Providing a first-class teaching and custom-fit service can deliver increased volume, profits and a loyal base of customers who place service and correctly matched equipment higher on their priority list than price alone. To this end, many professionals are converting old buildings into facilities that can be used all year round, whatever the weather. Without the right technology in place, pros are handing a competitive advantage to their rivals.
Accessible technology
Equipment that provides objective information to the custom fitter and teaching pro is now widely available. Technology has advanced so rapidly that it no longer costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to invest in state-of-the-art equipment. It is possible to invest between £1,000-£10,000 in off-the-shelf equipment solutions that can evaluate a player, allowing both product and swing comparisons to be carried out effectively. I firmly believe such technology will be a mandatory part of the professional’s business in much the same way as a PC is commonplace in every company.
All too often though, a custom-fitting room is set-up, and then retrospectively the equipment is installed. The result is often poorly positioned equipment and a maze of cables. At MIA, our approach is much like designing a bespoke house, and allows every detail to be planned in advance, to guarantee a clean operational setting. This includes the location and installation of wall-mounted LCD displays, video cameras, flush mounted service sockets, the type and positioning of specialist, interlinked lighting, and concealing cabling.
The professional can directly measure the impact on sales from such an investment.
At Hagley Golf and Country Club, a new 28-bay driving range was opened in December 2008. A top-quality experience has been created with heated bays, quality balls, mats and a purpose built custom-fit studio. PGA professional Paul Johnson says the investment in the teaching and fitting studio, which features a FlightScope Kudu tracking radar, has literally doubled equipment sales.
