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PGA Championship sales of merchandise up 10 percent

Merchandise sales at this month’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits were up 10 percent over last year, with total on-site sales reaching the mid to high seven figures.

PGA of America officials would not specify the sales total. However, they did say there were 86,000 transactions made inside the 36,000-square-foot merchandise tent that was set up for the Aug. 10-16 event north of Sheboygan, Wis. They also noted that with ticket sales reaching 200,000 this year compared to 170,000 last year, the per-person spending on merchandise this year was up 5 percent from last year’s $96 per person, when the event was at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. That puts this year’s per-person spend around $100.

PGA Championship scorecard


Top three items sold
60,000 hats
35,000 golf shirts
10,000 pin flags

Most expensive item
$495 framed canvas painting of the 18th hole at Whistling Straits (Note: Five were sold.)

Least expensive item
$2 ball marker

Source: PGA of America

“We had some inventory that was off the shelves,” said Kevin Ring, chief revenue officer of the PGA of America. “There just wasn’t enough merchandise.”

Michael Quirk, senior director of merchandising for the PGA of America, said this year’s sales total was the highest for on-site PGA Championship merchandise sales since 2004, when the event was also held at Whistling Straits.

Like last year, the PGA of America this year allowed its 11 apparel and headwear vendors to brand and decorate their own spaces inside the merchandise tent.

“The licensees are putting money into programs, almost turning it into a trade show, and we feed off it,” Quirk said.

Quirk said that having merchandise like performance wear sold by Under Armour also helped push sales by appealing to non-golfers.

The weather at this year’s tournament played a factor in the sales as well. Unlike last year’s PGA Championship, it was mostly dry throughout the week. Even a late-day thunderstorm that rolled through Whistling Straits on Friday, the second day of tournament play, did not hurt sales.

“When play is delayed, it helps shoot people to you,” Quirk said. “What hurts is if it rains early in the day and deters people from coming out to the property. We closed a half hour early but still had no complaints.”

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