Brian Cosgrove, head professional at Newlands Golf Club in Dublin, discusses how much his swing studio has helped his business, the services he provides for members and visitors, and the retail support he receives as part of being a TGI Golf Partner.
How has your business adapted to the golf industry’s changes since the start of this decade?
I have seen several changes since the start of the decade, probably most notably the introduction of the swing studio which brings a whole new element to the business in terms of teaching and fitting.
As well as this there have been changes to staffing as the team has grown and evolved. Also, social media is a much bigger presence for any business now and I try and get the team involved with this.
I have strived to grow year on year and stand out from the crowd a bit!
What daily challenges do you face in running a pro shop and teaching?
I probably say it’s the same as it is for most PGA club pros – the balancing act as we have so many different hats on at one time that it’s hard to solely focus on one area. Personally, I dabble in all aspects of the business / operations, which means time management is paramount.
There is a constant flow of new golf products – how do you manage your stock to serve the needs of your members and visitors?
I make sure to pay attention to EPOS reporting to gauge what is working for us and what is not, I also encourage feedback from members and have used customer surveys – this can give you a real feel for what customers want and help you really get to know your market.
How do you manage your day?
The Gmail calendar is a Godsend. All academy coaches sync their lesson diaries with Gmail and two-way sync with our pro shop roster. We also include all our meetings and academy events to try and best utilise our facility and teaching areas, whilst managing the retail side of the business to maximise efficiency and revenue.
What are you doing to support junior golf and introduce kids to the sport?
We are currently running a six-month winter programme for our junior club members and in the past have run after-schools programmes which includes kids from outside of the club, as well as this we offer our customary junior camps, which are always a winner.
Are you trying to attract more women to golf?
We ran a Get into Golf programme this year and capped it at 40 women as last time we had closer to 100 women take up the game. Newlands Golf Club is a strong club when it comes to women’s golf with notable pedigree in terms of winning pennants, so adding more competitive women to our club is always encouraging.
A lot of PGA pros are having to be a step ahead of their competitors in their offerings and technology – what additional added value services do you provide?
We have a state-of-the-art indoor swing room with an impressive fitting facility, which has recently been enhanced with a major workshop upgrade, to complement our existing services.
Our members’ golf trips abroad are going from strength-to-strength and the buzz and camaraderie they create lasts long after our return from foreign soil.
As the main supplier of the Stack Speed Training System in Ireland, I went to the PGA show in Orlando in January to meet the co-founder Sasho MacKenzie. Following that we started offering our members six week stack rental programmes with a stack buy-out option (including launch monitor) after the six week cycle – almost like a ‘try before you buy’ and you get the initial speed gains for free.
When did you join the TGI Golf Partnership and what was it about it that attracted you?
I joined TGI in 2012 as it was constantly recommended to me by many top PGA club pros in Ireland as being the leading retail services group – those recommendations have definitely proved to be correct!
Has TGI Golf been of benefit to you as a PGA professional?
TGI has most definitely been of benefit to me, the support from my retail consultant and the team in general is invaluable.
The TGI marketing tools such as the email marketing service allow me to communicate with my customers with the flexibility to use the templates provided and also create my own emails to suit my business needs at any time.
The TGI events including the golf days and Business Conference provide a great opportunity for networking with fellow PGA professionals and sharing ideas, there is a great sense of camaraderie within the group which is fantastic.
What year did you turn professional and what have been your career highlights, both playing and employment?
I turned pro in 2005, I would say playing highlights would be representing Ireland in the TGI Partnership Trophy with some notable success stories as well as winning the Lombard Trophy and PGA Pro Captain event.
In terms of employment, being appointed head professional at Newlands Golf Club in 2019 is a definite highlight, the club is such a strong, traditional Dublin club, steeped in 115 years of history.
To be nominated as the TGI PING Fitter of the Year 2023 for Ireland was a very proud achievement and an amazing experience – from our initial trip to PING HQ in Gainsborough to the impressive global HQ in Arizona, USA.
For me, personally, having the opportunity to meet the great John A and John K Solheim in the PING Gold Putter Vault was such an incredible treat.
To see first-hand what the Solheim family have achieved since the mid-60s is a testament to the engineering innovation of the Solheims and now the PING family as a whole. These experiences would not be possible for club professionals without the co-operative collaboration between both PING and TGI.
PING for me epitomise the sense of a family-run business and none more so was that evident during the pandemic when they were superb to deal with on so many levels.
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