Golf Merchandise Manager

The Golf Merchandise Manager is responsible for leading the Club’s golf retail operation, enhancing the member experience while driving profitable revenue growth.

This role combines merchandise planning and autonomous buying within an approved budget, inventory and margin management, vendor relationships, visual merchandising, team leadership, and highly personalized member engagement. The Golf Merchandise Manager is expected to develop a detailed understanding of members’ preferences, purchasing habits, sizes, brands, equipment interests, and individual needs, using those insights to improve product assortment and create proactive selling opportunities.

The ideal candidate is both analytical and highly relationship-oriented: a golf professional capable of managing a disciplined retail business while maintaining a visible sales-floor presence, credibly selling both hard goods and apparel, and serving as a trusted resource to members.

Estimated Responsibility Breakdown

• 30% buying and vendor management
• 20% inventory and business management
• 35% sales floor presence, member interaction, and Golf Shop operations
• 15% displays and visual merchandising

The Golf Merchandise Manager is expected to maintain a visible, scheduled presence in the Golf Shop during peak member traffic.

Member Relationships & Sales

• Maintain a visible and highly engaged presence in the Golf Shop during peak member traffic. 
• Develop strong individual member relationships and detailed knowledge of preferences, sizes, brands, fits, colors, equipment  interests, and purchasing patterns.
• Proactively connect members with relevant new arrivals, equipment opportunities, special orders, and products aligned with their known preferences.
• Maintain relevant member preference information within the Club’s designated operating system to support personalized service and proactive follow-up.
• Ensure timely and thorough follow-through on special orders, product requests, and equipment inquiries.
• Translate member feedback, purchasing behavior, and observed preferences into future assortment and buying decisions.
• Provide credible, knowledgeable guidance across both apparel and golf hard goods.
• Assist with daily Golf Shop operations, including member charges and tee sheet management, while ensuring routine shop coverage does not displace core merchandising and business-management responsibilities.

Merchandise Planning, Buying & Vendor Management

• Develop annual and seasonal buying plans based on sales history, inventory performance, member preferences, seasonal demand, Club growth, and tournament schedules.
• Analyze sales, gross margin, inventory turnover, aged inventory, markdown performance, and product performance to optimize  assortment and purchasing decisions.
• Create and manage open-to-buy budgets, exercising purchasing autonomy within approved budgets and strategic parameters.
• Build a balanced assortment that reflects the Club’s brand, member preferences, current golf and lifestyle trends, and financial objectives.
• Identify opportunities to expand successful categories, reduce underperforming inventory, and introduce relevant new brands and products.
• Establish strong relationships with apparel, footwear, accessory, equipment, and other relevant vendors.
• Attend appointments, trade shows, buying events, and vendor meetings to evaluate products and identify opportunities.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, dating programs, shipping arrangements, exclusives, and custom offerings when appropriate.
• Coordinate product deliveries and proactively manage vendor performance and timing.

Hard Goods & Golf Equipment

• Maintain current knowledge of golf equipment, technology, and product offerings to confidently guide members in purchasing decisions.
• Develop strong working relationships with golf equipment manufacturers and representatives.
• Support members with equipment selection, product comparisons, custom-order opportunities, and follow-through from inquiry through delivery.
• Ensure hard-goods assortment and inventory decisions reflect member demand, purchasing patterns, new product introductions, and appropriate inventory discipline.

Inventory, Margin & Business Management

• Own performance against the approved Golf Shop retail plan and established financial objectives.
• Monitor and report on key indicators including sales, gross margin, inventory turnover, aged inventory, markdowns, and open-to-buy position.
• Manage inventory and replenishment strategies to support profitable sales growth while minimizing excess and aging stock.
• Conduct regular inventory audits and maintain accurate inventory records.
• Exercise appropriate markdown authority and develop proactive strategies for slow-moving merchandise.
• Prepare regular reports and recommendations regarding merchandise performance, sales trends, inventory risks, and future buying decisions.
• Ensure merchandise is accurately received, entered into the point-of-sale system, priced, displayed, replenished, and  accounted for.
• Partner with the Director of Golf and Club leadership in establishing annual retail goals and budgets while  maintaining day-to-day ownership of execution and performance.

Visual Merchandising

• Design and execute attractive, innovative merchandise displays that enhance the member shopping experience and drive sales.    
• Regularly refresh sales-floor presentations to reflect seasonality, new arrivals, member interests, tournaments, and special opportunities.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and visually compelling retail environment consistent with Club standards.
• Continuously evaluate presentation based on member behavior, product performance, and changing inventory.

Team Leadership & Golf Shop Operations

• Supervise seasonal Assistant Golf Professionals and other assigned Golf Shop staff.
• Schedule Golf Shop coverage based on member traffic, operational needs, and service expectations.
• Train and coach staff on product knowledge, selling skills, member preferences, special-order processes, and retail standards.     
• Establish clear expectations for proactive member engagement, shop presentation, product replenishment, and follow-through.
• Hold staff accountable for accurate transactions, strong communication, member request follow-through, and consistent retail standards.
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Golf and other Golf Professionals to identify merchandising opportunities and support the overall golf member experience.

Qualifications

• PGA Professional or Associate preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in golf retail, merchandise buying, merchandising, private club operations, or a related environment preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to credibly sell and discuss both golf hard goods and apparel.
• Strong understanding of merchandise planning, inventory management, margin management, and retail analytics.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a natural ability to remember and act upon individual member preferences.
• Proven ability to interpret sales and inventory data and translate insights into purchasing decisions.
• Strong visual merchandising and presentation skills.
• Experience supervising, training, or coaching retail or Golf Shop staff preferred.
• Proficiency with retail management, point-of-sale, inventory, and member relationship systems.
• Strong awareness of current golf equipment, apparel, footwear, and lifestyle trends.

Success Factors & Performance Measures

Success in this role requires the ability to combine strong golf credibility, retail instinct, financial discipline, and highly personalized member service. The Golf Merchandise Manager must operate with autonomy and sound judgment, proactively identify member needs, translate relationships and data into better buying decisions, and maintain disciplined follow-through across member requests, vendors, inventory, and team execution.

Performance will be evaluated using a balanced scorecard that may include:

• Merchandise sales and gross margin performance against plan
• Inventory turnover and aged inventory levels
• Markdown performance and inventory productivity
• Member request and special-order follow-through
• Quality and consistency of proactive member engagement
• Retail presentation and visual merchandising standards
• Team performance, product knowledge, and service execution