Below is the list of service suppliers who help the TGI Golf partners on a daily basis with their operational issues. 

After a successful pilot scheme the TGI Golf Retail Support Team is now ready to launch its exclusive STEPS for Success retail programme – the group’s most comprehensive retail support package ever

The Retail Development Advisor (RDA) team of Chris Taylor, Ian Martin and Fraser Carr has been working extremely hard with a few select members to fine tune the programme for the benefit of each member’s business.

The new programme will see the RDAs use five specially compiled business modules to gain a full understanding of members’ businesses and, most importantly, identify how they can be enhanced.

Modules include: Shop; Turnover; Expenditure; Planning; Selling.

There is no set order in which the modules can be completed, and they can be assessed at any time and in any order. Members can complete all five at the same time or break them down and conduct an in-depth analysis of each one and how it affects their business.

A series of detailed questions will be asked during the initial retail meeting, and within two weeks the RDA will return with recommendations and action points specifically tailored to enhance your business.

Gregor Munro, Retail Development Manager, said: “The pilot scheme has been highly successful with members finding it extremely valuable – we have made a few small adjustments based on their feedback – and STEPS for Success is now available for all members to utilise.”

Paul Ashwell, PGA Head Professional at Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire, was one of the first TGI members to be taken through the STEPS for Success programme.

He said: “It was extremely helpful to me and to the business. Chris Taylor came in for an initial assessment – we took a look at the financials and we completed an appraisal of the business looking at where we were strong and where we were weak.

“Chris gave us some very practical advice, including moving the shop around and staff training, and gave me a very clear overview of what we were doing. Sometimes you can get too close to your own business and lose sight so having an expert pair of eyes is extremely helpful.

“The STEPS for Success programme is work in progress. I am still working with Chris and he has made everything very easy.

“It hasn’t been time-consuming or arduous, and has been very beneficial. I would highly recommend it to fellow TGI members.”

For more information on STEPS for Success and to book an initial consultation contact your Retail Development Advisor now.

Re-gripping clubs is part of every pros basic training, you've all done it for years and assume it is a simple and straightforward process. It is only we look into it more closely that we discover how many things can go wrong. A badly installed grip can ruin an otherwise perfectly good set of clubs. Re-gripping in one of those jobs that goes un-noticed if done well, but if done incorrectly stands out like a sore thumb.

Like any other repair in the workshop, re-gripping is so much easier if you have the right equipment. A good quality vice and clamping system is crucial. It is so much easier to uninstall a grip correctly if the club is held horizontally in a vice rather than pushing a grip on a club angled against a wall. The simple rubber vice clamp is cheap and fairly effective piece of kit, but for higher volume work it is worth investing in a quick release clamp. These clamps are both quicker to use and can adjust the clamping pressure which minimises the risk of crushing graphite shafts. Specialist grip solvent is also a must, although both petrol and white spirit do the job adequately, the fumes given can cause headaches if inhaled and the highly flammable properties is frowned upon by health and safety. In addition the smell of petrol wafting through the shop is not that appealing. There are solvents on the market that are either odorless or smell of citrus fruits!

The common faults with grip installation we see fall into the following:

Poor Alignment

Badly aligned grips are a cosmetic disaster that becomes worse with the intricate design. The real problem with crooked grips comes when the grip has a reminder and the hands are forced into the wrong position.

Short Gripping

This is a common problem caused by not pushing the grip on fully resulting in a spongy end cap and inconsistent length clubs.

This problem can be avoided by ensuring the grip is fully pushed home and by checking the end cap feels firm. The grip end of the club can also be tapped onto the ground to double-check but not too hard as the shaft can cut a plug out of the end cap.

Variable Length Grips

It is easy to end up with different length grips if you don’t offer up another grip to check. Putting the grip on using both hands in a baseball grip also helps avoid this. Variable length grips have different thickness because the more you stretch the rubber the thinner it becomes.

Twisted Grips

Most grips have alignment marks at the tip end and cap end to make it easier to put grips on straight, you can double check by making sure the slash marks down the back of the grips are straight. It’s not a good idea to have strong left hand and a weak right and vice versa!

Customizing Grip Sizes

Grip sizing is fairly straight forward, if you match the core pin size of the grip stamped on the inside the tip, to the butt diameter of the shaft with one layer of tape, then the grip size will be standard or .900" diameter 2" down from the grip cap. The code inside the grip tells us all we need to know.

e.g M580R is a mens .580 round grip or L560 is a ladies .580 with a reminder. So a .600 grip on a .600 shaft with one layer of tape = standard .900.

Each extra layer of tape builds up the grip size by .010 so .600 grip on a .600 shaft with 2 extra layers of tape = .920" A Grip size can be altered by putting a different core pin size on the shaft e.g .580 grip on a .600 shaft = .920" Deliberately stretching a grip will reduce the grip size, a grip stretched 3/4" will play 1/64 undersize.

We are pleased to announce an exclusive arrangement to provide our members with assistance on employment law matters.

This service is provided on behalf of TGI by Morton Fraser LLP, Solicitors’ specialist employment law team.

With employment law becoming more complicated each year and employment tribunal awards on the increase, it is essential that expert advice is taken.  Our employment law helpline provides partners with free telephone helpline advice of up to 45 minutes on any new employment law matter which arises. There is no limit to the number of new matters on which you may take advice.  However, if further advice is required on a matter beyond the initial 45 minute period then special member rates will be available to you.

To use this service simply contact Stefanie Angus or Jillian Paton at Morton Fraser  and quote "TGI partners' employment law helpline". This service operates Monday to Friday 9.00am till 5.00pm excluding public holidays.

Please note that this service does not include tax/payroll/pension queries.

With an ever competitive market place and your target customers being far more sophisticated and demanding, the need for creative marketing and promotional activity is increasingly important. We have therefore put the following guide together to help you manage this area of your business more productively. There are some simple planning and execution steps broken down into 4 key areas.

Decide on your business objectives and how they can be achieved
This is the first of our key steps and obviously the most important one. Deciding upon the right objectives to move your business forward can be confusing so we have listed a few below:                                                                                           
- Maintain the level of business you currently are at?
- Improve overall profitability?
- Clear old / dead stock?
- Improve overall communication with core customers?
- Introduce new customers to the business?

Evaluate and brainstorm your options
Brainstorming ideas is a very effective way of gaining as much information as possible. The old adage “2 heads are better than 1” rings true here. Involve all members of staff and please remember - disregard nothing, sometimes the most outlandish ideas can prove to be the most successful.

Ask your fellow professionals what has worked well for them – sharing ideas is a great way to gain new ones. Oh, and remember I am always hear to help aswell.

Plan, budget and implement your promotional activity
When choosing from your brainstorming options try to give yourself a good mix of promotional activity and allocate a budget for each. The easiest way to do this is to create an action plan. This plan should contain timings (when each activity will be completed), budgets (how much each activity will cost from start to finish) and the objectives each is designed to achieve.

Measure the success of the activity you undertake
Any marketing or promotional activity you undertake must be measured in terms of success to make it truly worth while. There are many ways of gaining these results but we feel there are three main questions that cover all aspects of your plan. These include;                                                                           
- Did you meet the objectives you set yourself in key step 1?    
- How accurate was your planning?                                    
- Results gained to determine the success?