Increase in beginners means good business for golf shops

Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The growing popularity of golf in Indonesia has brought a positive impact on sales of golf equipment, such as clubs, bags, golf attire and other accessories, in the country.

Golf is now not only popular among business executives and senior government officials, but also among women and children. This trend has kept golf shops flourishing, although the national economy has yet to become promising.

"There has been an increasing number of women and children taking interest in playing golf over the last two years," said Golf House's General Manager Ratih D. Gianda.

Local golf shops are also able to survive thanks to the increase in golf tournaments. A number of local banks and major companies hold golf tournaments at least once a year as part of their sporting activities.

Golf gloves are among those golf accessories in high demand. Commonly, after being used in four or five time games, or about 90 holes, the glove will become worn and require replacement. Other golf accessories in high demand include balls and plastic and wooden tees, because the items are used in every game.

The plunge in the rupiah against the U.S. dollar as a result of the economic crisis of late-1997 had more than doubled prices of imported products, including golf equipments.

However, several golf shops managed to survive the crisis and conduct business as usual. They include Golf House, Hari Bros, Raja Sport, Garuda Sport, Jakarta Golf Club, Matoa National Golf & Country and Moncol Golfusa.

At Golf House, the sale of the Mizuno brand is on the rise due to the wide range of golf equipment it provides to meet the need of both beginners and professional golfers.

Mizuno focuses on golf clubs, providing all clubs ranging from driver woods, fairway woods, utility clubs, irons, putters, to wedges, as well as accessories including Boston bags, Boston golf shoe bags, club cases, golf shoes, golf gloves, socks and caps. Mizuno also provides an incentive to golfers by organizing golf tournaments, like the one held at Esmeralda Golf Club on June 15.

"The items that sell particularly well include special make-up clubs (SMU Clubs) for beginners and average golfers, because the club is sold in a packaged set that includes a putter and a golf bag," Ratih said.

To date, Golf House has 48 outlets across 15 major cities in Indonesia. In Jakarta, Golf House outlets can be found at Galeria Taman Anggrek and Mall Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta, and Pasaraya Grande, Pondok Indah Mall and Plaza Senayan in South Jakarta.

Hari Bros is another golf shop that is faring well. Located on Jl. Pintu Air Raya No. 36, you can find a wide range of golf accessories such as swingers, putting practice sets, driving mats, gloves and tees in various models. Callaway, Mizuno, and Tiger Shark are among the favorite brands at Hari Bros. "For balls, the favorite brands are Wilson, Callaway and Nike," said Murali of Hari Bros.

If you are a beginner, you are advised to use oversize models, such as woods and irons, because they are easier to handle. However, blades are recommended for professional golfers because "this model has a smaller club head and harder shafts," explained Murali.

Hari Bros is the sole agent for Tsurya of Japan, which produces axels and one-siders. "We provide test trials for this model, allowing our customers to test the equipment before purchase," he said.

Other Hari Bros' outlets are located on Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta, and in Medan, North Sumatra.

Several golf shops have also initiated marketing strategies to attract customers with running service and after-sales service programs. Golf House has a program called "Demo Days" at several driving ranges in the capital, offering free trials of new clubs available at their outlets.

"Several of our shops, like Pasaraya Golf House in Blok M, are equipped with a simulator, which enables customers to test a club inside the shop," said Ratih.

In cooperation with several local companies, Hari Bros holds its Longer Drive Contest, in which golfers compete to hit the longest drive. The winner is awarded a free golf club.

Hari Bros also provides maintenance services for golf clubs, shoes and shafts. "We can also provide new shafts to replace the old one," he said.

If you find irregularities on a golf club just purchased at Hari Bros, customers may ask the shop to fix it or replace it with a new one, as long as the damage was caused during production. "We will send the damaged items to the factory for replacement," said Murali.

With its slogan, "Try First Before Buying", Hari Bros let customers borrow new clubs for a free trial. "Customers can use them in three or four games before deciding whether to buy it or not," Murali said

Commonly, golf shops also offer discounts in a bid to attract prospective customers as well as to retain the loyalty of long- standing customers.

At Golf House Pro Shops, golfers who are members of particular golf courses are entitled to a 10 percent discount on all items. "We also establish cooperation with companies to sponsor golf events. Quite frequently, we see companies eager to join a golf tournament or event placing orders on primary golf equipment like driver woods, utility clubs, irons and putters, and accessories like club cases, Boston bags and caps, all emblazoned with the company's logo," Ratih said.

Customers who purchase equipment or accessories at Golf House are also provided with a six-month guarantee, as Golf House is the official distributor of several top international brands.

The shops can also make special orders for golfers searching for a specific model that is not yet available in Indonesia.

"We can help locate the equipment by directly contacting overseas golf shop," Ratih said.

The price for golf equipment varies, depending on the item, brand and model. But the average price for golf equipment ranges anywhere from Rp 2.5 million Rp 40 million.

The price for Mizuno golf clubs at Golf House range from Rp 3 million to Rp 5.5 million for drivers, Rp 9.7 million to Rp 13 million for irons, Rp 900,000 to Rp 1.3 million for wedges and Rp 500,000 to Rp 1 million for putters.