Andrew Humphreys assumed the role of Head Professional at Aberdovey Golf Club in 2011, and later took on the position of Director of Golf at Mid Wales Golf Academy. Over the years, the Welshman has gained extensive experience managing a pro shop, with Aberdovey officially handing over the keys just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driven by a vision to create the best pro shop in Wales, Humphreys' dedication was recognised in 2023 when he was honoured with the Pro Shop of the Year award at the TGI Golf Awards. Here, Humphreys shares his top tips on how to maximise the potential of your pro shop business and sustain rising revenue.
2. Learn from other retailers
The chairman of the club runs a couple of Spa garages, and I would always point out that I have to walk to the far end of the shop to get some milk. So our hardware is now at the back at the shop. Everyone wants to pick golf clubs up and have a waggle and now they have to walk through the whole shop. I get a lot of support from TaylorMade and I have a good relationship with the rep, nothing is too much trouble and they have helped to create the shop in shop look to things and that has added that professional touch.
3. Use the experts
TGI Golf came in and watched the traffic of the shop for three hours on a busy day and observed where the customers were looking. Reportedly 97 per cent of people look right when they come in so you know where to position the till. You don’t really think about these things until someone tells you what the data says.
So we were able to quickly work out what the journey of the customer looked like and where the dead areas were. Customers will want a coffee and some snacks and a lot of thought went into where certain items were positioned. By working with TGI Golf we can easily pull together buying reports and the info that you get to run your pro shop is fantastic and makes my job so much easier.
6. Position your studio in the right spot
I used to have a studio built 100 yards away from the shop so it was a nightmare in terms of staffing and there was always something going wrong with the launch monitor. We had a disused room which acted as the archive of the club with a lot of old paperwork so we rehoused all of that and raised the roof and strengthened it. So the studio is now situated in the shop which is a game-changer as we can coach and still run the shop.
When I pulled out one of the boards Joe (Davis) had signed it in 1983 so I left a little message for when it next gets updated.
7. Maximise your studio
At Aberdovey we have a small practice area so we have to manage the amount of lessons that we have. So space is at a premium and the studio has become one of our biggest assets. We now sell TrackMan membership to our members where they can pay and get 12 months’ access to the studio by booking online. That sells lessons like you wouldn’t believe as, with a few pointers from the pros, it becomes more about them coaching themselves. So we can fill a lot of dead time away from the lesson slots which is great for additional income.
Similarly we offer lots of lesson packages and these are subsidised by the club. A lot of our initiatives work really well as we have a great relationship with the club. One popular package is having four hours of lessons and a four-hole playing lesson as nine holes can be a bit daunting for some and it can be done in an hour.
