Merchandisers of the Year Winters, Sherlock and McNamara Winners-
Sharnae Winters Wins Private Merchandiser of the Year-
Riverside, Iowa – Sharnae Winters of Hyperion Field Club has been named the 2024 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 Winters responded with, “I am deeply honored to receive this award, as it holds great personal significance. Merchandising has always been a passion of mine, and I am thrilled to share both this passion and this award with the incredible members of Hyperion Field Club.”
Winters spends 80% of her time in the merchandising area. She changes the merchandise displays every two weeks. She changes the displays often so the members can have a new look in the golf shop. Winters has found that this drives more members into the golf shop before or after their round.
Winters merchandising philosophy centers around understanding and meeting the preferences and needs of our valued members. She prioritizes the following aspects to ensure an exceptional shopping experience in our golf shop at Hyperion Field Club.
She focuses on the styles and brands that resonate with her members. By actively seeking feedback, she can tailor her offerings to match their interests, leading to increased satisfaction and sales year after year. Her goal is to cater to the entire membership, ensuring that her product range has something for everyone, from seasoned golfers to newcomers.
Winters keeps an eye on market trends within the golf industry and allows her to introduce new and exciting products to our shop. This not only keeps her inventory fresh but also aligns with the latest industry innovations and member expectations.
Winters focus on welcoming environments with proper product placement is crucial. She creates inviting and visually appealing displays to attract members’ attention. Regularly changing the shop’s layout helps maintain member interest and encourages frequent visits. Featuring new products on a central table at the entrance serves as a focal point, guiding members through the shop and enhancing their shopping experience.
She generates excitement about new arrivals through word of mouth, targeted member demographics, and social media updates. This approach ensures that members and well-informed and eager to explore our latest offerings.
By combining these strategies, she aims to provide a personalized and enjoyable shopping experience, ultimately enhancing member satisfaction and driving sales growth at Hyperion Field Club.
Adam Pritchard, PGA Director of Golf at Hyperion Field Club had this to say about Winters, “Sharnae has done a fantastic job of taking over the buying here at Hyperion. We are currently projected to have our best year sales wise by quite a wide margin. She has increased the number of vendors and has brought in a much different variety of merchandise.”
Michelle Blanchard, President of Hyperion Field Club has these nice words to say about Winters, “Sharnae’s approach to merchandising is both strategic and creative. She has a keen eye for selecting high-quality products that resonate with our members, ensuring that our golf shop is always stocked with the latest and most desirable items. Her ability to anticipate trends and understand the preferences of our diverse membership has significantly boosted our sales and member satisfaction.”
This is Winters’ first Iowa PGA Section Award.
The PGA Congratulates Sharnae Winters as our 2024 Private Merchandiser of the Year.
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Matt Sherlock Wins Public Merchandiser of the Year
Matt Sherlock of MK Golf Shops Inc., Edmundson Golf Course and Harvest Point Golf Course has been named the 2024 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 Sherlock responded with, “It is an honor to be nominated, and selected as the recipient of the 2024 IPGA public golf shop merchandiser of the year. As always there are many facilities who all deserve to win the award but this year I was lucky enough to be selected. I am humbled to be acknowledged by my peers for doing what we all do everyday.”
Sherlock makes all merchandising decisions including selecting all products, scheduling product arrival dates, pricing, displays, selling plan, inventory, special orders, discounts, and marketing of everything in our golf shop. All of the merchandising 100% is done by Sherlock.
Edmundson Golf Course and Harvest Point Golf Course have had rounds played of 28,000 – 31,000 rounds annually. The merchandise at Edmundson Golf Course and Harvest Point Golf Course changes the displays as needed, but at a minimum, monthly for big displays and weekly for faster moving products. Sherlock works with square footage of approximately 1800-2000 square feet.
Sherlock’s theory is simple. We sell name brand, quality products at prices that meet or beat big box stores that are selling identical products. He works with sales reps to decide on what merchandise will be successful each season and review this process annually with all products. He also refers to PGA magazine monthly sales data for added tips and trends. He has found that most trends hit the Midwest about 30-60 days after the coastal states. PGA magazine is a great resource for tracking this data and allowing him to plan accordingly.
He invests in his future by offering extreme discounts to school teams for matching team gear as this is a way for him to meet and develop a relationship with the next generation of golfers, coaches and future customers. He has done this for so long that he is now selling products to some of his earlier customers’ children who are now starting in golf. It is a system and cycle that works. Lastly, call your customers by name, engage them in their decision making and treat them like you want to be treated.
Sherlock won Deacon Palmer Award in 2021 and Co-Golf Professional of the Year in 2022.
The Iowa PGA Congratulates Matt Sherlock as our 2024 Public Merchandiser of the Year.
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Mike McNamara Wins Resort Merchandiser of the Year-
Mike McNamara of Blue Top Ridge at Riverside has been named the 2024 Iowa PGA Resort 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 resort facility.
When asked on what this means to win this award McNamara responded with, “Elite Casino Resorts offer first-class amenities, clean and well-maintained areas, and the best guest service. We value our employees as our greatest asset. We try to do everything as a team and Assistant Golf Professional Mason Shawver and others contributed to us winning this award. I was blessed to have great mentors and was able to take over a successful award-winning Golf Shop. We are fortunate to have great Sales Representatives that support our strategies and planning. Our goal was to win the 2024 Resort Merchandiser of the year and I’m very proud to be able to share this with our team.”
McNamara typically will spend 30 – 45 minutes a day evaluating the golf shop and creating a visually appealing pro shop display. Rotating merchandise for a fresh look and monitoring sales, ensuring all products are priced, tagged and color coordinated grabbing the customers attention.
With over 2,000 square feet of space, we need support from our vendors. We have teamed up with the top brands to bring our guests the best products. We meet with vendors during the Iowa PGA Merchandise Show building new relationships while searching for fresh ideas. We prepare for the next season, evaluating sales, sales goals, and future orders. We work together to understand the supply of products, new releases, and product launches. We will also visit the PGA Merchandise show in Orlando to feel the full impact of new products and industry trends. Golf rounds have been trending upward the past few seasons to 17,500 annually and so have the merchandise sales.
We will upgrade the Golf Shop various times during the season. Knowing the hot and cold zones and impulse items. We place shop fixtures strategically, so customers see as much product on their way to the counter. We cross merchandise multiple items such as hats with shirts and shorts together to create interest in all three items. We will group products by brand or by type so there are clear categories in the store for the customer to identify. We space our product delivery times to keep the pro shop looking fresh and compelling.
Our Resort Club members get exclusive daily and monthly promotions. These mailers go out monthly with information on upcoming events, golf specials, to include demo/fit days with Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway and PXG to increase our club sales in the Riverside Performance studio.
Just recently the September loyalty mailer reached 39,631 guests. There is no charge to join the Resort Club. Our One Club, One Card program allows members to earn Resort Club points for card levels at all of our Elite Casino’s locations. Points can then be used for purchases.
After the season is over, we will POP- UP golf shops in our high traffic areas throughout the resort for the holidays. Our Elite Casinos Shopping Spree allows our guests to earn gift cards to end the year with Christmas gifts for family and friends.
McNamara won Bill Strausbaugh in 2020 and Assistant Professional of the Year in 2010.
The Iowa PGA Congratulates Mike McNamara as our 2024 Resort Merchandiser of the Year.
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