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Golf Equipment BusinessSURVIVING - Make that THRIVINGDuring Tough Golf Business TimesHow Do You Eat a Golf Ball ?? - - - One Bite at a Time!!Iguess as I look back over the last17 years I would be lying if I saidthis is exactly how I envisionedthat my business model would look in2010. This has been a work in progress- and still is!Greater Golf Express owner Fred Porter and son, Tripp.I started out by selling componentclubs (knock offs), shafts and grips outof my garage. I later began buildingcustom golf clubs in a storage shed outback. To this day, I could still build amean golf club if forced to do so, but Imainly do a little re-gripping and minorrepair. The wholesale side of the businessremained strong through out thelate '90s. With the coming of the Internet,many of my master wholesale distributorsbegan opening their businessup to everyone, resulting in a decline inmy wholesale business.In the late '90s, I began to participatein retail consumer golf shows. Theseshows occur during the January throughmid-March time period when typical retailbusiness is slower. This was a greatway to expose my product to severalthousand golfers over a long weekend.While at the shows, I would look aroundat other vendors and get ideas for differentproducts to add to my mix. First Iadded sunglasses, a few golf accessoriesand then men's shirts. Initially I participatein about three or four shows a year,mostly in the South.Over the next couple of years, Ibegan adding golf shows to my schedule.I also saw the need to add somename-brand clubs to my mix. at first itwas a small bag of titanium drivers, thena few fairway metal woods, then somewedges and putters. It got tobe like a snow ball rollingdownhill!In December 2001,my oldest son, Tripp, graduatedfrom UNC Wilmington. Ibelieve he came to work forme in an effort to avoid gettinga "real job". Not being amorning person, the fact thathe didn't have to start work at9 AM was appealing. But youbetter be careful because youmight receive an email fromhim at 3 AM!!In May of 2002 weentered the Internet world.Tripp brought to us the time and thecomputer expertise to make this moveinto the cyber world. Initially we werejust selling used wedges and putteralong with some of the componentclubs. As time went on we began addingmore items to our product line. Initiallyour eBay store consisted of between 150and 300 different items ranging from asingle headcover to a titanium driver.About that same time we decided toenter into the retail world in a non-traditionalmanner - the Pineville Flea Marketnear the site of the former Crystal Springs/ Crystal Creek golf club. Initially westarted with a single warehouse locationof approximately 200 sq. ft. Over an 8year period we grew to 1,200 sq. ft withthe help of Coy Brown a retired PGA golfpro from the Outer Banks. To our customersCoy was the "golf man" and inmany cases they didn't realize Tripp andI owned the shop.By: Fred Porter -Greater Golf ExpressWe had built up a nice clientele andfollowing at the flea market but realizedthere were still "acres of diamond" (customerswho did not know about us) outthere. The fact that we were only openedon the weekends, and the "flea marketstigma" limited our ability to grow there.In May 2008 we moved our retail operationto the former Second Swing Golflocation at the Centrum Plaza next toHome Depot in Pineville. Although thatwas not the best time to start a new business,it allowed us to get our feet wet with"traditional retail" (7 days a week - beingopened over 60 hours, etc.)At the end of 2008 we had the opportunityto back out of our lease but choseto "hang tough" and see what was aheadfor us in the future. I really felt like that"light at the end of the tunnel" was NOTa freight train coming to run us over! Fortunatelyit was not! We feel very fortunateand blessed that after just having completedour second year in business inPineville our sales have grown over 30 %.We feel like our business model is"right on" for tough times. Our productmix is 65 % used and 35 % new clubs.We pride ourselves on customer service.You are greeted by an experienced salesassociate who will give you a businesscard and tell you the Greater Golf Expressstory. With the purchase of aThe Porters started business in club repairand golf club assembling.16 - CAROLINA GOLF JOURNAL - SUMMER 2010 ________________________________________________________________________