The Superstore’s Superstar

CAG0817_blind_shot_DickSullivan

Dick Sullivan, the CEO of golf’s largest interactive retailer, talks shop.

COLORADO AVIDGOLFER: With so many people moving to the Denver area, can we expect to see another PGA TOUR Superstore in Colorado?

DICK SULLIVAN: Denver is certainly an attractive market with many avid golfers and tennis players, and while I can’t say definitively if/when we will open another local destination, it’s a market where we would love to grow our presence.

CAG: How has PGA TOUR Superstore succeeded primarily as a bricks-and-mortar business?

DS: It’s all about providing an experience that is second to none. We offer non-traditional retail services like interactive hitting bays, expansive putting greens, clinics, advanced custom fittings and lessons from PGA professionals. That said, our online business is growing at triple the rate of our brick-and-mortar stores. We make it easy for customers to shop with us wherever they want.

CAG: You added a brand-agnostic fitting bay to more than half your stores. How is that going?

DS: The PGA TOUR Fitting Van Experience is a higher-end fitting with access to more than 600 combinations of shafts, heads and grips. We’ve found that customers who spend an hour with us in this private setting and really want to test out a variety of options, love the experience, and recommend us to their friends.

CAG: You ascribe much of the store’s success to the same “experiential” approach that worked for The Home Depot. What are your most memorable experiences in business and in golf?

DS: I’ve had the privilege of working for Arthur Blank (founder of The Home Depot and owner of PGA TOUR Superstore) for 25 years, and there is no better teacher or mentor. We’ve made a lot of memories together. My favorite golf memory came in the late ’90s at the Paine Webber Invitational at TPC Piper Glen in Charlotte. It was Arnold Palmer’s event and I was lucky enough to play 18 holes with “The King” in the pro-am.

CAG: How does the store contribute to the communities in which the stores are located?

DS: We have a partnership with The First Tee where we work with local chapters in every community where we have stores. We don’t just give financial resources; we host more than 3,000 kids every year in our free kids clinics designed to teach and show them how much fun golf can be.

CAG: Do you belong to a club?

DS: Cuscowilla, a Ben Crenshaw design nestled in the middle of Georgia’s lake country, just 70 miles east of Atlanta on beautiful Lake Oconee.

CAG: What are the “emotional attributes” that appeal to you about golf?

DS: Golf touches the heart. It’s a game that brings happiness and frustration and it inspires you to be your best, yet it’s a constant challenge and you have to work at it but there’s something satisfying about when you have a good round or make a memorable shot.

CAG: What initiatives have your stores instituted to reduce golf’s numerous barriers to entry?

DS: First, it’s important to note that there really aren’t big barriers. Booking an inexpensive tee time has never been easier. You can rent golf clubs or get complete sets for a few hundred dollars. Our stores allow people to practice in high-tech hitting bays and on large putting greens. As for the time it takes to play a round, what’s better than spending four to five hours in the sunshine with family and friends on a beautiful course? I think I just described heaven.


Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

Follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.

GET COLORADO GOLF NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX