PROFILE
Current Position: Golf Shop Manager, Arrowood Golf Course, Oceanside, California
Years in Merchandising: 10.
Top Achievements / Honors: Association of Golf Merchandisers, Best of the Best Platinum Award (Top 10), 2024; Association of Golf Merchandisers, Platinum Award (Top 100), 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
SOCIAL ASPECT
Facebook: Arrowood Golf Course
Instagram: @arrowoodgolfcourse
Website: ArrowoodGolf.com
FAVORITES
Apps: Pinterest (gathering thoughts, creating inspiration boards especially for shop décor and displays), Instagram (finding new items or brands, finding inspiration from other golf shops and courses), and Lightroom (photo editing and filtering).
Books: "Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney" by Lee Cockerell; "Becoming" by Michelle Obama, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.
LITTLE THINGS
Must have item / prop for every golf shop: Wood crates — they are so versatile — and a movable piece. We have a bar cart that is used in so many ways and easy to move whenever we need to.
Q&A
The First Call: What is your favorite/most rewarding part of your job?
Kathryn Alter: Even after being in my current position for over four years at Arrowood Golf Course, I still thrive off of compliments from our guests or even former employees who compliment the shop, and the changes that have been made since I took over the buying and merchandising in 2020. These compliments are definitely the most rewarding part of the job for me, as they validate all of the hard work and creativity that goes into the shop and our displays each and every day. From the new way that displays are put together to the variety of products we now have for our golfers, our shop has come a long way and it is truly rewarding to hear that our guests see these differences too.
TFC: What advice do you have for someone considering a career in merchandising?
KA: Don’t be intimidated if you have not held a position in this industry before. There are so many factors that go into merchandising, so regardless of what job you have held before, there are strengths from other jobs that you can definitely bring to the table in regard to a merchandising role. Whether it is creativity to help build displays, customer service experience or a position where you may have assisted with financials or inventory, there are so many ways in which responsibilities from another role could translate to a merchandising position. There are so many hats that a merchandiser gets to wear, which makes this job exciting and ever-changing.
TFC: What is the biggest challenge you face on a daily basis in your merchandising role?
KA: Having come from a background solely at private facilities, I knew that joining the Arrowood team would be a unique opportunity for me as a merchandiser, as our facility is fully public. While we are not alone in having the challenge that comes from merchandising for a demographic that does not have official loyalty to the club by means of a membership, it is a challenge that we have had to get creative with.
Coming aboard, I began running promotions that you would more often see at a country club, because honestly why not? Golfers felt they were getting a better deal, and in turn we saw an increase in merchandise sales quickly. A large chunk of our golfers have never been members at a country club, so these promos have been a fun way to get them excited about shopping with us. We got strategic with our logo, simplifying our traditional logo to a sleek new version that our guests seemed to enjoy as most of them frequent many courses in the area on a weekly basis and we knew we would be competing with other fun local logos.
While it is more difficult to build a relationship with guests who are not part of a traditional membership, we have found ways to connect with ours through customer service, social media and more. Each day a healthy percentage of our tee sheet may be out-of-towners who have found the “hidden gem of Oceanside,” and while we strive to make sure these golfers want to come back to visit us next time, we also spend a lot of time and effort building relationships with our regulars. We ask them where they are shopping, and what they would like to see in the shop that we don’t currently have. Getting this feedback in a country club setting might be easily done with a membership survey, however we have to go the extra mile to get this intel, and thus help our shop become more appealing to our clientele.
TFC: How do you choose the brands that you offer/feature in your store?
KA: There are several factors that we take into consideration when choosing brands for our shop. The most important factor for us is sell-thru and guest demand. The numbers don’t lie, so when we dive into reporting and see that a brand is selling well and is profitable for us, we tend to give that vendor the most business and feature them prominently in our shop.
