ORLANDO, Florida — If you’re interested in trading in your old clubs for something fresh you may want to check out Next Round.
There is a slight twist, though. The online-based company offers no cash but a fair market trade value credit that then can be used at various locations — including at a private club like Bay Hill Club and Lodge here in Orlando — to purchase some new gear.
Next Round was founded in April 2019, an offshoot of a bicycle trade-in model that was turned upside down by COVID-19, where most riders were keeping their bikes and getting them repaired, not seeking new or upgraded models.
"We made some phone calls and found out what we were doing translated to golf," says Steve Stoloff, Next Round co-founder and president. "So we're a trade-in company that helps retailers sell more. We don't look at ourselves as a used goods company looking to make affordable used goods. We view it as currency, so your old equipment is currency toward your new equipment, and then somebody wants that used equipment because they can't afford or don't want to pay for the new equipment and so on."
Next Round, which is exhibiting at the PGA Show, separates itself from the competition by being "retailer centric."
"Convenience is what we're selling," Stoloff says. "So for our customers we’ve built tools that are convenient, like they can get a quote from home that gets credited back to a retailer where they can buy clubs.
"And what makes us different is we don't haggle on the back end with our partners. If you're in good standing, if you say your clubs are in good condition, we accept it as good condition. Even if we disagree with you, we'll tolerate a little bit of difference of opinion in order to keep the relationship strong."
Stoloff says Next Round has issued over $8 million in credit to participating partners in the company’s first six years, with an average of 200,000 transactions a year in golf clubs.
In addition, Next Round is affiliated with 700-plus golf clubs in the United States that serve as trade-in middle men so to speak. Next Round also conducts business in Australia and Canada, and is exploring options in the United Kingdom.
And additional expansion appears to be close.
"We’re one of three in the industry approved to sell on Walmart.com," Stoloff says. "In my opinion, that's the wave of the future. You know you have pre-owned skis, pre-owned cycling, pre-owned golf. You are going to see hobby sports become more and more expensive, so trade ups and resales are going to be a thriving piece of the industry."
EXTRA SECURITY FOR YOUR CLUBS
Most golfers prefer to take their own clubs when traveling to resort destinations or on a business trip.
But protecting your valued asset is often a dicey proposition when it comes to airline baggage handling. Anyone who has endured a broken driver knows the deal. In short, club damage can be expensive.
A new product at the PGA Show called AyrSupport aims to solve the issue with a unique inflatable design that is billed to protect clubs from drops and impacts.
Founder and CEO Tyler Beckley broke out an Instagram video showing the products resistance to impact.
"I dropped a 50-pound air scuba tank on top of the AyrSupport with a golf bag inside and it just bounced three feet that way," he says. "I also brought a 40-pound weight with me to the PGA Show to demonstrate its strength."
Beckley is himself a golf traveler who believes there is no other product on the market like his.
"As kind of a starting point a year ago we were thinking along the lines of an air mattress, but it was just too stiff, too heavy," he says. "Then my manufacturer sent me this material called TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) and it's really rugged. It's almost like a rubber more than anything else."
Retailing at $299, the travel protection unit has a single-value inflation for a simple execution of how much you want it inflated around your bag. And once deflated, it folds neatly for easy storage.
"I knew if I would buy it and was looking for something like this then other golfers would need the same thing," says Beckley, who has an initial run of 1,500 to sell online.
The inflated dimensions are 13x16x51, so most bags will fit into the inflated product. Additional versions are expected in the future. “The current design gives golfers the flexibility to use whatever bag they like,” Beckley says.
A NEW TAKE ON OLD CONCEPT
One of the more creative names at this week's PGA Show goes to the Water Weasel. The product is pretty creative, too.
Billed as "The Best Ball Retriever You’ll Ever Use," the Water Weasel uses rolling disc technology to grab up to four balls at once.
Water Weasel CEO Larry Walshaw guarantees a golfer will come home with more golf balls than they left with.
“And golf balls aren’t cheap,” he says. “Most, if not all golf retrievers, have one head and can only pick up one ball at a time. And sometimes when the head goes in the water to get the ball you miss it and it stirs up mud and then you can't find it. With the Water Weasel it just rolls right over the balls."
There are no rustable parts, it is lightweight at just 1.4 pounds and has a large gripping handle that twists to expand to 12 feet.
Walshaw confesses that the technology is not new. In fact, it dates back 33 years to a man in Sarasota, Florida, who used to produce a similar item in his garage, selling more than 10,000 to golf outlets such as Edwin Watts Golf back in the day.
Last spring, the retriever that Walshaw purchased 25 years ago finally broke. He sought out the original designer along Florida's Gulf Coast to see if, by chance, he had any left. No such luck, but it wasn’t a wasted trip.
"I tracked him down in Bradenton and I bought all his rights to the design," Walshaw says. "We made some changes and we now have a patent pending product."
Launching the American-made product this week at the PGA Show, Walshaw has 2,500 units in a warehouse ready to strike a deal with golf retailers. He estimates it would be three months before the general public could go on his website and buy directly. .
Along with the clever name, Walshaw has also come up with a few humorous taglines, including "Grabbing Your Balls Has Never Been Easier."
"It’s all in fun and light humor," he says.
