Is there a need for more disc golf stores? What would be an ideal store?

[wolito]

Personally, if I wanted to get into the disc selling business, I would forgo the entire concept of a brick and mortar shop unless I could find a spot with cheap rent.

This way you can minimize your overhead, and you can open up the stand at your convenience. If for whatever reason your business tanks, you're not out thousands of dollars in expenses, utilities, or stuck in a long term lease.

I would agree with this. A store is going to take up a lot of money for rent, utilities and the such. Spend more money on advertising and have a online source to get your word out.

 

[SAxDrc]

he sells all his new discs for the suggested price of the company then buys used discs for $2.50 each and sells them for $5 so both of you make a 2.50 profit. Only problem I have with that is if you go in with a Star, Champion, ESP or Z he will still only give you 2.50. So he only ends up with DX, Pro D, Elite X and Pro plastics which end up not selling all too well.

There is occasionally a guy at a course I go to that sells discs out of his trunk (new and used). he buys lower grade plastic for $2 and sells it for $3 and premium plastic is bought at 4$ sold at $5. maybe a system like that would solve the problem of only have dx and pro

 

[hyzerburn]

Personally, if I wanted to get into the disc selling business, I would forgo the entire concept of a brick and mortar shop unless I could find a spot with cheap rent. What I would do instead is do something akin to opening a portable stand that you can fit the entirety of in a van, then try one of the following.

- See if you could get a permit to sell discs at an existing course.
- If they won't allow that (or its otherwise cost prohibitive), see if you can rent some outdoor space from an existing business (like some parking spaces that they don't often fill, near the course and set up a stand there. A convenience store would work well, as would a business that is closed on weekends.
- Ask at an area tournament if in exchange for sponsorship, you could vend discs at the tournament.

Get some business cards made up, get to know some of the local players, and start handing them out. Start small and build up your inventory as you make sales.

This way you can minimize your overhead, and you can open up the stand at your convenience. If for whatever reason your business tanks, you're not out thousands of dollars in expenses, utilities, or stuck in a long term lease.

That's similar to what Disc Diva does. They sponsor tournaments and set up shop and sell discs and such at the end. Prizes for the ams are gift certificates that they can use to buy the stuff they have jammed into their van. It's pretty cool because they do this in a lot of places and have a bunch of tournament stamped discs from tournaments you never even heard of.

 

[adh56]

^Also sounds alot like the Disc Van at DeLaveaga.

 

[adh56]

There is occasionally a guy at a course I go to that sells discs out of his trunk (new and used). he buys lower grade plastic for $2 and sells it for $3 and premium plastic is bought at 4$ sold at $5. maybe a system like that would solve the problem of only have dx and pro

I guess he's planning on turning those discs pretty quick but only $1 net gain on each disc doesn't seem very smart.

 

[Midnightbiker]

I would have a short 3 hole course , with holes from 150-250ft so new comers to disc golf could rent some discs and give the sport a try, and it would be good for the kids.

Love the idea of the driving range, and putting area.

If you have room for a full course that would be great, and snacks and drinks would not be a bad idea either. Also, if its a full 18, see if you can have some local tournaments out there once in a while.

I would sell on a website as well as in the store, and have signs that talk about the difference between beginner discs and pro discs. Also have employees that know what they are talking about.

 

[EduCatOR]

I agree with everything here. I think location is the most important aspect to think about. If there's a course near by or if you have room to make a good course, it may be worth it. I like the idea of food and drinks, ranges and all that.

A website is definitely needed to compete, and you could sell discs for a dollar or two less than in store. A good security system and very alert employees are also a good idea.

 

[Dthunderchicken]

I buy almost all my discs on line because most walk in stores have a very limited selection. I've also found it difficult to get a walk in store to order a disc even if they carry that particular manufacturer. There might be a benefit for you if your store could offer fast ordering with no minimum.

 

[KMaC]

My short answer would be to tell you to save your money. There are very few stand alone brick and mortar DG stores out there.

