Let's Ask the Shop

If you’ve spent any time in Pinehurst, NC you may have heard someone talk about Forest Creek Golf Club and being on the guest or member side of “The Forest Creek Experience.”

This week on Ask the Shop presented by Tee Commerce, I sat down with Kelsey Heidenreich, Golf Shop Manager at Forest Creek Golf Club, to explore how she and her team create an environment that is somehow both comfortable and elevated, and why their shop acts as the emotional center of the member experience.

Like past conversations with Jake at Sankaty Head and Davis Ann at Fox Chapel, this one reinforced something I’ve come to believe strongly: the best golf shops aren’t just retail spaces—they are hospitality engines. And at Forest Creek, that engine runs with remarkable intentionality.

Let’s dive in. Let's Grow Golf,

-Rich

1. When members talk about ‘The Forest Creek Experience,’ what does that phrase mean to you—and how do you and your team bring that to life the moment someone walks into the shop?

Kelsey:​
The Forest Creek Experience means delivering a consistent and exceptional level of personalized service that creates a meaningful and lasting positive impact on every member and guest who visits Forest Creek. This creates an atmosphere of genuine hospitality that transforms a visit into a memorable occasion. Since the Golf Shop is the heart of our operation, the team and I bring this to life through these three steps:

• Warm Welcome: Every individual is greeted immediately upon entry.
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• Personal Connection: We pride ourselves on getting to know those we don't recognize. This consists of a simple conversation, such as asking where they are visiting from or if it's their first time at the club. For members, it's capitalizing on relationships we've built over time. This might include checking in on them and their families, asking how their time on the course was, or anything new and exciting they have seen or done recently. By doing so, this allows us to serve them through the Golf Shop while curating a mix that meets their needs and tastes.
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• Lasting Impression: Our ultimate goal is for every person who leaves feels welcomed, attended to, and appreciated, regardless of whether a purchase was made. We want them to remember the exceptional service long after they have left the grounds.

2. Forest Creek has a reputation for being both comfortable and elevated. How do you balance that family-style culture with a premium level of service day-to-day?

Kelsey:​
Our premium service is the invisible foundation that ensures quality and consistency. The comfortable part in our balance is the personal layer. We consistently address members by their prefix along with their last name, or first name if they ask us to do so. Members who visit once a year are surprised when we remember their names. Getting to know our members’ likes and dislikes allows us to provide the level of service they deserve.
We uphold the high standards expected of a premium club.

However, we deliver our service with the warmth, recognition, and adaptability of a trusted community. This blend is how we ensure that our service is both professional and personal.

3. Member preferences can be surprising—from limited-edition ornament drops to NC-inspired Bettinardi pieces. How do you keep your finger on the pulse of what members will love?

Kelsey:​
The team and I are trained to be the "eyes and ears" of the Golf Shop. My teammates let me know what sells well, is not selling well, or what is asked for that we do not provide.

Social media is another great way to keep up with other clubs and trends. When doing limited drops, I start small to create interest. If it is not as successful as I hoped, supply levels and spending are controlled responsibly. If you do not take a risk, then how will you know it will be a success? Taking a risk on limited edition items helps you grow and learn what the members of the Club like and the best way to drive excitement for these items is marketing them on social media or sending out emails through our communications platforms.

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4. Forest Creek has a unique membership mix—about 40% local and 60% national—and a busy seasonal rhythm. How do those dynamics shape the way you plan assortments, experiences, and service throughout the year?

Kelsey:​
Assortment planning must cater to both groups simultaneously. For our local North Carolina members, we maintain a full seasonal rotation of inventory, ensuring we carry a well-rounded inventory to meet the demands of all four seasons. Equally, the national members are often traveling to us, sometimes escaping their own extreme weather. Therefore, the national inventory focuses on items such as lightweight layers, shorts, pants, and clothing that are appropriate for golf travel year-round. With both groups, it is important to leverage special edition items for members and other unique products that they may only find at Forest Creek. Most of our members are at multiple clubs, so we provide items they will not necessarily see elsewhere that fit the Forest Creek Brand.

5. You’ve worked with partners like Tee Commerce to streamline operations and relieve some of the workload. How does that support help you stay focused on delivering an exceptional, high-touch member experience?

Kelsey:​
The Tee Commerce platform acts as a 24/7 amenity, offering our members an expanded, risk-free assortment of branded merchandise they can access anytime, anywhere This extends items on the website that we do not normally offer in the Golf Shop enhancing the Forest Creek Experience.

Conclusion

Forest Creek’s “experience” isn’t a mystery—it’s a system. It’s the consistency of a warm welcome. The personalization of remembered names and preferences. The discipline of thoughtful assortment planning. And the intuition to take smart retail risks that spark excitement.

Kelsey and her team show that when you treat the shop as the emotional heartbeat of the club, members don’t just feel served—they feel known.

That’s the Forest Creek Experience.

Thanks for reading this week’s Ask the Shop, presented by Tee Commerce.

Headed to the PGA? If you have a moment, stop by and see our friends Jeff and Laura from Tee Commerce. Stop by Booth 6043 or schedule a meeting using the link below—they'll be ready to talk member experience, merch drops, and what’s next for club retail.

​Find time with Tee Commerce at the 2026 PGA Show​

See you next week,

-Rich Calabrese

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600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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