One of the most formidable challenges we are faced with is the concept of selling an apparel product which is not considered appropriate golf course attire. I am, of course, referring to our T-Shirts. Some golf shop buyers with a traditional viewpoint feel as though if they were to offer T-Shirts for sale in thier shop, it would be a de facto endorsement for them to be worn for play.
As I mentioned on our “About” page, Cedar Key Trading Co. is a golf company. Our views about appropriate attire for play are consistent with tradition. We are not in business to advocate a change in this tradition. The concept we are promoting is that as our society has become more casual in terms of attire, everyone owns a T-Shirt. Everyone. As golf shop operators why not captialize on this fact, and capture a new source of revenue? The first time I see a written rule that says “if you sell it in the golf shop, you must permit it on the golf course,” will be the first time.
Because of this self-imposed ethical dilemma, selling T-Shirts in the shop can be really successful. In quite a number of instances we have encountered, golf shops had never before sold T-Shirts. And when they were finally available they flew off the shelves! More often than not, when we supply our custom designed T-Shirts to shops they quickly become the number one selling apparel item. Net new revenue, that does not cannibalize any other item. How good is that?