Why the AGM Retail Conference Is a “Must-Do” Every Year for Serious Golf Shop Buyers

Written by Ken Morton Jr., VP of Retail and Marketing at Haggin Oaks Super Shop

The AGM Retail Conference is where you get smarter — not just with your buy list, but with your entire approach to merchandising, marketing, and managing your shop. For more than two decades, the country’s top golf-shop buyers, merchandisers, and retail leaders have come together at this conference to sharpen skills, swap best practices, and leave energized to lead their stores into a more profitable season.

Whether you run a private-club pro shop, a resort store, or a public-course retail outlet, this full-day conference can change how you think — and act — on every aspect of your business.

How the Conference Works — Three Learning Tracks for Every Role

One of the smartest design features of the AGM Retail Conference is its structure: the agenda is split among three concurrent “tracks” so you can tailor the day to your priorities.

Ken, a smiling speaker wearing a vest and conference badge, stands at the front of a breakout room during a session. Audience members are seated at tables, one person in the foreground raising their hand to ask a question.

Merchandising Track — For buyers who live and breathe inventory, displays, and store layout.
Marketing Track — For shops looking to sharpen social presence, customer engagement, and modern retail marketing.
Management Track — For those running teams: store managers, head pros, retail directors — focusing on operations, leadership, staff training, and vendor relations.

You’re not locked into one track either. The schedule makes it easy to hop between merchandising, marketing, or management sessions as your interests and needs shift throughout the day.

Add to that a mix of workshops, roundtables, a lunch presentation, and a closing keynote, and you’ve got a program that’s as rich and varied as the challenges (and opportunities) of running a golf shop.

What You’ll Walk Away With — Real, Actionable Value

Practical, Easy-to-Implement Ideas

From sessions like “Lighting, Focal Points, Signage” (Merchandising) to “5× Your Social Media Results (Without 5× the Work)” (Marketing), many of the workshops are built to produce immediate results. For example: learning how simple store-layout tweaks or smarter social-media planning can actually move the needle in sales.

Strategic Insight & Industry Data

Need to know where golf retail as a whole is heading? The conference’s “State of the Industry: 2026 Golf Retail Insights” session (Marketing track) delivers up-to-date market analysis and data — perfect for aligning your buy strategy and marketing plans with broader trends.

Leadership & Staff Development Tools

Running the numbers matters — but so does leading the people behind the counter. Sessions such as “Raising Retail Rockstars: Ongoing Staff Training to Develop Future Leaders” (Management track) give you real-world frameworks for training, mentoring, and retaining staff — especially important in an industry with high turnover and shifting demographics.

A “Retail Scorecard” for Your Shop

With sessions like “Good, Better, Best” (Merchandising track), you can benchmark your shop across dozens of factors — from mannequins and folding routines to markdowns and women’s apparel — then walk away with a plan for incremental improvements that often require little or no extra budget.

Career & Professional Development + Credits

The AGM Retail Conference isn’t just about product — it’s about people. Attendees earn PGA / LPGA credits (e.g. 6 PGA / 4 LPGA credits per the 2026 conference) — valuable if you’re a PGA-credentialed pro working retail.

Beyond credits, sessions led by respected industry voices (from veteran merchandisers to retail psychologists) offer direction for your personal career path. The conference also recognizes graduates of the Certified Retail Manager (CRM) program — allowing you to celebrate peers and spotlight leadership progress in the community.

A panel of five women seated on stage, speaking at a professional conference. One woman in a red jacket is speaking into a microphone while the others listen attentively. The audience is seated and facing the panel in a conference room with a large projection screen behind the speakers.

What Runs the Day — A Few Example Sessions from This Year

Looking at the current 2026 schedule, here are a few of the sessions that stand out — and what they offer you:

“Making a Lasting Impression – The Club Logo” (Merchandising) — Do the logos in your shop tell a story? This workshop helps you examine how effectively your club or store branding is working, and offers practical tips to update or optimize it for better merchandising impact.
“5x Your Social Media Results (Without 5x the Work)” (Marketing) — A hands-on workshop by marketing expert Angelyn Horrell that shows how to turn a single idea — like a new product launch or in-shop event — into multiple, varied social-media posts. Ideal for shops that want to stay top-of-mind with customers without draining time or resources.
“Bridging the Relationship Gap Between Buyers & Vendors” (Management) — Presented by Jared Henzlik & Grace Hurley, this interactive session tackles the realities of buyer–vendor relationships — spotlighting communication, expectations, and long-term collaboration strategies. Whether you’re negotiating orders or setting up future partnerships, this is a must.
“Good, Better, Best” (Merchandising) — A practical, shop-level scorecard session led by Leigha Turner that helps you evaluate where your shop stands — and gives you actionable ideas to raise your store’s presentation and performance incrementally.
“Golf Retail’s AI Revolution” (Marketing) — Led by Ross Liggett, this forward-looking talk explores how AI (LLMs, agentic search, etc.) is beginning to reshape retail — from how customers discover products to how shops manage inventory and personalize marketing. If you want your shop to stay ahead of the curve, this one’s going to matter.

Closing Keynote – “Everything We Need To Know … Can Be Learned From ’80s Pop Culture” — With a light, engaging but insightful tone, this year’s keynote by Chris Clews draws leadership and culture lessons from classic ’80s movies to help you bring creativity, team spirit, and forward-thinking energy back to your shop. A unique blend of fun and substance that helps cement the lessons of the day in your mind.

A large group of professional attendees sit at long black-clothed tables in a conference hall, many giving a thumbs-up toward the camera. In the foreground, the back of a woman in a bright blue blazer is visible as she addresses the crowd. The room features patterned green carpeting and grey stone-textured walls with several exit doors.

Why It’s Worth the Investment — Even If You’re Already Swamped

You might think: “Between managing staff, ordering for the season, prepping the shop — do I really have time for a full-day conference?” The reality is: spending a single day at the AGM Retail Conference can save you countless hours (and thousands in lost margin) over the rest of the year.

It helps you streamline your buying plan.
It gives you marketing and merchandising ideas that pay off.
It sharpens leadership and staff development — which boosts service, retention, and overall store performance.
It helps you build relationships with peers and vendors long before the chaos of the PGA Show begins.
It gives you a clear roadmap — and renewed energy — for the season ahead.

And unlike random sessions at a generic business conference, everything at AGM is tailored specifically to golf retail. No fluff. No wasted time. Just high impact.

Final Thoughts: If You Care About Your Shop’s Future — Don’t Skip AGM

If you run or buy for a golf shop and care about building a smart, modern, profitable retail business — the AGM Retail Conference isn’t just another line on your PGA Show calendar. It’s a foundation.

It’s where you go to sharpen your vision, refine your strategy, build real connections, and leave with actionable plans. It’s where you get better — not just at sourcing product, but at thinking like a retail leader. Show up with curiosity. Take notes. Bring your team if you can. And expect to leave with more than just ideas — expect to leave with a clearer, stronger path forward for your shop’s future.

See you in Orlando.

To join a merchandiser community and gain weekly educational opportunities and resources, sign up to become a member of the AGM.

Graphic for an AGM article titled “What Does Club Excellence Actually Look Like?” featuring a lush golf course with sand bunkers and trees in the background. Subtitle reads “Insights on Growth, Hospitality, and Leadership,” with AGM branding in the bottom left corner.

AGM Retail Conference

Why the AGM Retail Conference Is a “Must-Do” Every Year for Serious Golf Shop Buyers

How the Conference Works — Three Learning Tracks for Every Role