The Pin High Partnership is one of Scotland’s premier golf pro companies which has been selling golfing products and organising golf tours to Scotland since it was set up in 1999. Its founders, pro-golfer Jamie Carver and Willie McPherson, decided that the internet would be the perfect way to expand the business and in September 1999, they set about searching for a web company to work with.
They approached several Internet design companies to compare the costs of setting up an e-commerce site, when they came upon Aberdeen-based Planet-Scotland, part of the Planet-focus Group of companies. Planet-Scotland helps small businesses in the region set up e-commerce sites, using their own custom programmes and a package of software provided by award winning e-commerce provider, Shopcreator Developments Ltd.
“The thing that struck us about Planet-Scotland’s offering was that it was so simple to set up and yet it was also cost effective”, says Willie.
Planet-Scotland were similarly impressed with the Pin High Partnership and instead of simply building a web-site for them, they began to talk about setting up a golf site under the Planet brand. Three or four meetings later the new company, Planet-Golfer, was born.
Planet-Golfer is essentially an on-line pro-golf shop specifically targeted at the Scottish golfing community. There is a significant market for golfing equipment in Scotland, with over 500 golf courses across the region, many of which do not have their own pro-shops. Since the company was first developed much of the marketing effort has gone into visiting these courses and setting up golfing days across the region. The site sells a wide range of clubs, equipment, clothing and other items such as books. It sells all of the major brands including Callaway, Titleist, Ping and Swilken St Andrews, often with exclusive deals only available on the site.
As well as targeting individual golfers, the site also has a corporate centre, which aims to attract company business through offering corporate golf days, an online magazine and will soon have a full directory of courses with clubs listed free of charge. In the near future, the founders also hope to introduce an on-line tee booking service.
Lawrence Slade, Commercial Manager of Planet-Scotland, sees the flexibility offered by the internet as a major bonus for consumers looking for equipment on-line. “We can offer multiple options to shoppers including different angles for club faces and left and right handed equipment. We also offer starting sets for novice golfers who want to get into the game. All of these options are easy to include in the original Shopcreator software, which allows you to add your own design features and make the site as individual as you want.”
But what about people who are not sure what they are looking for? “We are also offering pro clinics so people can meet to talk with a professional about their equipment and their game, “ says Lawrence.
Planet-Scotland’s immediate plans for the company are to recoup their original investment, but they are keen to see the company grow much further. “Within 3-5 years it is our plan to put over 1,000 products on the Net and to introduce travel and accomodation booking services. Eventually, we will be looking overseas to franchise the idea to other countries, “ says Lawrence.