An Inside Look at Capital City Club’s Multi-Year Golf Shop Renovation

Written by Katelyn Madsen | 4-minute read

When the Capital City Club in Atlanta, Georgia, decided to completely renovate their golf shop, the team knew they were in for a challenging journey. What they didn’t anticipate was how much they would learn about creative merchandising, collaborative planning, and adaptive leadership. Here’s how they navigated each phase of their transformation and what fellow golf merchandisers can learn from their approach.

Step 1: Moving Out – Creative Solutions in a Temporary Space

The first challenge came when the team had to relocate their entire operation to a temporary space for the summer of 2022, all of 2023, and part of 2024. Director of Retail, Aimee Ganote and Director of Golf, Steve Archer faced a daunting task. They had to maintain their high standards of service while working with significantly less space and fewer resources.

The Creative Challenge

Operating from a much smaller footprint meant every square foot had to work harder. Instead of replicating their previous layout, the team reimagined their merchandising from the ground up. They organized the temporary space into strategic zones: men’s apparel, golf shoes, accessories, headwear, hard goods, Maui Jim sunglasses, junior sections for both boys and girls, and a dedicated ladies’ area. Creative furniture layouts and space-saving techniques ensured that members and guests could still find everything they needed.

Collage of images showcasing a well-organized temporary pro shop space at Capital City Club. Displays include folded apparel, hanging shirts in various pastel and bold colors, cubed shelving with hats, a register area, and accessory setups with belts, socks, and leather goods. Items are neatly arranged on wooden tables and hangers, with touches of greenery and flowers adding to the boutique-style presentation. Text at the top reads, “Merchandising The Temporary Space.”

Merchandising The Temporary Space

The Great Success

Despite the limitations, the temporary space performed remarkably well. Their impressive sales-per-square-foot metrics proved that sometimes constraints can actually drive better performance by forcing teams to be more strategic and intentional with their choices.

Collage of photos showing a neatly merchandised temporary golf shop at Capital City Club. The space features folded polos, sweaters, and pants displayed on wooden tables and racks, with accessories like belts, shoes, hats, tumblers, and leather bags. Shelves hold glassware and golf shoes, and cubbies display colorful trucker hats with club logos. The compact layout maximizes use of natural light from the windows. Text at the top reads, “Merchandising The Temporary Space.”

Merchandising the Temporary Space

Step 2: Renovating the Space – Strategic Planning for Long-Term Success

While operating from a temporary location, the Capital City Club team did more than just get by. Working closely with Tom Hoch Designs, they used insights from their interim space to make thoughtful, strategic decisions for their future retail environment.

Architectural floor plan drawing of the golf shop renovation at Capital City Club, detailing layout elements such as sales counters, display fixtures, fitting room, storage areas, offices, footwear section, and adjacent spaces, with labeled materials and construction notes.

New Shop Blueprint

The Renovation Centered Around Several Key Principles:

Flexibility First: Prioritize flexible fixtures that can adapt to changing merchandise needs and seasonal shifts. Having experienced the challenges of a rigid layout, it was essential to ensure the space could move and flex as needed.
Open and Inviting: Create an open floor plan to improve sight lines and customer flow, making the shopping experience more intuitive and welcoming.
Adapting to Modern Golf Apparel: Incorporate more hanging fixtures to properly showcase performance fabrics.
Breaking Down Barriers: Design a smaller, more inviting counter to encourage conversation and interaction with customers, moving away from the traditional barrier approach.
Dedicated Product Showcases: Establish specific areas for stock clubs and golf bags to ensure these key categories receive proper attention and professional presentation.
Supporting the Team: Include a well-planned back-of-house area with dedicated office, receiving, and storage space to help the front-of-house team operate more efficiently.
Natural Light and Lighting Innovation: Incorporate natural lighting where possible and add movable shelves with built-in lighting to enhance product presentation.

The Collaborative Process

Throughout the design phase, the team maintained close collaboration with Tom Hoch Designs. The goal was to create a space that fully supported their merchandising strategy and aligned with the needs of their membership. Site visits, planning calls, and budget meetings all contributed to a design that balanced vision with practical functionality.

Renovation

Step 3: Moving Back In – Leadership and Team Excellence

When the new space was ready to open, the team faced their final challenge: transitioning from the temporary space to the new shop in just five days while keeping operations running smoothly.

The Transition Challenge

Moving an entire golf shop operation in less than a week while staying open for business required great coordination and teamwork. The team had to set up the new space, move inventory, and manage daily golf activities all at the same time.

Collage of retail displays inside the newly renovated Capital City Club golf shop. The left image shows a round table with folded cream-colored jackets, neutral-toned pants, a white tote bag, and a vase of white flowers atop a patterned rug. The top right image features neatly folded patriotic-themed apparel in red, white, and blue, with star prints and hats. The bottom right image displays spring-themed apparel in soft greens, whites, and corals, accented by fresh flowers and a rustic wood table, with hanging garments in the background.

Inclusive Leadership in Action

According to her team, Aimee Ganote led the transition with trust and clarity. Instead of micromanaging, she empowered team members to take ownership of the move, building accountability and confidence in the process.

On their closure day, the team met to plan, assign roles based on strengths, and map out the week ahead. Each member had a clear role while staying flexible and responsive to shifting needs. Key contributors like Evie Wirth, Alex Lindeman, Andrew Brewster and Francisco Bide played an essential part in making the transition seamless, stepping up to lead their areas with both precision and creativity.

Empowering Creative Freedom

Team members were also given creative freedom in their areas. With a shared vision guiding the layout, they were trusted to make adjustments as needed, ensuring the space was both functional and reflective of their collective expertise.

Collage of a newly merchandised golf shop interior featuring wooden shelving, neatly folded polos and sweaters, coordinated apparel displays in soft blue and pastel tones, leather duffel bags, accessories, and a central table presentation with hats and folded shirts.

Merchandising the New Shop

The Results Speak for Themselves

The return to the newly renovated shop marked the culmination of years of creativity, strategic planning, and teamwork. Every detail, from the flexible fixtures to the welcoming counter design, came to life just as the team had envisioned. The shop’s updated layout now supports a more intuitive shopping experience, and the thoughtful back-of-house improvements have helped operations run more smoothly than ever. Most importantly, the membership responded. Sales increased by more than 41% compared to the prior year, confirming that the team’s efforts and innovations were not only noticed but valued by their customers.

Conclusion: A Model for Resilient Retail

The Capital City Club retail team turned a challenging situation into an opportunity for innovation and growth. By embracing constraints, planning strategically, and leaning into inclusive leadership, they not only weathered a full-year relocation, but came out stronger on the other side. Their success is a testament to the power of thoughtful design, empowered teams, and a service-first mindset. For other retail operations, especially in the golf industry, this story offers a valuable reminder: when you combine creativity with collaboration, even the most disruptive transitions can lead to lasting improvements.

Collage of images from the Capital City Club featuring team members and the newly renovated golf shop. The main image shows a group of men and women posing and smiling inside the pro shop, dressed in golf apparel. Smaller images on the right include two men waving outside the club entrance with a branded welcome mat, and an interior view of the elegant pro shop with dark wood floors, displays, and chandeliers.

The team in their newly renovated space

Photo collages provided by Capital City Club.

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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.

Shop Operations, Visual Merchandising

An Inside Look at Capital City Club’s Multi-Year Golf Shop Renovation