V- M ft** K '^fBftk* Eort Stewart, Jr. Graham Ross Blizzard Howls As Snug Texans Go To School Mickey Wright

Texas professionals made it plain at the times neglects to identify the differences ^ Texas PGA Education-Teaching pro- and adjust his personal relations and bus- gram in the Statler-Hilton hotel in Dall as, iness operations to several variations Jan. 7-9. that they are determined to at- The successful pro knows his market tain the same high standing as club pros by experience, observation, instinct and they long have enjoyed as playing pros. deliberate, organized study in just about Nearly 200 pros and salesmen came to the same manner the successful playing Dallas for the merchandise display and pro learns a course in practice rounds, the classroom sessions. A paralyzing bliz- GOLFDOM editor delcared. He added: zard held down attendance the final day "Club pros ought to study what's in their and also delayed departures. bag racks and what their members wear The section's pres., Ross Collins, its vp and play as thoroughly as Jerry Barber Dong Higgins, and its education commit- studied Olympia Fields before playing tee chmn., Rill Weber, stressed tlie or- and winning the PGA championship." ganization's objective of providing pro- Graffis said that pros who spend in fessionals of whom clubs could be proud. advertising and sales promotion about the same percentage of the sales dollar Learning What Customer Wants as competing stores seldom complain "What the Customer Wants" is the about cut-price competition beating them most difficult and important question for out of much business. He referred to the pro to answer, Herb Graffis, GOLF- the merchandise exhibits at the meeting DOM editOT, told the Texas pros. Job per- as a possible means of reducing costs of formances that do not please the mem- selling to pros. This is a matter of great- bers or pay-play customers are the re- er and more urgent importance than is sult of not knowing what the players want, generally realized. Graffis remarked in summarizing years of Member education Is a pressing need study of the pro business. The pro should for the good of golf as a game and as a know every club is different, yet some- business, Graffis emphasized. The pro and his club officials sliare the respon- sibility of schooling golfeTs in what is expected of private club members and in how members can get full value from pro and other club services. Mickey Takes Most Lessons Mickey Wright, top woman pro for 1961, in Dallas between LPGA tourna- ments for study and practice with Earl Stewart, told the Texas pros how she plays and gave her opinions on pro in- struction of women. She said she thought she'd had more lessons than any other man or woman pro. These started from Fred Hctas, Jr. (2nd from left), who won Ihe first the time she was 11 years old when John- Crescent Cily "Life Begins ot 40" tournament re- ny Bellante began teaching her at La cently, was awarded wilh a 1962 Chevrolet Impala. Jo!la so she could play with her father. With him, from left are Archie Gonzales, who won Harry Fressler, Harvey Penick and Earl amateur honors in the event; Louis Palermo, tourn- Stewart, especially, have given her a lot ament committeeman, ond Jim Guthrie, pres. of the New Orleans GA. of time and help. This pretty and pleasant young woman has her game well organized. She says teaching women to get the feeling of she has worked on eliminating excess mo- swinging the club, a prime necessity for tions. She moves away in one piece, ini- the woman who needs physical "kinder- tiating her swing with her left foot roll- gartening" in golf. ing and pushing at the instep to transfer Pros Command Prestige Market weight to her right foot. Greg Draddy of Izod, Ltd., in talking She makes quite a point of standing about merchandising sportswear in the to the ball with her knees gripped in to pro shop, said the pro has the best cap- prevent sway, and with her elbows as tive market in merchandising. It's the elose together as possible. She lias devised richest, most influential, quickest spend- an elastic harness to keep her elbows from ing group in the country in the case of the spreading and often practices with it. The majority of private club members. At gimmick works so well she now has Wil- clubs of lesser prestige and at the pay- son making it and selling it. play courses there are many people who Mickey says she feels the stopping point aspire to be rich leaders, of her left hip, shoulders and hands in Draddy was refreshingly blunt in giv- the backswing, then makes the next check- ing his idea of the score on pro shop qual- point that of working the right elbow ity merchandising and stirred up some in front of the hip coming down so the policy arguments among the shop mer- hands will get in best position for action. chants, Draddy's cases won most of the Help From Betsy decisions. He said that the initial impression the Mickey related that she has built her potential customer gets when he walks swing mechanically and once was serious- into a shop settles what the future of the ly disturbed when everything wasn't pros' business relations and profits are working perfectly. She was put back on going to be, Greg urged that the first the right track by Betsy Bawls who ad- thing pros do when merchandise is re- vised her to change her attitude: to quit ceived is to ticket it with a price tag. being a frustrated