Home to one of the most elite collections of golf courses in the United States, Reynolds Lake Oconee also has some of the best golf shops to match, as three have been named 2017 Platinum Award winners by the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM).
Merchandising programs at the Great Waters, National and Oconee courses have received the highest honor the AGM presents annually and will be formally recognized at the AGM Retail Conference awards program Jan. 24 during the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.
“These three awards are an extension of the dedication and expertise of the golf staff to deliver an exceptional experience on and off the golf course,” said Mark Lammi, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Lake Oconee. It takes teamwork to coordinate merchandise for all six golf shops at Reynolds Lake Oconee, Lammi added.
“Each professional team and I can come up with a strategy on how well the shop is performing and establish goals for the year,” said Caroline Basarab Dennison, director of retail at Reynolds. “We hold regular focus groups with our members to obtain feedback and train our retail staff regularly to enhance service levels.
“With all that information,” Basarab Dennison said, “we can make the best retail decisions to offer the right product mix, price points that fit our market and lastly, offering the right colors and size runs throughout the shops.”
The AGM this year received one of the strongest list of entries in its 10-year history, making the competition highly contested, notes Desane Blaney, Executive Director of the AGM. All entries were judged by an impartial panel and they were graded on new ideas, creativity, adaptability, revenue-generating initiatives and adhering to the contest rules.
