Inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show in San Juan, Puerto Rico!

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Alberto Rios, the Director of Golf at Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club, opened up the second day of educational seminars with ‘Customer Service for the Golf Business.’ Good choice as I visited and played Bahia Beach after this year’s Puerto Rico Open. After meeting Alberto and Managing Director Martin Smith, there was no question in my mind how the St. Regis is naturally a Five Diamond hotel and the Robert Trent Jones, Jr. along two miles of Crescent Beach, is an exceptional golfing experience.

Who’s the Boss? The client, the customer, the golfer? Yes for sure. In five star facilities, “there should be a high ratio of staff to guests.” The design of a golf facility has a tremendous effect on service. ‘A foursome at a time’ though service is affected by timing. A foursome usually never shows up at the same time but immediately want to connect with each other. How is your club meeting or exceeding your wants and needs?

This is taking me back to my corporate experience- numerous ‘fitness for use’ studies for disposable plastic plates and ‘The Approach,’ I mean the Pactiv Attitude. I liked being in the plastics business back then. I really like being in the golf business now.

Albert brought me back to the presentation with a charming and heartfelt story of his father who at 78 is still teaching and playing tennis. He is still competitive on the tennis courts against younger players by anticipating and walking, not running to the right spot on the court. In customer service, one works less when one anticipates future needs of the client. Makes sense. Probably something we can use in our personal lives too.

My older brother LP’s inscription in Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons book he gave to me when I was 12 years old is playing in my mind. “Golf is like life, the more you learn and understand about it, the easier it is to meet its challenge.” Both on and off the golf course. Client or server. It’s all good. I am happy being in the golf business. So happy to be at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Aaron West, President of the Island Chapter, presented ‘Teaching Quality.’ I read the fine print of his title slide and noticed the ‘7-time Island Chapter Teacher of the Year’ bottom line. He is a young guy and you may remember his interview at the Puerto Rico Open where he mentioned his wife was pregnant. Happy to report they had a beautiful baby who is now six months old. She went into labor the Tuesday after the tournament and delivered on Thursday. Now that is a labor of love.

Everyone has a teaching method and is open for praise and criticism as an instructor. Take Sean Foley for instance. Did his Stack n’ Tilt method ruin Tiger Woods? It certainly did not ruin 2013 U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose. No instructor can guarantee 100% success but a solid teaching method which is flexible and applicable to each student to guarantee that every effort is made to achieve success.

Key point. Golf instructors help golfers play golf better. People that play golf better play golf more. People that play more golf spend more money at the golf course and in the clubhouse restaurant. Teaching Quality helps grow the game and the business of golf. People who you communicate with are likely to come back to you for more golf lessons. Like life, everything in golf is connected too.

Seth Henrich, Director of Golf at the El Conquistador Resort, presented an ‘Expert Merchandising’ workshop. I remember visiting and playing El Conquistador with local Brass Cactus owner John ‘JB’ Barton after the Puerto Rico Open this year. I also remember Seth’s golf shop and how it was organized and well-stocked. I remember the metal El Conquistador Hat on display too and how I had to put it on like Phil Mickelson circa 1991 when he won on the PGA TOUR in Tucson while an amateur golfer, only one of six to do so and the last. Seth is the right guy to make this presentation. I would have bought the helmet if it was for sale. Maybe I should have made an offer!

In Puerto Rico, red is the worse selling color for locals. Better stock it early and sell it to the tourists. Why red? Not sure as it is known as a powerful color in Spanish culture and tradition. Why does black shirts sell more than white ones in a tropical climate? Who knows why? Analysis is simply paying attention to what is occurring in your golf shop. Where have all the Tiger Woods’ mocks gone? Talk about riding a hot seller. I still think Tiger Woods has a good shot to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins. The question may be will Rory do it first and can Tiger break Rory’s record too? Back to buying plans and dealing with retail assortment creep.

Have a good plan, stick to it. Pay attention, do your own analysis in your own environment. I liked the close with a tribute to Miguel ‘Junior’ Colon, his mentor early on in his career while working at Dorado Beach. “He let me do my thing, gave me the room to grow,” says Seth of Miguel. “He gave me confidence to experiment and to learn.” I like natural leaders like Junior and Seth!

