Golf Merchandise Manager

Description

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.