The few that are still around are pretty sweet though.

 

[leppard]

A store with a driving range and putting green with practice discs would be cool. But it would have to be in a perfect location to be successful.

 

[Dave242]

I think a key would be to be able to rope in the non-serious player. The number of discs owned by the 2 discers who are no longer playing that sit in closets far outnumbers those in us serious players bags (and closets). Also, those are the types that are not going to go online to find exactly what they want.

If you help a newbie with getting a good beginner disc or two and some great throwing advice and directions to good courses, he will come back and bring some friends.

 

[culinarywiz]

I can't help but to plug our local supplier...Disc Golf Mart, Columbus, OH.

Mike Gates runs it. He is very involved in the central Ohio disc golf scene.
I remember when there where only 3 local courses. Now there are about 12 within 1 hour of city limits.

He would do well to start selling on-line. The audience is there. But the strict disc golfer knows...you need to feel the disc, the dome, the weight, the subtleties, before it makes your bag.

 

[12StonesScott]

Not be too much of a contrarian, but you guys are aware that Innova's not accepting any new online dealers, right? It'd be tough to set up an online disc golf store and not be able to sell Innova product. Besides, I think it's easy to delude yourself about what's involved in selling online -- what would you offer that Disc Golf Center, Gotta Go Gotta Throw, DiscNation, Marshall Street, Prime, et al., don't already offer? If the answer isn't pretty compelling, why would someone buy online from you rather than them?

I really think the keys to a successful brick and mortar operation would be location (as close to a popular course as possible), selection (meaning a broad and deep inventory -- not easy to manage starting out), knowledgeable staff, a solid connection with the local disc golf community (sponsoring events, holding clinics, offering instruction, etc., as well as developing a reputation as a good place to hang out and meet other players). Assuming you're close to a course, having a variety of low-priced higher volume non-dg-specific products (soft drinks, bottled waters, energy bars, trail mix and other snack foods, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.) would help a lot -- give people lots of reasons to drop in on their way to/from the course. If the course location offers other sports facilities (tennis courts, etc.) you might consider including supplies for those sports as well (tennis balls, for example). Pricing is always a factor, of course, but if you're convenient enough for people to drop in and be able to handle discs they're thinking about buying, a slight price premium over online retailers isn't going to be a deal-breaker for most folks.

None of that will help, of course, if there simply aren't enough disc golfers in the area to form a viable market. You should have a pretty clear sense of the market size, and of what they feel is missing from any other local retailers, before embarking on trying to establish a retail store.

 

[SomeChump]

To have a go at it, you'd need something to attract both serious and non-serious players. A course would be ideal, especially if you owned it and could make it pay to play.

$2-3 is plenty. Throw in a free round with each disc bought. That gives people a reason to buy from you rather than online. Same price, but from you you get a free round too.

It might be tough to have a good location that is also cheap enough that you could afford the acres of land you'd need. But it would be pretty sweet.

It seems an online presence would be pretty important too.

 

[Aupps]

Depending on where you open up a store in NJ I would be more inclined to go there insted of ordering online. It would be great to be able to test the discs before I bought them, and it also might draw some more attention the the sport in the garden state. Then we might actually get more than a dozen courses (most of which are subpar according to this site).

If you also had disc dyeing classes or offered it as a service I think alot more people would come out.

 

[Lewis]

I wouldn't invest in new real estate or commit to a new lease in order to create a disc golf store. There just isn't enough profit per disc to pay for it.

And I must agree with Scott about the online option, adding that there is a lot of work (and headaches) that goes into developing and maintaining an online store. If you don't want to take my word for it, look up the thread about the Marshall Street website in these forums.

If you already own the property, or if you already have a store going, and want to add disc golf to your selection, it might be worth it but it's still not likely to make or break your business unless you have a perfect location and a hungry, underfed disc buying customer base. Otherwise you might be better off getting permission from the local courses to set up a roving stand out the tailgate of your truck. But don't buy a new truck and expect the discs to feed your children and pay off the truck all at once.