In today’s golf retail environment, balancing tradition with modernization is one of the biggest challenges clubs face. Members expect convenience, variety, and digital access, but professional staff often lack the time and resources to meet those demands while maintaining long-standing traditions. Tee Commerce was created to solve that problem—helping clubs extend their retail presence online without adding workload or inventory risk. In this conversation, founder Jeff Piltch shares how Tee Commerce is addressing industry challenges, correcting misconceptions, and shaping the future of golf retail.
AGM: Can you discuss a challenge unique to the golf market?
Tee Commerce: One of the biggest challenges in the golf market is balancing tradition with modernization. Many golf clubs have deep-rooted histories and strong cultures, which often means things have been done the same way for decades. Meanwhile, member expectations are evolving quickly, especially around convenience and digital experiences. With limited time and resources, golf professional staff often struggle to modernize operations without disrupting the club’s established traditions. That’s where we come in—Tee Commerce helps clubs evolve their retail experience without adding complexity to the staff’s workload.
AGM: What are the most common misconceptions about your product category, and how do you address them?
Tee Commerce: The most common misconception is that an online shop will compete with the physical golf shop and cannibalize sales. In reality, we’ve seen that online and in-shop sales are highly complementary. The online store fills gaps the physical shop can’t—whether that’s offering more brands, serving members during off-hours, or enabling non-local members and family to shop.
- Roughly 30% of online sales come from non-golf lifestyle brands not typically stocked in the shop.
- Ladies apparel is especially diverse, with purchases spread across more than 20 different brands.
- About 40% of online sales happen between 5pm–8am, when most shops are closed.
- Orders are evenly split between desktop and mobile, highlighting convenience as a major driver.
AGM: What’s your most popular product, and why do you think it’s been so successful?
Tee Commerce: Our best sellers tend to be lifestyle apparel and accessories—items that members can wear off the course. Members love being able to represent their clubs in their everyday lives, not just during a round of golf. By offering popular lifestyle brands that go beyond what’s typically available in the pro shop, we’re able to meet members where they are and offer more year-round value.
AGM: How do you adapt to changing consumer preferences in the golf industry?
Tee Commerce: We’re constantly sourcing new brands and expanding our product catalog based on what members are actually buying. Consumer expectations are shifting toward lifestyle-focused, on-demand shopping, and we help clubs meet those preferences without the risk of overextending their on-site inventory. Our goal is to stay ahead of trends and ensure each club’s online shop reflects what their members want to wear.
AGM: What role does feedback from golf professionals play in your product development?
Tee Commerce: Golf professionals are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to make their lives easier so they can focus on delivering a great member experience, rather than retail logistics. We actively listen to the pros we work with and shape our platform around their feedback. From backend tools to product offerings, every aspect of our system is designed to take work off their plates while delivering a great member experience.
AGM: What feedback from a club has significantly influenced a product redesign or improvement?
Tee Commerce: Many of our most valuable features were born out of conversations with clubs. For instance, we built in full administrative control so that staff can decide what brands and products are available in their shop at any time, ensuring alignment with what may or may not be available in the physical shop. Another major update was enabling member charge as a payment option, which we added after hearing it was a key feature for clubs who wanted to maintain their existing billing workflows.
AGM: How do you stay connected with the golf clubs/members during off-peak seasons?
Tee Commerce: One of the biggest advantages of having an online shop is staying connected with members year-round, no matter where they are. Whether members are snowbirds, traveling, or simply browsing late at night, the online store is open 24/7. We see significant order volume during the offseason and holidays, especially from members who want to gift club-branded gear or just miss being at the course.
AGM: What message would you like to leave with AGM members about your brand and products?
Tee Commerce: Tee Commerce exists to help clubs serve their members better—online retail is just the tool we use to do it. Most clubs view their online shop as an added amenity rather than just a revenue generator. It allows them to extend their brand, offer more product variety, and serve members more conveniently, all without increasing workload or tying up capital in inventory. Our platform was built for golf professionals—and we’re continually improving it to serve them even better.
Conclusion
Tee Commerce is showing that online shops complement, rather than compete with, the physical golf shop. For clubs that want to modernize their retail experience while honoring tradition, Tee Commerce offers a solution designed specifically with golf professionals in mind.
AGM members are encouraged to learn more about Tee Commerce by visiting their website at teecommerce.shop or contacting Jeff Piltch at jeff@teecommerceco.com. For more contact information and to view the exclusive AGM member perks, check out our AGM vendor page.
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