership: Member-owned Membership: 400 Regular (Full). 620 Total Members Golf Course Design: William Flynn Annual Rounds of Golf: 23,000 (27 holes) Main Clubhouse: 45,000 sq. ft. Activities Pavilion: 24,000 sq. ft. Project Architect: RLPS Architects General Contractor: Wohlsen Construction Owner’s Rep.: Fidevia Construction Management General Manager/COO: Ryan C. Granruth, CCM Director of Golf: Rick Gibson, PGA Director of Grounds: Josh Saunders Director of Racquets: Michael Jordan Executive Chef: Tanner Seipp Assistant General Manager: Ryan Huesman Director of Membership: Meghan Stambaugh Director of Communications: Rachel Shelley Fitness & Wellness Specialist: Amanda Boughter Chief Financial Officer: Dan Garner Facilities Director: Steve Wettig

After successfully steering Lancaster CC through the first phase of its $20 million renovation that began just as the pandemic hit, not even the notion of skydiving into the club’s 4th of July celebration could scare GM/COO Ryan Granruth.

project for the club. But that was the same month, of course, when the entire world would experience a defining moment unlike any seen in over 100 years.

“We were going to start the week that everything in Pennsylvania was shut down [by the onset of the pandemic],” says Granruth. “But given that we then had to issue furlough letters to over 100 people on the staff, we knew it wouldn’t be a good PR move to start spending over $20 million on a new project.

“But at a Board meeting in the summer, we discussed how the nation, community and club were all going to emerge from COVID at some point,” Granruth adds. “When that happened, it would be clear our problems weren’t going away—if anything, they would be amplified. And if 2008 [and the Great Recession] had taught [the club industry] anything, it was that hitting the pause button only made it more difficult to catch up on what’s needed to keep facilities and amenities attractive and relevant.”

So, now already seeing signs of how clubs could be in a good position to attract members and activity as people sought new places for safe recreation and socialization, the Board committed to go ahead with the project, and ground was broken in September 2020.

Once it finally began, “A Defining Moment” was executed with impressive speed and quality, especially given the challenges for procuring products and supplies that the pandemic presented. And at the same time that the decades of neglect for the club’s existing structures was finally addressed, members quickly began to see how a property that had looked and functioned in the same way for years was being dramatically transformed.

This was most evident at the first tee just outside the existing 108-year-old clubhouse, where the original pool had also been positioned. “You had golfers teeing off while kids were doing cannonballs and yelling ‘Marco Polo,’ and shots were getting skulled into the pool,” says Director of Grounds Josh Saunders.

But for the newly defined Lancaster CC, the pool was filled in and replaced with a new 16,000-sq. ft. putting green, surrounded by a firepit and seating area that has quickly become a “packed”

Outdoor seating on the terrace of the new Activities Pavilion that overlooks the new pool complex, as well as ample seating on the pool deck itself, has led to a doubling of pool guests and F&B revenues for 2021 that will top the levels seen in 2019 and 2020 combined.

spot, Granruth reports, for enjoying cocktails and taking in a greatly enhanced view, thanks to some strategic tree removal.

To provide ample, and more isolated, room for pool fun, the club has taken full advantage of additional space available on its vast property to create an impressive resort-style complex behind an entirely new, 24,000-sq. ft Activities Pavilion that was built behind the existing clubhouse (see photo, pgs. 32-33). The Pavilion hosts the new “come as you are” Sunset Bistro that combines casual dining with access to multi-purpose simulators (see photos, pg. 30). It also includes a dedicated kids’ space with on-site child care, and seating on terraces overlooking the pool complex.

That complex includes features and comforts that rival any to be found at the most exclusive resorts, including a fountain and splash pad, 14 in-water chaise lounges, and 85 seats in all, including some set aside on a terrace for those seeking “peace and quiet.” There is no walk-up window for food-and-beverage services; all orders are taken and delivered by staff equipped with wireless iPads.

“A Defining Moment” also reimagined many other parts of the LCC property— and all that the club could offer—with other new facilities and amenities including a full fitness center (the club previously had no fitness offering at all); a new pro shop that has 50% more floor space and an abundance of natural light (it previously had no windows); and a new paddle hut where members can help themselves to drafts of an exclusive “Defining Moment” IPA that a local brewer provides.

It has all been enthusiastically embraced by existing members—a crowd of 1,700 came for a 4th of July celebration for which Granruth skydived in (see photo, pg. 32). Equal enthusiasm has come from an influx of new members who have been rapidly lowering the club’s average age and advancing it towards the expectation of reaching capacity by the end of 2021.

The next phase of “A Defining Moment” will address a needed kitchen expansion in the main clubhouse and other areas. But it will be put on hold for a year, to give members a break from, and a chance to fully enjoy, all that‘s been added so far.

After Phase II is completed in 2023, attention will turn to the return of the U.S. Women’s Open to Lancaster CC in 2024, when even more success and acclaim is anticipated that what was seen in 2015.

“[The 2024 tournament] is going to be a showcase for not just Lancaster Country Club, but the entire Lancaster community,” says Granruth. “The pandemic has caused a lot of people to move here from New York and Philadelphia, so there’s a much different feeling to the area now. And we’re excited that the club now checks a lot of new boxes to contribute to that energy, too.” C+RB