Over the course of more than two decades, Chris Cote's Golf Shop has evolved from an eBay-based side hustle into a thriving local golf brand with two retail stores, two pro shops, 75+ driving range stalls, and seasonal pop-up events across Connecticut. Known for their expertise in custom club fittings, lessons, and comprehensive golf equipment selection, the business has also grown into a true family enterprise with four Cotes now part of the team in addition to fifteen full time employees.
As the shop has grown, so have its technological needs. After years of relying on disparate solutions to manage in-store operations, ecommerce, and local events, it became clear that a unified commerce platform would be best-suited for keeping pace with their rapid growth. After unifying their sales channels on Shopify, Chris Cote's Golf Shop has:
- Saved ten hours per week on average by automating instructor notifications for golf clinic bookings and streamlining custom club order management, customer data entry, and reporting
- Reduced custom golf club order processing time by 50%, improving customer satisfaction and operational efficiency
- Streamlined marketing initiatives though automation with Zapier and Mailchimp integrations
- Consolidated and reorganized customer database, eliminating duplicates and creating a comprehensive system that enables better marketing execution
The Challenge: Outdated tools slow down growth
Chris Cote's Golf Shop had evolved from a single desktop computer with an external credit card system to QuickBooks for in-store operations, while simultaneously using Shopify for their website. The fragmentation created inefficiencies, with inventory reconciliation being one of the biggest. "If we sold a golf club in the store, I had to remember to change the inventory for the website," explains Danielle Cote, Store Manager at their Portland, Connecticut location, emphasizing the risk of overselling and customer disappointment.
As a specialty golf retailer, custom club orders also represent a significant portion of the shop's business. Each order involves custom specifications—different lengths, different grips, and countless head and shaft combinations. The shop's previous system relied heavily on paper documentation. "We'd write the order down on a piece of paper," Danielle recalls. Later, they added Dropbox to make accessing information easier across locations, but it was still a disjointed system. "It was a very clunky process, but it was the best we had at the time," Danielle recalls. As order volume grew, the system became increasingly unsustainable.
The shop also offers golf lessons and clinics, requiring regular communication between staff and instructors. Before Shopify POS, this process was entirely manual and time-intensive. "I used to have to tell the instructors every single time somebody signed up," says Danielle. This constant need for manual updates created additional work for the management team and risked miscommunication with instructors about their schedules and client bookings.
When QuickBooks announced it would discontinue its POS service and recommended Shopify as a replacement, the Cote family saw an opportunity to not only solve their immediate need for a new system but to transform their entire operation through unified commerce.
The Solution: Consolidating software and modernizing on Shopify
Working with Shopify Plus agency partner Riess Group, the team began planning their implementation in the spring, with an October deadline for being fully up and running. The implementation involved setting up Shopify POS across four permanent locations—two retail stores and two pro shops at golf courses—plus an additional configuration for seasonal pop-up events like the shop's annual golf show.
Custom POS App Development for Specialized Needs
Rather than simply replicating their old processes in a new system, the Cote family saw an opportunity to reimagine their operations and take advantage of the extensibility of Shopify POS. As Danielle explains, "If we have to switch, we might as well make this exactly what we want. Hopefully, it's the last time we'll have to do this for the next 15 years."
Throughout the summer, they worked with Riess Group to develop custom POS applications addressing their unique needs. The team created a specialized app for managing custom club orders digitally, eliminating their paper-based system. They also developed a solution for managing member credits at their pro shops, where customers can win credits based on their golf performance.
Automation through Flows and Integrations
The team leveraged Shopify Flows to automate key processes, particularly around instructor notifications. "With Flows, if somebody books a clinic with an instructor, the instructor gets an email letting them know automatically, which removes so much manual labor for me," explains Danielle.
They also integrated their booking system with Shopify using Zapier, ensuring customer information from bookings automatically appears in Shopify when customers arrive for their appointments. This integration eliminated the need to re-enter customer data, saving time and reducing errors.
Meeting the Implementation Deadline with Responsive Support
The team worked diligently to meet their October implementation deadline, conducting a phased rollout that began with a soft launch in September. This methodical approach allowed them to fine-tune the system before fully deploying across all locations.
Throughout the process, Shopify's support team was invaluable in ensuring a successful transition. "Shopify's customer service is so good and they're so nice," Danielle notes. "You call that phone number and you'll have your answer. Or if they don't have an answer, they'll get you one."
By the October deadline, the system was operational across all locations, with Riess Group providing continued support to ensure all custom features worked as intended. Their collaborative approach ensured that despite the hard deadline, Chris Cote's Golf Shop successfully transitioned on time without any significant interruption to their business.
The Results: Scoring big with streamlined operations
The transition to Shopify POS has helped Chris Cote's Golf Shop become a more efficient and scalable business during a period of significant growth in the golf industry. "Golf is having a moment," explains Danielle, and Shopify is helping Chris Cote's Golf Shop capitalize on this growth. "Because we're able to have a more automated system, we're able to take advantage of so much more of the business that's coming our way."
The shop has seen dramatic improvements in their custom club ordering process. "We've cut our custom order process in half and eliminated the use of other paid software systems like Dropbox for data storage," notes Danielle. The team has invested their freed up time for strategic tasks like consolidating their database and merging duplicate customer records to create a comprehensive system that will support future marketing initiatives.
Automated workflows have eliminated numerous manual processes across the business. The integration of Shopify with Zapier and Mailchimp has streamlined marketing, while Flows have automated instructor notifications for lessons and clinics. "Now that that's digitized and automatic, it has saved me so much time," Danielle notes.
Shopify has also proven valuable during high-volume periods, including the shop's annual golf show and other pop-up events where Shopify's mobile POS has allowed them to bring their full inventory system, customer profiles, and payment processing capabilities to any venue. This flexibility enables them to maintain consistent operations and customer experience whether customers shop at their permanent stores or seasonal events.
Through their partnership with Shopify, the Cote family has ensured their business is as precisely calibrated as the custom clubs they sell—ready to meet the demands of today's golf boom and whatever lies beyond.
If you're considering a switch to Shopify POS, I'd tell you it's absolutely worth it. The time savings alone have been huge, but the real value is in how it's positioned us to grow alongside the booming interest in golf we're seeing right now.
