A customer recently came into the pro shop at Marangaroo Golf Course in Perth’s northern suburbs to buy a golf glove.
Specifically, a large men’s left-hand glove. The same type of glove that he had been using for the past 20 years.
The PGA Professionals who work under Rob Farley at Marangaroo know the importance of correctly-fitted equipment and offered to assist to see whether that glove was in fact the best fit.
It wasn’t – a medium-large was the better option – and that golfer took an extra sense of confidence to the first tee with a glove he knew was perfect for him.
It is this attention to detail and high-level customer service that has made Marangaroo such a popular option for golfers in Perth seeking either a full set of clubs or advice on the best length of tees.
“My staff and I like to provide an experience for the customer,” Farley says. “And the experience comes in so many different ways.
“My staff will get out from behind the counter and go and serve someone for a glove. They get the surprise of their lives when they realise they’ve been using the wrong glove for 20 years.
“That’s the advantage of being able to talk to people and have customer service.
“It completely changes their experience as a consumer.”
The importance of correctly fitting golfers for their equipment was instilled in Farley in his time under Patrick Tobin and then subsequently working for Craig Duncan.
When he joined Ross Metherell at Collier Park Golf Course Farley had the opportunity to expand his interest in equipment sales and teaching, skills that would prove crucial when he took over the management rights at Wembley Golf Complex.
In 2009 he took over from Duncan at Marangaroo and said custom-fitting equipment and teaching go hand-in-hand in providing exceptional customer service.
“I employ seven PGA Professionals, most of whom have been trained up by myself,” Farley says.
“Their knowledge of equipment is fantastic, their knowledge on the golf swing is fantastic, and their personalities are very much in tune with helping people.
“Club-fitting and teaching go together perhaps more than people would think. If someone comes in saying they hit their driver too high, we will have a look at their swing and then take a look at their equipment.
“We might find that their swing is fine but they need a new shaft or that their 10-year-old driver has been superseded by better technology.
“We can give them a few drivers to test, they find one that gives them a more penetrating ball flight and an extra 20 metres and suddenly their golf experience has been transformed.”
And if you think there’s a better deal on a driver or a putter online, Farley is adamant that green-grass shops run by PGA Professionals are not only competitive on price but will over-deliver on value.
“Often people will come in and say that they bought a club online but they’re having trouble hitting it,” Farley explains.
“We can look at their swing for them but often they have bought a piece of equipment that doesn’t suit them and that they will probably never hit as good as they’d hoped.
“The reputation that we have is that we help people. When people come for a club-fitting we just don’t fit them for the clubs and let them walk away. We help them with their swings, we help them with their what’s going on and go out of our way to make sure they’re playing better golf and enjoying their golf more.
“People are surprised that the prices at Marangaroo and most public courses are actually generally as good as the retail stores, if not better.
“Here at Marangaroo we have wonderful relationships with all of our suppliers and our overheads are slightly lower so our prices are generally better than most off-course retail stores.
“And then they get the service to boot. They say, ‘Wow, why would I ever go to an off-course store again?’
“We hear that a lot.”
• If you’re in the market for new equipment visit your local PGA Professional. They will not only offer a great range of product but can make sure that your purchase is matched perfectly to your golf swing. To find your local PGA Professional visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro
