Gavin Lunny on levelling up his pro shop

24/07/2024

Head PGA Professional at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Dublin, Gavin Lunny is looking to take the pro shop to the next level and develop the retail sector of the golf club.

Lunny is a vastly experienced professional having worked at Naas Golf Club between 2006 and 2020 before moving to former Curtis Cup host venue, Dun Laoghaire in March 2020.

“We are very lucky to have fantastic facilities, such as a 20,000 sq foot golf academy with a 13-bay driving range. Plus, we have 1000 sq foot indoor coaching and fitting studio and a state of the art workshop and our own gym which is an excellent facility,” explained Lunny who specialises in lessons and custom fitting.

Dun Laoghaire is a thriving members club and not just for golf. It’s become a country club of sorts and a buzzing social hub in the area with a superb Bowling Pavilion as well as Bridge, Darts and Snooker facilities.

“The membership is large and very active. We have memberships ranging from juniors aged just ten years of age all the way up to senior citizens. We have a lot of amenities in the club and it’s a very active place on a daily basis. It’s not just a club for the members either, it’s become a social hub for the area, and we have some of the best facilities you will find.

“It’s probably the only member owned country club that exists in Ireland.”

As mentioned, Dun Laoghaire boasts a strong and very active membership and the 27 holes are needed to cater for all 1,850 golfers.

While the course and practice facilities are there for the members, Lunny’s recent focus has been to develop the pro shop to create a customer experience in keeping with the cache of the club and befitting such a large number of people coming in and out every day.

To this end, with the help of a consulting firm, Lunny has transformed the shop, and it is now presented differently which improves the customer experience and has the most up to date stock coming in and out.

“We have a time deficit from getting around to some of the things that might seem futile but are very important, it’s challenging. Certainly, the merchandising of the shop is something that most pro shops would admit they see as a major challenge, and we’ve been no different,” said Lunny.

“The general day to day responsibilities I have as a club professional, doing coaching and fitting and then managing staff who are trying to provide a front of house service in the pro shop and what that entails can be varied. Getting the time to merchandise the shop effectively and really deliver on that side of things is very challenging.

“Within a short space of time since we’ve signed up with the consulting agency, we’ve seen a big change. They come in every month and merchandise the shop and advise me on what stock I need to keep visible and what I need to move on.”

Merchandising the shop hasn’t only raised the standards of the retail space but it has also set the bar for Lunny’s staff to aspire to, while the feedback from the members has been positive so far.

“In terms of shop layout they have been very active and very helpful, making sure the shop is in the right space at different times of the year and that we’re carrying the right type and amount of stock. Once a month, they merchandise the shop and help move stock in and out. A lot of clubs don’t give a lot of thought into ‘how does the shop represent the club’ in terms of the type of brands that they stock and the price that they work towards. Each club’s expectations are different.

“At Dun Laoghaire, my staff now see the shop presented differently which sets the standard and creates a positive influence on them. I did a lot of homework and asked a lot of questions at the start and I got a sense of how the club wanted the pro shop to look and how it should be presented and I think we are delivering on that front.”

It certainly seems that Lunny has turned it around as far as being a PGA Professional working in the retail space goes and a revamped golf shop was just what was needed in Dun Laoghaire to give him that extra boost to the business.