Puerto Rican golf goes back 1906 when it was first played by American military personnel within the confines of the El Morro Castle in 1906. The modern golf business on the island began when Laurance Rockefeller opened a luxury resort in the 1958, complete with 18 holes of golf designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. at Dorado Beach. The golf courses multiplied to number four and have hosted many PGA TOUR Champions events, a World Cup of Golf and even a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match between Doug Sanders and Dorado Beach’s first assistant pro with the last name of Rodriguez. Chi Chi beat Sanders by shooting three under par.

So who better than Dorado Beach’s Director of Golf, Jeff Willenberg, to give a State of the Golf Business address at the island’s inaugural golf business show? As you can imagine, the golf business in our country has historically tracked the overall American economy which has been shaky for a number of years. Puerto Rico’s aggressive Individual Investors Act 22 of 2012 has attracted new residents to Puerto Rico by providing a total exemption from Puerto Rico income taxes on all passive income, dividends and interest. As I noted six months ago, returning here after a three year absence, there are new roads being built and a $405 million Mall of San Juan will be opening early next year. As Puerto Rico’s economy rebounds, so too is its golf industry.

The highlight of the show was a presentation Jesus Rodriguez, the youngest of the Rodriguez family that also produced World Golf Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez. The world outside of golf has heard little of the little brother who Chi Chi himself has praised as ‘the best golfer in the family.’ Jesus counters that without a big brother like Chi Chi to help him out, he would not have been a professional golfer. A Vietnam veteran with family responsibilities, he only briefly played the PGA TOUR in the early 1970s, choosing to go the club golf professional and instructor route. In Jesus’ book, golf has always been going up in Puerto Rico as the golf federation the Rodriguez brothers helped form in the early 1970s became the Island Chapter by the early 1980s of the PGA of America that is being showcased this week in San Juan at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show.

Jesus believes the secret is muscle memory that takes over when your grip doesn’t feel good because your mind gets in the way. Who would tell Jim Furyk or Bubba Watson to change their swing? Or Jack Nicklaus to not move his head while taking the golf club back. There are three ingredients that makes someone a great golfer: one is peace of mind, second is physical ability and the third is the guts, like Chi Chi has, that it takes to win!

Jesus’ teaching philosophy and ability comes down to a simple perspective of golf instruction: “there is nothing better than looking at somebody in the eye and seeing her or his expressions and showing them your expressions.” To do what it takes to have the student learn more about and become more proficient at the game of golf. I get that and think the camaraderie with my golfing mates of a golf shot well played or even a birdie is what brings me back to the golf course as often as I can get there. Plus the challenge, beautiful nature, making new friends… I could go on and on…

The twelfth and final Educational Seminar at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show was a rules seminar by Christine & Dr. Pedro Beauchamp. Their perspective to the golf professionals in the room was simple: “you are the governing body at your clubs.” Their presentation was interesting, engaging and enlightening.

May a committee make a local rule for relief without penalty from divot holes? No, such a local rule, would modify Rule 13-1 and is not authorized. The ball must be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.

Rule 6-3a. Time of Starting. Amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. It seems it is a kinder and gentler U.S.G.A. and R&A when it comes to changing the rules.

Ditto for the PGA TOUR. Remember when Jim Furyk was disqualified from the Barclays playoff event four years ago for being late for his pro-am tee time? The tour has suspended that regulation.

More forgiving equipment, balls that seem to fly straighter no matter how you swing, simpler (though not simple) rules and PGA of America initiatives like ‘Play it Forward’ and Mr. Palmer’s ‘while we are young’ to speed up pace of play are all making golf available in its purest form to attract new golfers and bring those who have taken a break from the game back to the golf course to join their golfing friends.

As for the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show? It was a huge success of which its impact will be felt for years in terms of Puerto Rico continuing as a premier golfing destination. With the PGA of America golf professionals sharing and practicing best practices in their island home and the business of golf doing its business to provide all the amenities to the visiting golfer, her or his friends and family, a vacation to Puerto Rico, or even a home relocation there, seems as easy and fun as any other possibility.

All we need now is a Chi Chi Rodriguez and Jim Teale golf trail!