Meet the head professional: Alasdair Good

From Gullane Golf Club in East Lothian, head professional Alasdair Good discusses the many aspects to his role, from teaching to managing the pro shop, a career that started in the 1980s and has seen him be a TGI Golf partner for more than 20 years, and being the founder of Wee Wonders.

How has your business adapted to the golf industry’s changes since the start of this decade?

Adaptation isn’t a huge challenge for us as we are constantly looking at what our customers want and ways that we can get better.

Having said that, we certainly saw the game of golf go through a bit of a revolution, especially during and post pandemic. We adapted by ramping up our online presence with a new e-commerce website.

We’ve also embraced new technology, upgrading our EPOS systems as well as integrating with pro shop and event management systems. We are currently working on an electronic booking system that would allow our customers access to book our services in the most convenient way to them.

What daily challenges do you face in running a pro shop and teaching?

The biggest challenge is balancing it all. One minute I’m discussing the finer details of adjustable loft sleeves with a customer in the pro shop, and the next, I’m out on the range trying to convince a student with a slice to try hooking it!

Between managing finances, stock levels, lessons, fittings, HR, PR and organising events, it’s a bit like trying to juggle ping pong balls on a windy day.

The way I try balancing things is to schedule my time so people know when I do lessons and when I will be in the pro shop.

There is a constant flow of new golf products – how do you manage your stock to serve the needs of your members and visitors?

With so many new products presented daily either in person, via emails or social media, it is key to stay well informed by regularly learning about, and seeking advice from, fellow pros in similar sectors as well as talking to my TGI Golf retail consultant.

We manage by keeping a close eye on what our members and visitors actually need versus what’s just hype. I like to say we don’t just sell products; we sell confidence. If the product won’t genuinely help someone improve their game or be a quality souvenir of a trip, it doesn’t make the cut.

Every day here at Gullane is a demo day. To ensure customers get products well suited to them, we listen to what they want, give them advice on what suits them and then they try it before buying.

A key factor in having the right levels of stock in the business is to use the reporting from our EPOS system to learn from trends, past periods and buying factors. Then choosing a mixture of quality approved suppliers that we can get stock from quickly throughout the year to ensure we never run out.

How do you manage your day?

I start early by going through emails at home, then when I get it to the club, I check in with my staff before looking at the tee sheets and all appointments for the day. When I have specific things to do, these are in the shared diary.

Every day I try to walk through our facilities – as we have three courses, two shops and two clubhouses, this takes up some time but it’s important to know what is going on all around the club as well as seeing and being seen by our membership.

What are you doing to support junior golf and introduce kids to the sport?

Kids are the future of the sport, and let’s be honest, they’re also the most fun to coach!

In 1995, I started a programme called ‘Wee Wonders’ for five-to-12 year olds to make learning golf fun and to introduce them to competitions. I’ve kept it going, expanded its reach with events throughout Great Britain and Ireland and I’m pleased to say it changed the landscape for the better with young golfers now having way more opportunities to be involved. This year we celebrated our 30th birthday and it gave us the opportunity to reflect a bit.

Success can be measured in many ways and whether it was the bringing together of two five-year-old girls, whose dads then became good friends and they all now regularly play golf together, to the eight former Wee Wonders that played in the last Solheim and Ryder Cups, it’s great to see.

Here at Gullane we’ve set up a great junior section with regular coaching, holiday camps, and team events and we partner with local schools to give all our local juniors an opportunity to play. The goal is to keep things light-hearted while teaching the fundamentals – because if you make it fun, we know they’ll get pretty good at it!

Are you trying to attract more women to golf?

We are fortunate to have a very strong women’s club here at Gullane with a long waiting list for membership, so rather than directly attracting more women to golf, we are just trying to help our women to play more good golf.

What we learned is by giving our five-to-12 year golfers an opportunity to play, they bring with them their mums and dads as well as their grandparents. This attracts and retains many generations into golf and is very positive for the whole family as well as for golf clubs and facilities they use.

Do you have any programmes in place such as academy membership to make it easier to introduce beginners to the game?

We currently have a 10 years-plus waiting list here at the club so we are not able to offer academy memberships. Having said that, I’m all in favour of any effective initiatives to attract more people to play and commend those that do.

What additional added value services do you provide to stay ahead of your competitors?

I like to think we’re offering more than just off the shelf golf products. We have an extensive range of products to demo daily and we like to get to know our customers before we recommend a product.

At times, I’ve been called ‘the sales prevention officer’ by my staff. I recall a member coming in asking to buy a new driver. When I asked him how his current club performs, he replied it’s great on the range but awful on the course! Rather than selling him a new driver, I gave him a lesson followed by a playing lesson and although he didn’t buy a driver at the time, he appreciates the care and attention shown to him and his golf – he is now a very happy and loyal customer.

When did you join the TGI Golf Partnership and what was it about it that attracted you?

I joined the TGI Golf Partnership in 2003. What initially caught my eye was the support they provide for professionals like me. It’s like having the most experienced and trusted caddie, but for the business side of things.

I’m a big believer in learning from others and that we are better together as no one succeeds alone. Their buying power lets me offer competitive prices, and the advice on retail management has been a real game changer. The addition of TGI Golf Travel and the TGI events will no doubt attract even more forward thinking PGA professionals to the group.

Has TGI Golf been of benefit to you as a PGA professional?

Without a doubt! TGI Golf gives me access to the most up to date and effective people and resources. The preferential group financial terms help make my business more profitable. Having a retail consultant like Ricky Gray (who is better than me at most things) to call upon for support for anything my business needs is a tremendous benefit – it’s a bit like having your best member of staff paying you so they can come to work for you! Whether it’s stock management, marketing or business resources, having TGI support means I can focus more on what I love – helping people enjoy their game.

What year did you turn professional and what have been your career highlights, both playing and employment?

I turned pro the year Rickie Fowler was born, my hero Seve won the open at Lytham and Depeche Mode and Madonna were big names in the music industry – it’s been quite a ride since then!

Career highlights include working the 1989 Open at Troon in the days when the host professional still did the merchandise retailing, and learning to play golf for more money than I could afford to lose when working at Sunningdale. I would also include being taught some of my most important career altering lessons from a bunch of five-year-olds whilst at Foxhills, who inspired me to start Wee Wonders.

Then landing what the secretary of the PGA in Scotland called, ‘the last great job in golf’ which allows me to bring together all my industry learnings and challenge me and my staff to deliver great experiences daily with our members and visitors.

The true highlight of my career is seeing those I’ve helped, having fun and enjoying special times on the courses with their family and friends – there’s nothing better than that!