In a move that’s equal parts strategic and visible, PXG clubs are heading to the nation’s largest golf retailer.
PXG and PGA TOUR Superstore have announced a retail partnership that will bring PXG clubs, bags, balls and hats to select PGATSS locations beginning today, with a full nationwide rollout expected by the end of the year.
If your first reaction is “huh, that’s new,” you’re not wrong. If your second reaction is, “Wait, don’t they all sell their clubs at the PGA TOUR Superstore?”, you’re not wrong either.
PXG’s retail distribution history has been, shall we say, fluid. The company has worked with large custom assembly chains, then pulled back, then dipped its toe, then pulled back again. There has never been an obvious long-term strategy as much as there has been an atmosphere. PXG did things when he felt like doing them and stopped when he didn’t. This is not necessarily a criticism. That’s just how the brand worked under founder Bob Parsons, who has never been accused of running things by committee.
With that, there has been a change in the day-to-day leadership of PXG, and this partnership looks like it could reflect that. It’s a more deliberate, more conventional move than we’ve usually seen from the brand. Whether that’s a good thing depends on how you feel about the conventional, but from a pure business perspective, it’s hard to argue with the logic.
The logic is: if you want to sell more golf clubs, sell them where golfers are already buying golf clubs.
Fish where the fish are. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking strategy, but it doesn’t need to be.
What makes this partnership work on paper is that both brands rely heavily on custom fit. PXG has always emphasized the tailored experience over off-the-shelf sales. That’s why they built their brick and mortar stores in the first place. Meanwhile, the PGA TOUR Superstore has invested significantly in its fitting infrastructure and would rather sell you a custom club than something off the shelf. The clubs supplied by this partnership will continue to be hand-built to each player’s specifications, which is how PXG has always done it.
So even if both brands are more than happy to sell you anything you want from their online storefronts, on the convenience front, the stretch makes sense. And for players who have been curious about PXG but didn’t want to seek out a standalone PXG store or go through the DTC process, this lowers the barrier considerably. Walk into a PGATSS, hit some balls, suit up (or not), go out with an order (or not). At least you can try the PXG clubs while you’re there.
Is this a seismic shift in the golf equipment landscape? No. It is a brand that wants to increase its market share by placing its products in a place where people buy golf equipment. But sometimes the obvious move is the right one.
Have your say
It almost seems strange to ask, but have you ever hit a PXG club? Does availability at the PGA TOUR Superstore make them more likely?
