At Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota, the arrival of winter didn't mean the end of the retail season. Instead, the team found creative ways to connect with members through lifestyle merchandise, holiday shopping events and a thoughtfully curated Holiday Gift Guide that extended the golf shop experience beyond its doors. With Minnesota's golf season winding down, the holidays presented an opportunity to showcase merchandise that appealed to members' interests both on and off the course.
Rather than simply compiling a list of products, Interlachen created a gift guide with personality. The publication opened with “Team ICC's Picks,” featuring favorite products selected by staff members from across the club, including golf, fitness, restaurants and club management. Each staff member represented a different gifting personality, adding a personal touch while showcasing the variety of interests throughout the club. The guide even included an interactive “What Type of Gift Are You?” flowchart, inviting readers to answer playful questions to discover their gifting personality and explore gift ideas suited to different interests. Together, these creative elements transformed a traditional holiday catalog into a more engaging and personalized shopping experience.
The guide also took a lifestyle-focused approach to merchandising. Rather than limiting its selections to golf apparel and equipment, the team organized products into categories such as athletics, stocking stuffers, gifts for her and him, golf, and home goods. Cozy winter layers, pickleball accessories, leather goods, candles and Interlachen-branded merchandise appeared throughout the publication. The variety reflected the many ways members enjoyed the club and helped position the golf shop as a destination for gifts beyond traditional golf merchandise.
Photography and presentation played an important role in bringing the guide to life. Lifestyle imagery, thoughtfully arranged products, and playful design details gave the publication a festive, approachable feel. Instead of presenting merchandise in isolation, the guide helped members imagine how products could fit into everyday activities, holiday traditions, and gift-giving occasions.
Beyond product discovery, the Holiday Gift Guide served as a promotional resource for the club's seasonal retail initiatives. It highlighted special offers and shopping events, including Black Friday at the Fieldhouse and the Holiday Sip & Shop, giving members additional reasons to visit and explore the merchandise available. It also promoted gifting opportunities across other areas of the club, including fitness and wellness experiences.
For national members who may not have been able to visit the club regularly, the guide provided another way to stay connected to Interlachen during the offseason. By featuring products that reflected the club's identity, the team gave members an opportunity to discover meaningful gifts and merchandise that represented their connection to the club, even from afar.
These efforts contributed to a particularly successful holiday retail season. December became the club's strongest month for apparel sales and its second-highest sales month overall, trailing only the club's grand reopening of the golf course.
Through its Holiday Gift Guide, Interlachen Country Club demonstrated how seasonal retail marketing could extend beyond traditional product promotion. By incorporating staff personalities, lifestyle merchandising, interactive elements, and cross-department collaboration, the team created a holiday shopping resource that was both informative and enjoyable. More importantly, the guide helped maintain a connection between members and the club during a time of year when golf activity naturally slowed, reinforcing the value of a retail experience that extended well beyond the course.
For information about the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM), visit AGMGolf.org, or reach out via email at info@agmgolf.org or by phone at 602.604.8250.
