Alex Elias

Earlier this week, after Tommy Fleetwood’s ace on No. 16 at Augusta, Fleetwood tweeted: ​

While the average golfer will more than likely never know what it’s like to hit an ace at Augusta, every golfer knows the feeling that Fleetwood described: expectations vs. reality. Speaking on expectations, Jack Davis, Head Golf Professional at Essex County Club, said, “I think from an expectations standpoint, people love watching golf on TV. I think the average golfer doesn’t appreciate how good you need to be to be a Tour player. Your club champion, the distance between them and someone who is playing on Tour is ten times wider than you can imagine.”

“The golf industry is set up to influence you from the PGA Tour down, from what people are wearing, what clubs they’re playing, and what courses they’re playing so a golfer’s expectations are pretty much set on what they see on TV,” said Davis. “Just keeping in mind you’re watching the top one hundred people in the world at what they do is a good barometer for what real life is like. Even the the most successful players in the world are hitting only 75% of the greens and 60% of the fairways.”

​Once realistic expectations are set, the drive to lower one’s handicap can truly begin, but according to Davis, in some cases, it may have do more with course management than a particular swing change. Davis said, “Being a Head Professional at a private club, most of the members are playing here. The easiest way they can get better, without doing anything to their swing, is just learning the golf course. Making better decisions, making better club selections, being able to read lines, and understanding the wind. Then without spending five minutes on the range or getting a new driver, if you think differently, then you can already navigate your way around the golf course better.”

“We still need to execute, but if I’m doing an on-course lesson, it’s almost like I’m trying to pretend to be a Tour level caddy. I always tell my students: ‘If I were caddying for them in every round, without us worrying one minute about technique, I could save them five shots because of better decisions, better leaves, and accurately reading putts.’ It’s kind of a non-glamorous answer, but the first thing is becoming a better player by learning course management, rather than the time on the range or a new driver,” said Davis.

As for a specific example, if a player hits a poor shot, Davis said, “Regardless of your skill level, you just have to be realistic. You got yourself into that trouble by not hitting an excellent shot, so why all of the sudden is your skill level going to triple and you’re going to be able to hit this low, carving punch-out from the trees.”

“Get yourself back to a familiar position as soon as possible. Take a bogey and be okay with it. Maybe you can save par, but sometimes a bogey is a good score,​” said Davis. 

Alex Elias

As many know, walking into a Top 100 Pro Shop can feel as if it’s Christmas morning. Although a Holderness & Bourne or B. Draddy polo are excellent on their own, there is an extra sense of pride when a polo or hat displays a particular club’s logo, even more so when it’s a club like Maidstone Club. When speaking of the membership, Jessica Cavolina, Golf Shop Manager at Maidstone Club, said, “They want to represent where they belong and they are really proud of it. They want to display their pride.”

“It [the logo] tells a story. It gives us something to talk about. You see someone wearing a certain logo and right away it sparks a conversation,” said Cavolina. 

As the Golf Shop Manager at one of the country’s most prestigious clubs, Cavolina is perfectly positioned to witness the obsession surrounding golf merchandise first hand. While there is no denying that the members at Maidstone Club love their club and logo, the obsession surrounding golf merchandise may be even more visible when guests are fortunate enough to visit. Cavolina said, “We have guests that visit with members with an actual list written down. They visit and they leave having bought for like eight people, friends and family.”

“I remember one guest last year in particular. He came into the shop with a list of items and asked, ‘Do you mind?’ I responded, ‘Do I mind? That’s awesome,’” said Cavolina.

​As a result of items flying off the shelves, Cavolina is extremely busy doing the job she loves. Cavolina said, “When you need to sit down and put together a 2,000 piece hat order, it’s not as easy as it sounds. It makes my head want to explode, but it’s so fun and rewarding when you get that hat in your hand.”

Over Cavolina’s twenty-one years in the golf business, Cavolina has witnessed a change that she described as, “It’s always evolving and it’s always very cyclical. When I started, it was all about cotton polos and we didn’t sell many polyester polos. Then, Tiger started wearing the mock short sleeve shirt and members began to want to buy and wear that. Then, it went all the way poly and hardly any cotton and now it’s trending back to cotton.”

​Another example would be rope hats. Cavolina said, “Those were popular in the '80s and '90s and now they’ve come back. I can’t keep them in stock.”

​Currently, Cavolina said, “The whole trend in the golf industry is leaning towards lifestyle. It’s not for just golf anymore. They’re making golf clothes that can be worn to dinner.”

“That’s why companies like Peter Millar saw what B. Draddy was doing and made their own B.Draddy shirt: The Seaside Collection, but you see what they’ve [B. Draddy] done too. They’ve added a sport line,” said Cavolina. “You have to constantly pay attention to what people are asking for and what they’re buying. I want to give you an outfit to get you out of the car, onto the course and off to dinner.”

Alex Elias