perfectionist and work- He said he and his brother, Vincent, have on her short game so she could scramble gone into many shops wanting to buy mer- if necessary. chandise that had been recently received Too many women are inclined to for- and not yet priced. After pawing around get that scoring is the purpose of the for the bills, the pro or assistant often game, Mickey remarked. Women take to gave up and guessed at a retail price. It golf for companionship, social status and may, or may not, have been correct. to get a change from household duties. Draddy aiso stressed that the pro dress They come into the game without the well. If he wears anything cheap he athletic attitude and aptitude of the male, gives his customers a license to wear Miss Wright told the Texas pros. She said she'd watched Ernest Jones for hours (Continued on Page 58) Texans Go to School housekeeper so the cars are kept look- ing good and are in A-l operating condi- (Continued from Page 42) tion. Ross told of an arrangement he and cheap clothes. He warned against the shop the club made for a slight increase in selling cheap goods. On a basis of low rates to pay for asphalt car trails. He prices for inferior merchandise, there are also told of taking an old caT, adding too many merchants who can beat the batteries and making it a tow car for de- pro. livering and returning cars to the garage. The Texas pros were impressed by Ross emphasized the importance of in- Draddy's references to training assistants surance for the pro on every possible risk in display, selling and other phases of involved in car operation. "You can go merchandising. "If you are running a broke forever if you don't have it," Ross pro department as a business you don't warned. have to do all the shop merchandising job Boss referred to the big figures printed yourself Greg said, "but you've got to about one club's operation by saying a have somebody who will run the shop regimented operation of that sort wouldn't properly and do what you want done go at a club of Dallas AG's prestige. Its when it should be done," members are independent individuals who Cars Mutually Profitable sometimes prefer to walk and use cad- Graham Ross, pro at the Dallas Ath- dies. As an operation conducted primarily letic Club CC, gave an invaluable round- for the owner's profit, compulsory car up of his seven years' experience in main- rental is a good money-maker. Boss ad- tenance and operation of golf cars, Sum- mitted, The situation at the Dallas AC marizing his findings by telling what CC, Ross said is satisfactory; the club and proved to be best for the pro also was the pro share the belief that both should best for the club in the golf car set-up. be paid for serving golfers. Ross has a larger operation than at most Pro Must Keep Score clubs with 70 cars going out on busy I-Icrb Pohl, business mgr., Nortbwood days at a 36-hole club, fie has tried a CC, Dallas, PGA member and accountant number of cars since he began using for several pros and clubs in the Dallas them in 1954 and has had reports from area, went into detail on new tax legisla- members as well as watched his own tion involving Texas pros. costs and service records closely. Pohl described the Texas state sales Batteries weren't suitable for the ear- tax situation, which is confusing in some lier cars, Boss said. Nor were parts avail- respects and talked about state and led- able. Graham had to work on the cars eral unemployment tax, and about the so- himself. Members criticized him foT tend- cial security and other changes in federal ing the cars when they thought he should tax reports. he working at being a pro. Eventually he He also told pros how to keep records learned the answers and learned them the on inventories, insurance, interest on bus- hard way with $60,000 to $70,000 invest- iness investments, advertising, publicity ed in cars, many of which were inopera- and member relations, shop, teaching and tive on the big days when they should range expenses, tournament and car ex- have been making money. He learned that penses so they have data for taking full it is costly to have inexperienced help and advantage of deductible allowances. Pohl an Inadequate operating plan just as a added that the tax allowance for adver- club learns, Ross noted, that it costs tising very rarely is utilized by pros. money to conduct the car operation with- The value of simple but sufficient rec- out proper and interested management. ords as signals of business improvement Hires A Mechanic or decline, and of buying needs, was Boss said an electrical expert showed noted in Pohl's talk. He told how to watch him what a generator would do in im- inventory and sales to see if buying is proving his battery charging situation. He being properly done. Pohl also spoke of also made a deal to pay a fixed fee month- pro budgeting on tbe basis of previous ly for batteries. The operation began to experience, and on a plan similar to that get straightened out on a sound basis of the well managed club's budgeting. when Graham hired a man who "could It Takes Patience do anything in the world to a golf car." The Texas meeting was completed with The fellow was a combination mechanic a demonstration by the Dallas Open antl electrician and a good supervising champion, Earl Stewart, of "How 1 Play BALL PICKER-TRACTOR Combinafion

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