5 AI Marketing Strategies Golf Retailers Can Implement Today

By Jennifer Morton, CEO of Association of Golf Merchandisers

Last week, I spent three incredible days at Social Media Marketing World 2025, and I’m still buzzing with ideas. While sitting in sessions filled with digital marketers from global brands with massive budgets, I kept thinking: “But how can our golf shop merchandisers use this?”

Let’s be honest—most of us don’t have a dedicated social media team or the luxury of spending hours creating content. According to our recent AGM membership survey, 79% of you are the primary retail decision-makers at your facilities, which means you’re juggling buying decisions, staff management, inventory control, AND somehow expected to market your shop effectively too.

I get it. That’s why I’ve distilled the fire hose of information from the conference into five actionable strategies specifically for golf retailers. These aren’t theoretical concepts—they’re practical tools you can implement this week to drive sales and build better connections with your members and customers.

1. Use AI to Create Content Efficiently (Without Losing the Human Touch)

The single biggest theme at this year’s conference? AI is transforming marketing—but the most successful retailers are using it as a creative assistant, not a replacement for human connection.

One session that particularly resonated with me was Jeff J. Hunter’s “AI Copywriting Secrets: Crafting Content So Real, No One Will Know It’s AI.” Hunter shared that many businesses are creating generic, robotic content that customers immediately recognize as AI-generated. The secret is using AI for the heavy lifting, then adding your unique perspective and experience to maintain authenticity.

Action step: Next time you need to write an email newsletter about new merchandise or create social posts about an upcoming demo day, try using ChatGPT or Claude to draft the basic content. Then personalize it with specific details about your shop, your customers’ preferences, and your unique voice. According to our member survey, shops with higher sales per square foot ($834 versus the $240 industry average) are already adopting technology solutions to work more efficiently.

2. Create a “Content Block System” for Your Merchandise

One fascinating concept shared by Christopher S. Penn in his session “Your Second Brain: How to Use AI to Analyze Data, Expand Ideas, and Build Strategies for Massive Success” was creating reusable “knowledge blocks” about your business that you can quickly access for marketing purposes.

Action step: Create a simple document with standard descriptions of your most popular brands, your shop’s unique selling propositions, and seasonal messaging. According to our data, brands like Titleist, FootJoy, Peter Millar, and IBKUL are consistently top sellers—having ready-to-use descriptions of these brands will save you significant time.

A resort shop could create a “brand bible” with key selling points for their top merchandise. When new staff come on board, they would immediately have talking points for customer interactions, and these same content blocks could become the foundation for social posts and email campaigns.

3. Leverage the “Anticipation Framework” for New Product Launches

One of the most practical sessions focused on building anticipation for new product releases—something particularly relevant for golf shops managing seasonal inventory changes and new equipment launches.

Action step: Instead of simply announcing when new products arrive, create a three-stage communication plan:

Tease: Share a glimpse of incoming merchandise 7-10 days before arrival (a shipping notification or preview image)
Reveal: Showcase the products when they arrive with attention to detail and benefits
Spotlight: Highlight customer experiences with the new merchandise

This framework could be especially powerful for upcoming golf ball launches. For instance, a shop owner might use this strategy for a Titleist Pro V1 launch by first showing a sneak peek of incoming inventory, then creating an attractive display reveal when the product arrives and finally highlighting member feedback once they’ve had a chance to play with the new ball.

4. Using LinkedIn to Build Strategic Retail Partnerships

Judi Fox’s session “Combining AI and LinkedIn to Improve Your B2B Marketing Success” provided valuable insights for vendors looking to strengthen relationships with golf retailers.

Action step for vendors: Fox emphasized that LinkedIn is the premier B2B marketing platform with the highest concentration of business decision-makers. For vendors trying to connect with golf shops, she recommended a strategic approach: pair your product launch announcements with educational content that adds genuine value for retailers.

For example, vendors could share success stories from other retailers (with permission), offer visual merchandising inspiration, or provide insights on consumer trends affecting the golf retail space. According to Fox, this approach helps establish vendors as knowledgeable industry partners rather than just product suppliers.

By creating LinkedIn content that speaks directly to the decision-makers’ professional challenges, vendors can build stronger relationships that may lead to better product placement and deeper brand loyalty among retailers.

5. Implement Email Segmentation Based on Customer Behavior

While many sessions focused on cutting-edge technologies, one of the most valuable takeaways was about doing email marketing more effectively.

Action step: Divide your email list into at least three segments: frequent shoppers, occasional buyers, and members/customers who rarely visit the shop. Create different messages for each group. For instance:

Frequent shoppers get early access to new arrivals
Occasional buyers receive incentives to visit more often
Rare visitors get “rediscovery” invitations to special events

One golf shop I spoke with implemented this simple segmentation and saw their email conversion rate increase by 23% in just two months. They were previously sending the same message to everyone and missing opportunities to address specific customer needs.

What’s Next?

The gap between golf retailers who are embracing these new marketing approaches and those who aren’t is widening. Our membership data shows that shops who implement modern retail strategies see significantly higher sales per square foot ($834 vs. $240 industry average) and better inventory turn (3.42x vs. 2.8x industry average).

I’d love to hear which of these strategies you plan to implement first in your shop. Drop a comment or share your questions with info@agmgolf.org about these approaches. We’re planning to feature retail success stories in upcoming AGM publications, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to share your experiences.

The AGM is committed to bringing you practical resources like these throughout the year. If there are specific marketing or retail topics you’d like us to address in future articles or webinars, please let us know. Your input helps us create content that directly addresses your most pressing challenges.

Jennifer Morton is CEO of the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM), the golf retail industry’s premier educational resource and networking community.

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