The prestigious PGA Merchandiser of the Year Award has been missing from Alto’s many golf accolades since 1999—but it reappeared in 2024, awarded to our own Director of Golf, John Rogers. John has spent the last several years improving the look of and sales at Alto’s golf shops, especially the main shop at the Alto Clubhouse.
“I’ve always been interested in merchandising golf retail,” John says. “There’s a lot that goes into it, more than just buying merchandise and gear and arranging it on shelves.” He goes on to explain, “You have to study merchandising techniques and trends, and then there’s personal philosophy, ethics, and methods that go into running a really successful golf shop. You have to know that learning your customer never ends, no matter what type of facility you are merchandising at.”
The Merchandiser of the Year Award is a peer-nominated award aimed at recognizing PGA Professionals who have excelled at promoting golf through their merchandising efforts. “The candidates are evaluated in various areas, including merchandise performance (profit margin, turn rate, cost of goods, sales), attention to details and innovation, the effectiveness of displays, and proficiency in merchandising techniques (2024 Sun Country PGA Section Award Winners - Sun Country Golf House).” John attended the award ceremony in December, and will be further lauded for his efforts and his win in the January 2025 PGA magazine. “I have to give a huge shoutout to my staff, too,” John expounds. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t give props to Elizabeth Schleck, our Merchandising and Golf Shop Manager, and the rest of our crew—I would never have been able to achieve this honor without all their hard work!”
Another aspect of John’s success is that he has learned to always pay attention to “buzz wants,” and the PGA merchandising show (which he attends every year in January) is an excellent aide for this. For his award win, he is also being sent by the PGA to a merchandising workshop, where he will have the opportunity to talk with other golf professionals and merchandisers about their own techniques and observations.
“It’s always worth it to take a chance and think big,” John states. “You will have bad buys, that is just part of the business. When something doesn’t sell, mark it down and turn those bad dollars into good dollars on the next buy.”
As part of his ongoing journey into constantly improving the golf shops and sales for the club, John is currently looking into an online shopping portal. “We’ve got due diligence and research to do, but I think that is something our members can look forward to in the near future,” John states.
Be sure to stop by the Golf shop and congratulate Director of Golf John Rogers and his crew!