More success for McClelland

With the opening of the new 52 bay two tiered driving range, Silvermere in Surrey has not only become one of the best and most innovative game improvement centres in the country, but one of the best showcases of retail golf equipment anywhere in the UK.

Walking into Doug McClelland’s retail emporium is literally like walking into the brochures of all the top names in golf equipment – Callaway, Mizuno, TaylorMade, Nike, Ping and Titleist for clubs, and Nike, Adidas, Puma and Under Armour amongst many other brand names for clothing.

Then there are the shoes, balls and accessories: you name it, McClelland’s shop has almost certainly got it.

There’s even a dedicated boutique and shoe fitting area for every FootJoy shoe currently sold – 239 at the moment - and in every style, size and colour - that’s even better than the online brochure! It’s hardly surprising that it’s one of the busiest pro shops in Europe – even attracting the likes of Ryder Cup rookie Victor Dubuisson!

Always known by golfers as the one place where you could see, touch and feel practically anything in the way of clubs, clothing, shoes, accessories and balls, McClelland’s latest development is powering the sales figures beyond even his and his experienced team’s wildest imagination.

In the last two months alone, sales have exceeded £550,000 each month, with £120,000 in the opening week alone. As Terry Sims, PGA Advanced Professional and Doug’s partner, explains, “Customers are coming here and often spending £400-500 per visit. They don’t buy just one pair of golf shoes, they’ll buy three or four pairs of shoes. We were expecting a sales uplift, but nothing like the one we’ve seen.”

McClelland agrees, “We’ve been here for 30 years building up an unrivalled reputation for service and quality, technical knowledge, and always trying to ensure that our customers enjoyed their experience so much they’d tell their mates and come back to us. The new range coincided with some expansion and improvements in the retail area, and that’s enhanced one of the major reasons people come here – they can not only see, but in terms of golf clubs - a major purchase for any golfer - they can also try before they buy on the range.

“The multi-million pound investment in the range means every golfer has a view of the outfield and the new feature of target greens re-creates a far more realistic golfing experience. There are PowerTees in all of the ground floor bays and new two-piece high quality range balls. There are 14 PGA teaching professionals, short game practice facilities, and of course the range itself is fully covered, floodlit and open from 7am to 10pm every day of the week. That’s why it’s now doing 12 to 14,000 balls a week.”

The retail empire now also includes Left Handed Golf - www.lefthandedgolf.co.uk, one of those ideas that so simple and obvious, you wonder why no-one else thought of it for the 9% of the 4 million golfers in the UK alone that are left handed. McClelland is justifiably pleased with its sales performance, as he comments, “Terry’s brought his brilliant concept that he developed at Kingswood, Left Handed Golf, here to Silvermere as part of his coming in as my partner and in turn that’s producing sales that are way in excess of what we expected.”

He continues, “Because we’re the only dedicated golf centre for left handed golfers, we’re getting lefties from all over the world, not just the region or even the UK, coming here.”

Terry backs this up, “We had two chaps from New Zealand here recently, and have others from around Europe and even the States. They get to hear about us, check us out on the website and make a visit here a part of their travel plans, because we can offer world class teaching facilities, swing simulators, dedicated coaching studios, custom fitting and top notch advice from lefties like them, as well as every left handed golf club available.”

Sims adds, “So you see it’s not just retail therapy! That said, our shop certainly suits the busy time-pressed lifestyles of the 21^st century golfing consumers, as well as the complete golfing experience. In fact, to extend our retail offering even wider, we also have the exclusive concession for golf clothing and accessories on House of Fraser.com, and the we’re official retailer at the 2014 London Golf Show at Bluewater.”

The drivers behind this retail phenomenon’s success are not about price either, as he says, “We remain competitive on price and sell at realistic margins, but we also provide terrific service and quality.” With the volume of equipment they’re selling, McClelland’s team are also able to negotiate by far the best prices from any of the manufacturers.

Of course the location’s ideal as well, not far off the M25, with free parking and plenty of it, a stylish clubhouse to have something to eat and drink as you reflect on your purchases, all in what is in fact a very pleasant location to be in, the polar opposite of the usual retail park or supermarket.

McClelland sums up his thoughts on the success of his business, “With the course, the clubhouse, the range and the retail centre, with the expertise, innovative coaching facilities and professional advice, we’re now selling a complete golf experience for golfers of any age and ability.

“We’re seeing younger and more serious golfers, families whose children want to play golf, the better players who want to improve. They’re all prepared to travel further because of what we offer, and when they get here, we make sure every one of their expectations is delivered, and some like special demo events and so on that they don’t expect.”

He continues, “It’s been a lot of hard graft over the past quarter of a century, but the sales increases across the board that we’re now seeing in the wake of the latest expansion and investment in the range and the shop confirms our reputation as ‘the best golf store in the South East’. That’s something that we’re proud of, of course, and which we’re still working hard to maintain as well.”