Owning a golf store???

[Rosmo]

Well right now I'm in the IT field and am growing less fond of it by the day. I have been kicking around the idea of maybe opening a golf store. I live in a town of about 150,000-200,000 people depending on who you ask and there is only one golf store in the entire surrounding area that I know of besides the pro shops at the golf course.

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience owning, managing, working in a golf store who might give me some advice such as...how expensive is it to start up assuming that I would want good variety of things, would I have a good chance of making a profit or is it even a stable enough of a market where I shouldn't have to worry about going out of business. One thing I'm really curious about is how to get equipment at a cheap enough price to be able to compete with the competition. I think the town is big enougth to support two golf stores if it was run well.

I appreciate any advice, tips or just general information that I may not have thought about.

Thanks,
Rosmo

[warbirdlover]

The main problem now for someone starting out is the competition from the Dick's, Edwin Watts, Golf Galaxy etc. They buy in such quantity that they can get a good price.

I used to have an archery shop in my basement years ago and I made it work by ordering "custom" equipment that couldn't be picked up at the local Wallyworlds. I think that is the only way to make it go. And start small (as a sideline to your IT job) because the first year or two you'll only break even. You have to get a name before the crowds come.

Sell the good namebrand stuff but order it with shafts exactly as the customer wants etc.?

Anyway, my $0.02

[Davebud]

Break even with some luck. Quite a few people on the forum are self employed and I think most of them will tell you, it's a tough road to hoe. I am and while my bussiness is established, there are certainly months where I wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to go back and suckle the corporate teat.

[Matthew_22]

Here's my 2 cents:

Starting any sort of business is HARD. You really have to give your life up for a few years before everything is running smoothly. Plus, if you think you are going to get more time to play golf, you'll most likely be working on your shop for more hours than you would a regular job. If you are just sick of your IT job, and dream of a golf related job, setting up a shop isn't going to be an instant fix.

But that's the negatives out of the way.

From what you have said about the city in your post, my guess is that another golf store would thrive. Before you commit to anything though, do A LOT OF RESEARCH (surveying the public as one example) to get any idea of how you can make your shop unique. There's no point just doing the same thing as all the other golf stores, so find something in which only you specialise in.

If you wanted to just jump in a set up the store in one go, you are looking at thousands of dollars of initial expenses. Unless you are 100% confident in your research, I would start small and then reinvest some of your initial earnings to grow the business.

I'm not sure about this, but maybe have a look at setting up an online store with ebay. I don't really know anything about this though, but it might be a good way to kickstart things with a fraction of the expenses.

And as for where to order the equipment from... sorry I can't help you out there.

If you do decide to start up the store, I wish you the best. As you said, if it is properly run then I think it should work out... but running it properly is the hard part.

[DaveE]

A couple of years ago I was considering a similar move. Then I remembered what retail was like and I got over it.

Anyway, while I was thinking about it I checked out a franchise company that has a store about 50 miles from me. There's always additional cost to opening a franchise operation but you also get to take advantage of their knowledge and group buying power. Of course you'd be looking at a serious amount of cash just to open. Google "golf franchise" and you'll find several to talk to.

Having said that, before you jump from IT to a golf store think about what you give up. Your weekends and most holidays for starters if you open a brick and mortor strore. If you started with an ebay operation you could at least avoid that.

I've been self employed for over 15 years and it can be very rewarding but scary too. I can't even count the times I thought I was doomed but found a way out. If you do it, be very commited and prepared to work harder than you ever have.

[TUNA]

Not trying to scare you...just fact.

[warbirdlover]

This is why you want to do it as a sideline to the IT job for awhile. I did that with the archery shop I mentioned and it worked out good. I was really getting it going and got layed off the main job and ended up taking a transfer (same company) in North Carolina from Wisconsin. Quite a culture shock but a good learning experience. (Not meant to demean my NC friends, just a different lifestyle).

[Davebud]

Originally Posted by DaveE

A couple of years ago I was considering a similar move. Then I remembered what retail was like and I got over it.

Anyway, while I was thinking about it I checked out a franchise company that has a store about 50 miles from me. There's always additional cost to opening a franchise operation but you also get to take advantage of their knowledge and group buying power. Of course you'd be looking at a serious amount of cash just to open. Google "golf franchise" and you'll find several to talk to.

Having said that, before you jump from IT to a golf store think about what you give up. Your weekends and most holidays for starters if you open a brick and mortor strore. If you started with an ebay operation you could at least avoid that.

I've been self employed for over 15 years and it can be very rewarding but scary too. I can't even count the times I thought I was doomed but found a way out. If you do it, be very commited and prepared to work harder than you ever have.

Ditto most of that. DaveE, ever wondered if you lead a charmed life? I do, every now and then we hit the wall and just kind of wonder, "Are we going to make enough for the house payment?" Amazingly something always pops up. It's still very stressfull until it happens, once it does I think to myself why did I worry?