Given that our shop is less than 700 square feet, we have to be very particular with the brands we choose. One benefit we look for with vendors is the ability to send back product that isn’t selling. Buying from companies who offer items “on wheels” gives us more flexibility to try new items/vendors without a huge risk if they don’t sell, and we try to take advantage of this when we can. Vendor relationships can also make or break what we decide to bring into the shop. We have long-standing positive relationships with the reps of our most popular brands, which can go a long way in terms of what we choose to feature.
TFC: Are there any ways that you see where golf is a leader in fashion trends?
KA: Currently there is a lot of evidence in fashion right now that points to golf and tennis wear as trendy. While trends do tend to fade, I think now is the time to take advantage of this fashion movement. Shopping at big-box stores like Target or even the local mall, you will notice an up-trend in collared polos, sweater vests and other items that have been deemed "country club chic." It has been fun to see this play out in the fashion world, as these are all items that we, as golf merchandisers, have been working with for years. Shops can definitely use this trend to their advantage and play up to this hot fashion take in their shop.
TFC: How do you as a merchandiser add the most value to the profitability of your store?
KA: If forced to choose a trait, I truly believe the biggest asset I am able to offer as a merchandiser is creativity. One way that I stay inspired creatively is by following other golf shops on social media, as well as the Association of Golf Merchandisers, which often reposts visual displays and brands that often churn out unique merchandising ideas such as Anthropologie. From this inspiration, I have been able to translate these ideas into tactics that work for our shop, including using new techniques of folding a shirt, alternate ways of dressing a mannequin and unique props that can be used to enhance a merchandise display in our shop. We are also constantly changing displays and moving product around our shop to keep everything looking fresh while forcing a new perspective of the items in the eyes of our guests.
Having a keen eye for detail, while keeping creativity in mind, allows our displays to truly shine. My creativity also includes keeping our team entertained and motivated. Most recently we held a team competition involving the popular card game UNO. As a fiercely competitive team, every member was excited for a fresh take on the normal sales competition. By completing certain sales tasks, team members could lose a card from their deck, for example, by selling a golf club or having a transaction over $150 in merchandise. At the end of the month, we hosted an epic game of UNO where those who lost the most amount of cards during the competition ended up having a leg up on other team members as their stack of cards was lighter. The winner of UNO got to pick any shirt in the shop, but really the most fun was had with the entire team battling out the game itself. In turn, we also saw an increase in sales that month, exceeding our merchandise budget by nearly 5% on the month ... proving that creativity really can turn a profit.
TFC: What is the best way to introduce a new product?
KA: When trying to promote new product, you can never go wrong by putting it front and center. Whether that be on a mannequin — they are the best silent sellers — at the front of your shop or on the counter for each guest to see as they check out, you want to make sure that the item is visible and can be an easy talking point for your team. You can get creative with signage as well. Utilize materials from the vendor to help tell a story about the new product, and if the vendor doesn't have any, then make your own. Type up a quick blurb about the brand or item that looks aesthetically pleasing and put it in a nice sign holder so that guests can read about the new product when team members are busy helping other guests.
If you want to be more subtle, simply find a sign that fits your shop's style and advertise "New Arrivals!" If there is a weekly/monthly newsletter that goes out to your members or shoppers, think about adding a section that focuses on new arrivals in the shop, where you can write a detailed description about the item and why you brought it in, as well as adding photos of the product. There are so many ways you can get the word out about new product in your shop, the trick is to find which way works best for you and your clientele.
TFC: What trends are you currently seeing in golf retail, and how are you adapting to them?
KA: Like many others, we continue to see a surge in athletic wear, and not just for those that golf. The popularity of athleisure apparel in the past few years has continued to grow and we have tried our best to stay on trend by carrying these types of items alongside our traditional golf wear. Universal pieces that can be worn on and off the course have been best sellers in our shop, giving our golfers more versatility in the outfits they purchase from us.
We’ve also become a place where non-golfers who live in our surrounding neighborhood may shop for apparel pieces, which is a huge win for us. With this trend comes competition from big-box stores, however we have found that the vendors we carry offer higher quality products and by branding our product in sophisticated ways — such as monochromatic logos — we are able to stay competitive.