Delaney Wins Private Merchandiser of the Year
Riverside, Iowa – Brian Delaney of Davenport Country Club has been named the 2022 Iowa PGA Private Merchandiser of the Year. This award is presented to the PGA Professional who demonstrated superior skills as a merchandiser in the promoting of golf at a private facility.
When asked on what this means to win this award Delaney responded with, “It is a great honor to be recognized by the other great professionals of our section. This award means a lot to me have always viewed it as a team award. I am fortunate enough to have a great staff. Melanie, Jake, Mckinley, and David are all instrumental in our merchandise operation and it is great for the team to be recognized.”
Delaney’s goal in their merchandising operation is to be the experts for their membership. While they are a profitable component of the operation their primary goal is to provide a service to their membership. To do that they create an easy shopping experience across the board. Their lines are up to date, fresh, and picked specifically for what their members are looking for. They want their merchandise to match the beautiful course that they have and help tell the story of their unique property. The “pump” logo has become a recognized logo to golfers in the Midwest and a great talking point for their members when they are asked about it.
They provide a custom fit approach for hard goods with club and ball fittings. They utilize the Golf Genius Golf Shop to survey their membership and create unique merchandise profiles for each member, including their sizes, brand preferences, ball preference, and much more. This helps them insure they are bringing in what they are looking for and they can create a meaningful and personal shopping experience.
They occasionally say this as a half joke, “They(we) are not here to sell you things, just here to help solve your shopping problems.” While they usually get a good laugh, it is true! Their membership supports the shop because of the efforts their staff puts in to helping them with their purchases. It could be by getting them into the correct equipment or ball, or by noting in their profile that they prefer a specific brand and when we get an order in from that brand, they shoot them a note or say something on the first tee so that they know his staff listens and are there to help.
They change their merchandise displays change 12-15 times (shop rotation every 3 to 4 weeks) Because their shop square footage is relatively small for the volume, they do bring in smaller orders on a more frequent schedule. This keeps their displays fresh and full.
This is Delaney’s first Iowa PGA Section Award.
The PGA Congratulates Brian Delaney as our 2022 Private Merchandiser of the Year.
Luedtke Wins Public Merchandiser of the Year
Riverside, Iowa – Bryan Luedtke of Bunker Links Golf Course has been named the 2022 Iowa PGA Public Merchandiser of the Year. This award is presented to the PGA Professional that demonstrated superior skills as a merchandiser in the promotion of golf at a public facility.
When asked on what this means to win this award Delaney responded with, “First, it is a tremendous honor to be selected for an award, especially when you are running up against your peers and fellow professionals that you respect and admire. Second, it is a big feeling of accomplishment that all your hard work goes noticed and you can share in the success that you have had at your home club. Lastly, as a PGA Professional, we all take a great amount of pride in all the work we do, whether that is running club tournaments, merchandising, teaching or mentoring young professionals. I am proud to say I am a Quarter Century Member of the PGA.”
Their merchandising philosophy is geared around an exciting Tournament Program. They want to host exciting, fun formatted, well run, professional events which in-turn create larger purse pay-outs so their players and customers can purchase from their broad selection of quality items at a competitive price.
Going into his eighth season here at Bunker Links, all of their innovative ideas that have been implemented the first few years have been successful, so the next step was to ask his staff what they felt they could do to upgrade the facility, the customer experience, and their reputation. Luedtke also asked some of their long-time customers what they would like to see Bunker Links carry, such as: merchandise items, merchandise brands and any changes to their tournament program. All this input has helped increase their customer experience.
New ideas implemented in the last few years:
1. New Patio and Furniture
2. Slatwall for Displays
3. Corporate Sponsors
4. Signage for Tournament Winners
5. Eagle Eye Camera System (camera mounted behind the 18th green and streamed into the clubhouse)
6. Locker Room Updates
7. Cart Signs & USB Ports
8. Pop Up Tents for Golf Outings and Tournaments
9. New vendors for 2022: Black Clover and Ouray
Implementing all these ideas has helped raise the bar of their spotlight in the community, increased their tournament participation (40%), and their tournament purses in the last eight years. Obviously, putting all these factors together is why their merchandise sales have gone up by 50% over the same period, and Luedtke and his staff take tremendous pride in providing these professional services.
The mission of Bunker Links is to create an enjoyable golf experience while providing quality golf course conditions at a competitive price. Their foundation is built on the principles of friendly, professional, and dedicated service to the community that will help to ensure the growth of the game.
Luedtke’s has won Public Merchandiser of the Year in 2017.
The Iowa PGA Congratulates Bryan Luedtke as our 2022 Public Merchandiser of the Year.
Follow the Iowa PGA
For more information and schedule updates, fans can follow the Iowa PGA on Facebook (facebook.com/Iowapga), Twitter (@iowapga) and YouTube (youtube.com/iowapga). Fans can also get a behind the scenes look on Instagram (@iowapga).