THIS A SPECIAL EDITION ON THE PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW

Charlie Kent, the 2012 Northern California PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Resort Facilities, is the PGA director of golf at the Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

While some people come to the PGA Merchandise Show looking to enhance their tournament and outings presentation via prizes, tee gifts and so forth, we come looking to enhance our operation, helping it run as efficiently as possible. Prior to the 2012 PGA Show, prepping our golf car signs for outings was an elaborate process that took way too much time and never really looked great, either. In 2012 I was strolling through the New Product Spotlight when I saw KB Products, which uses a special kind of pre-cut paper that contained its own peel-off sticky material, and that made the whole process much easier. Now there’s no need for any tape, no residue is left on the golf car, the sheets are waterproof, and the look is top-notch. I got the booth number, walked right over, had an order submitted within 10 minutes, and have used them ever since.

All told, we’ve probably shaved off 8-10 percent of staff time between prep work and tear down since we started using Cart Sign Paper. And while it’s a wash in terms of money saved, as the product isn’t cheap, beyond getting the job done quicker (the old way, over the course of 50-plus golf cars, was an extremely tedious and time-consuming process) this allows my staff to spend their precious pre- and post-outing time doing other things. Plus, they’re in a better frame of mind as they aren’t beat down from getting golf car signs in and out of those annoying placards. That not only boosts the whole staff’s morale, it helps us put our best foot forward for the outing at hand. And the signs themselves help us fulfill our daily mission of presenting the best Four Seasons Resort possible to all outing participants along with our members and guests. So keep an eye out for operational gifts while at the PGA Merchandise Show. They just may be your most important purchase.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email charlie.kent@fourseasons.com

Editor’s note: The above comments reflect the opinion and experiences of the submitting PGA Professional and are not endorsed by PGA Magazine or the PGA of America.