NEWS
The Duramed Futures Tour announces that Cutter & Buck has renewed its sponsorship as the official golfwear company of the tour. Cutter & Buck will provide uniforms for the tour's road staff, special pricing for player apparel and be the exclusive apparel company in the tour's online pro shop.
AHEAD is helping organizations promote their events by offering a new service -- a free tournament Web site with a tournament gift pack order.
FEATURE
Q-and-A: Brent Norton -- Miles of Golf shop manager
By Vartan Kupelian
GPA Fashion Correspondent
Editor's note: Miles of Golf in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a fixture on America's list of Top 100 Golf Shops. Golf shop manager Brent Norton spent a few minutes with The Apparel Wire correspondent Vartan Kupelian discussing the Miles of Golf philosophy in selection, display and sales.
The off-course retail store consists of 7,500 square feet, with 2,000 square feet devoted to apparel. Miles of Golf was co-founded by Chris Mile, who is president, and Doug Davis, vice-president/golf range operations. Casey Baker is vice-president/golf shop operations.
Norton was previously PGA Professional at Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann Arbor. At Miles of Golf, he is charged with buying all apparel, footwear and training of the sales staff. Norton also runs The Cluboratory, where his extensive knowledge of golf club technology has been instrumental in developing the store's extensive launch monitor fitting programs.
AW: What's your philosophy in choosing apparel for the store?
Norton: In the past, we didn't have a philosophy. It was kind of an after-thought for us. When we did the renovation of the store (14 months ago), we knew we were leaving money on the table for not addressing apparel. We added a huge amount of space for apparel. We now have 2,000 square feet.
AW: What's the hot trend?
Norton: We have switched over to where we now carry 100 percent technical materials.
AW: How has that been accepted by your customers?
Norton: At first, slowly. Now we carry a little Tiger Woods, that's the only cotton we have in here. They're used to the technical materials now. Before, we had to educate them.
AW: I'm told there's a little Ian Poulter in you?
Norton: Who told you that? I would rather wear the brightest shirts in the shop. I think I'm the only one here. Everyone else is a little more traditional. I love colors.
AW: Is your fondness for colors reflected in the lines and styles carried by Miles of Golf?
Norton: A little bit. What I like, unfortunately, doesn't carry over to a majority of consumers. We will bring some brighter apparel into the shop in the spring and soften it in the July shipments for the fall. If we're bringing colors in, it's spring. Sometimes we're handcuffed by what manufacturers are offering. But there is always a bright collection from one of the vendors in the store.
AW: Should there be more Ian Poulters and more fashion in golf?
Norton: Yes. We have enough traditionalists out there. I wouldn't mind seeing color. Sergio (Garcia) is trying to do it. Bubba (Watson) is doing it. The younger guys are embracing it. White belts were a huge hit last year because of what happened on the PGA Tour. We had people coming in waiting for white belts.
AW: What do you do with items that aren't selling?
Norton: We will flip the shop every week-and-a-half. We've got a corner in the back which, unfortunately, doesn't get a lot of traffic flow. We'll flip it out, move it up front. When people come into the store, they immediately make a right and another right so we know where the hot spot is.
AW: Ann Arbor is one of the nation's pre-eminent college towns, home of the University of Michigan. How does that influence what you carry in the store?
Norton: "In the past, I would say no, it didn't. We brought in Puma, a very young design, and the college kids came in and loved it. So we did make a change for the younger kids with that product. On the flip side of that, we'll be bringing in Dunning Golf, which is technical but with a traditional weight to compete with cotton, for older clientele. They don't like thinner - they want something with a little more there. Dunning Golf, I'm sure you're aware, is what Zach Johnson is wearing. I think we're the first account in Michigan that they opened up so we're excited about that.
For information, go to www.milesofgolf.com.
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