Tips for retailers

Golf shirts:
Missed opportunities?

During recent research into the South African golf apparel market Sports Trader did for Sporting Goods Intelligence*, it struck us that sports stores were losing out in terms of the distribution of golf branded golf shirts (i.e. branded with a golf brand such as Ping, Cutter & Buck, Grand Slam, Birdi, etc. and not a sports brand such as NIKE or Puma, or unbranded). The golf specialist retail chains, together with the on-course pros and the corporate/promotional channel, distributed over 90% of the shirts, with the rest shared between fashion stores and sports shops.

Why should this be so? If surf brands are performing so well in sports outlets, why not golf? If anything, more people regard golf as a “proper” sport rather than surfing. Besides, golf shirts are worn by just about every SA man as casualwear and should therefore be lucrative stock items for sport stores.

“Not so”, says Jaap Engelbrecht of Somerset Sports. They stocked golf products for many years until The Pro Shops started impacting on their sales. When that happened they decided that rather than stocking a limited range of golf products they would not stock golf at all, not even balls or shoes. They prefer to concentrate on other sports and rather allocate the available shelf space there.

Anton Klopper of Kloppers in Bloemfontein has the same all or nothing philosophy. He says that this development was also encouraged by the distributors. “A well known sports brand refused to supply me with their golf range because they did not regard Kloppers as a “proper” golf outlet,” he adds, “I need the space for other merchandise.”

Surf brands are doing well in both those outlets. “For one thing, they are much more fashionable than golf brands and more affordable,” says Klopper. “Golf brands have an older and more expensive image”.

Engelbrecht says he can’t recall when last he saw a representative of one of the golf brands. “Now it is too late to try, because we made up our minds”, he says.

But, it seems that the picture changes when the distance from the sports shop target market to the nearest Pro Shop or Golfers Club increases.

Henry Engelbrecht of Boland Sports in Worcester confirms that golf is an important line for him. He sells as much golf wear as surf wear, but surf is for the younger and more fashionable customer. In golf he concentrates on the entry to mid range price categories. He says, “Remember that in the cities they sell to the Menere while we in the platteland sell to the Ooms. They are more conservative, price conscious and less brand conscious.”

He says that he finds that if his customers want a higher priced item they will buy it during their excursions to the city, or often he sources the product for them at a competitive price. In many cases he’ll get the product to them earlier than they would get it if they wait for their next trip to the city.

Willie Lineveldt of Topline Sports in Welkom agrees. Golf is important to him and he stocks a comprehensive range. He even offers an in-house embroidery service and does a lot of embroidery of the golf club’s logo onto golf shirts. He also stocks a range of hardwear. “It is not comprehensive”, he says, “but I often source higher end clubs for customers who know what they want.”

As far as golf shirts are concerned, he stocks sports branded and unbranded, but not golf branded. “Golf branded shirts are not as fashionable as the sports branded shirts, and more expensive. In any case, I never see an agent from the golf shirt brands,” he says, “Perhaps it is too easy just having to call at the two major golf chains.”

Andrew Robinson of Leisure Brands, a distributor specialising in golf trousers and shirts, branded caps and golf accessories handling Grand Slam, Jack Nicklaus, Ping, Izod, Scotford and Country Club, agrees that the golf brands are normally perceived to be too expensive, especially by the smaller town retailer. But he says that is a wrong perception. “Golf brands are not more expensive than the sports brands,” he says.

Jo Bartram of Global Golf, another specialist golf distributor handling well-known brands such as Cutter & Buck, Ahead, Oscar Jacobson and Rhode Island, agrees with Robinson. “We have brands in various price points and even within some of our brands we can compete with the sports brands across all price points,” she says.

She says that in the city areas golfers generally patronise the two major golf retailers and the on-course outlets and consequently prefer buying there. This probably makes the sports retailer more reluctant to stock the golf brands. Furthermore, golf brands are lesser known than the large sports brands amongst consumers as well as retailers. “This again makes it more difficult to get shelf space in sports outlets,” she says.

The golf shirt industry in SA is almost like a cottage industry, adds Robinson. It is so small in terms of the number of buyers. “We tried them in Stuttafords and Edgars (activewear department), but they did not sell through. It makes you reluctant to try other types of outlets,” he says and adds, “you have to be considerate to the retailer as well. You can’t expect him to end up with stock that he can’t sell.”

He also admits that reps might not be calling at the sports shops. “Or it could be that they have been chased away too often,” he says.

A golf shirt is one of the few clothing items that still has a gender bias when bought as casualwear – few women who do not play golf would wear a golf shirt to work or the cinema like their male colleagues. This might explain why golf shirts don’t do well in department stores mainly frequented by women. It therefore makes sense that sport stores, where men feel comfortable shopping, should be able to sell a few golf shirts to their customers — even as an impulse sale.

It definitely seems that there are opportunities being missed by golf branded apparel distributors not targeting sports shops, and by sports shops not targeting the golfer or more mature person that might be interested in paying something extra for a golf brand – or at least give him or her the choice of buying an unbranded, sports branded or golf branded shirt the next time.

It is a fact that in some outlets golf wear is doing very well - so it makes sense to add more choice in the range. And it might be useful to have a look at the golf branded ranges again. Maybe the perception is wrong and the price points might suit your target market.

Keep in mind that it is not only golfers that buy golf shirts. Most people that buy golf shirts have never touched a golf club. You don’t have to offer them other golf products to attract them into the shop.