From the PGA
How PGA of America Golf Professional Morgan Jewell’s Merchandising Vision is Shaping the Future of Golf Retail
By Lisa Goulian Twiste
Published on
Morgan Jewell’s golf journey began in whirlwind fashion. Growing up in Ronkonkoma, New York, he played ice hockey in school and on travel teams before discovering golf at age 15, becoming the No. 1 player on his high school team and making it to the state finals as a senior.
For college, he chose Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which has a golf course and practice facility on campus and a much longer season than he was used to on Long Island.
“My main goal was to go there because they had a great PGA PGM Program, and it just kind of took off from there,” says Jewell, PGA of America Head Professional at Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida, and the 2024 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private facilities. “I knew I loved the golf business at a young age, but I didn’t know it was going to be a career for me.”
During summers in his college years and after graduation in 2010, Jewell worked at Nantucket Golf Club in Siasconset, Massachusetts, as an assistant under Mike Demakos, earning PGA of America Membership in 2011. Demakos is an award-winning merchandiser who had previously worked as an assistant at Augusta National Golf Club and Bel Air Country Club, and he taught Jewell about everything from tournaments and operations to lessons, merchandising and ordering.
“Mike has a really high level of attention to detail in everything he does, so it was definitely a challenge,” Jewell says.
He came out of college with ambitions to be a professional player and, with support from some Nantucket members, spent one winter season on the mini tours in South Florida before realizing he was more suited to the business side of the game. Jewell returned to Nantucket Golf Cub for the 2011 season and started working as an assistant at Floridian National during the winter – with a very special stopover in the middle.
“I would leave The Floridian in April and — thanks to Mike’s connections as a former assistant at Augusta National — would head right to the Masters, where I worked for four years as a lead attendant in the main golf shop before driving to Nantucket,” Jewell says. “A merchandising operation that large and efficient taught me a lot for what I’m doing today.”
He also spent two summers in the early 2010s as an assistant at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. The fact that PGA of America Head Golf Professional Jack Druga owned the golf shop allowed Jewell to experience a new style of purchasing and inventory control.
“Having the chance to work for Jack was a very valuable experience and a major contributor in helping me get to where I am now,” he says. “It also prepared me for my first Head Professional job.
When Jewell arrived in August of 2015, The Floridian — owned by Houston Astros Owner Jim Crane — had about 150 members, did about 5,500 rounds during its eight-month season and had three cottages. Since then, membership has more than doubled to just over 300, rounds have risen to 14,500 and there are now 29 cottages on property. The club has added fixtures, extended some areas of the golf shop and gotten creative to try to deal with the increased demand.
“We are accommodating more corporate groups these days, which means ordering uniforms or trophies, setting them up in cottages with tags on what days they’re supposed to wear these uniforms, or something as simple as printing out scorecards and putting up scoreboards in the locker room after their rounds,” he says. “It has helped me and my assistants get to know the membership a bit faster.”
About 85 percent of The Floridian’s members are nationally based. Most come into town for two or three days at a time – and that may be their only visit for the season – so having communication leading up to, the week of and the week after not only helps sales in the golf shop, but also deepens the reference base. And while the 1,100-squarefoot golf shop isn’t set up for each specific guest, the staff does zero in on the vendors purchased in the past and puts those in a very visible area.
“Other than that, it’s constant movement. If they come in on a Friday, when they’re done with their round on Saturday and/or Sunday, they’re seeing different apparel in different spots so it captures their attention,” Jewell says.
In terms of brands, Floridian National Golf Club’s shop features Peter Millar – the club’s bestselling line in men’s and women’s – as well as Holderness & Bourne and LEN (belts and leather goods). The membership is 90 percent male, so while the shop doesn’t sell a lot of women’s or junior apparel, those are growing segments.
“There are a lot more families coming into town for Thanksgiving and Christmas, spending four or five days here, so that business is growing year over year,” explains Jewell. “It helps that we’ve added a lot of amenities that allow people who don’t play golf to enjoy our property, whether it’s the spa, Harmon Learning Center or our par-3 course.”
Overall, Jewell tries to instill a “personal shopper mentality” in staff members, directing them to be out on the floor with customers, whether it’s explaining a fabric or a fit, or telling them about something in the stockroom that might interest them.
“Rather than standing behind the counter, I’d rather them be helping the customer who is on property and miss a phone call for a tee time later that day or next week,” he says. “It’s one of the most important things we do, and I stress it every day.”
In addition to his role at The Floridian, Jewell has managed the merchandise operation for the Houston Open for the last five years, where about $1 million worth of goods are sold during a weeklong period.
“It’s learning to do something in a sprint compared to a marathon, and both have been so important to my development as a PGA of America Golf Professional,” he says. “I am fortunate to have had all these experiences and for the support of my mentors, staff, friends and family – without which I would not be where I am today.
Jewell’s Merchandising Advice
- When accommodating corporate groups, be prepared to set them up with everything from uniforms and trophies to scorecards and scoreboards.
- Instill a “personal shopper mentality” in staff members, directing them to be out on the floor with customers.
- When certain customers visit the shop, put brands they’ve bought in the past in a visible area.
- Rotate shop displays frequently so customers are always seeing something different.