At Carl's Golfland golf is always in the air

By Jason Scott Deegan, Senior Staff Writer

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The weather today hit 14 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind so cold, it bites your skin. The snow, already thick on the ground, was falling again, but inside Carl's Golfland, there's always the feeling that golf season is in the air.

With an inordinate amount of clubs, bags, clothes and other golf gadgets, Carl's Golfland is arguably the most respected and well-known golf shop in all of Michigan.

It certainly is the most visible, with its soaring driving range nets and 15-acre practice facility off of traffic-snarled Telegraph Road, the major thoroughfare through the heart of Oakland County, long established as one of the most cash-rich counties in the country.

It's also the only store that runs television ads all winter long, reminding Michigan's golf nuts that the spring's first tee time isn't that far away. In a time where larger chain stores are beating up on small-time family businesses, Carl's Golfland remains an icon in Michigan's golf scene.

Owner Carl E. Rose, 45, bought out his father Carl F. Rose about four years ago. He credits his father for much of the store's success. Rose's father started the family business in 1958 in a small 750 square-foot shop in Pontiac before moving to its current building, which is more than 20,000 square feet, in 1962.

"Things like Carl's Golfland, it doesn't happen by accident," he said. "It happens because my dad grew up in this community and he knew a lot of good people who helped him out."

He likes to tell the story of how childhood friends of his father helped to pave the parking lot and contribute in other ways to the growth of the store. At the time his father built the new building, the area was rural, but now, it seems, the world has been built up around Carl's. Many businesses have come and gone, but Carl's remains, strong as ever.

And if you think that Carl's is just another golf shop, check out the long list of accolades for the store and its current owner.

* In January of 2000, Carl's Golfland was honored by GolfWeek Business as one of only two retailers in the country to be named to its prestigious Top 100 for 16 consecutive years. The store continues to make the Top 100 each season.

* Last April, Rose was named one of the most important golf people in metro Detroit by Crain's Detroit Business.

* Last October came the topper when Golf Digest ranked Rose fourth among the nation's most powerful retailers. The only others ahead of Rose were No. 1 Edwin and Ronnie Watts, co-owners of Edwin Watts Golf; No. 2 Ed Stack, chairman and CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods and No. 3 Leigh Bader, owner of Joe and Leigh's Discount Golf Pro Shops.

"How and where does that (Golf Digest award) come from? I don't have any idea," Rose said. "I'm not really sure what that means."

Rose sounds like a salesman when he answers questions about his business, but once you buy something from him, this customer service mentality he preaches rings true.

Rose said he believes in a soft-sell philosophy. He said the golf equipment sells itself at his practice facility, which includes covered and open-air hitting stations and a driving range complete with turf painted like a pond and bunkers.

"We have always been very competitive (price-wise)," Carl said. "My dad is a man of unbelievable integrity. We want people to walk out of here with the right thing. We've never believed in house brands. We have always believed in manufacturers. Customer service is not just a buzzword. It is (the rule). We treat people like you want to be treated."

The practice facility is also well-staffed with six PGA pros to give lessons and lead clinics. The biggest name in Carl's stable of instructors is Dick Bury, who has been ranked among Michigan's top 10 teachers for years by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. Bury was ranked No. 14 in Golf Digest's most recent installment in 2003.

In 2000, Rose made an interesting move, expanding with a smaller shop in the St. John Golf and Conference Center in Plymouth Township, which has a 27-hole course on the property.

"It was a big move for us," he said. "It has worked out pretty well. It takes time to be successful. To start something like that you (take on) some debt."

"It has never been about being the biggest," Rose continued. "It is about being the best and doing right by your customers."

Like many in the golf industry, Rose, who lives in Orchard Lake, would love to play more. The 14-handicap said he doesn't play as much as he used to. Instead he's always worried about his next big promotion.

He's got a great thing going with his spring-time "Demo Days", where manufacturers bring in their newest equipment for buyers to test. It's at the right time of year when Michigan golfers are suffering from cabin fever and their need to go play and hit balls is ravenous.

During the PGA Tour's Buick Open last year, Carl's hosted a clinic by defending champion Kenny Perry.

And being right down the road from Oakland Hills Country Club, the site of the Ryder Cup in September, should certainly help business.

"The Ryder Cup will be good for the golf business all season long," he said. "There will be a lot of articles and conversations leading up to it."

Bloomfield Township Store
Carl's Golfland
1976 S. Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
(248) 335-8095, (877) 412-2757

Plymouth Township Store
Carl's Golfland at St. John's
44135 5 Mile Road
Plymouth, MI 48170
(734) 354-9274

February 3, 2004