SE Florida’s Largest Golf Retail Experience Opening in Boca Raton

More Than $40,000 in Giveaways during Two Day Grand Opening Celebration

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Area golfers will benefit as the competition between golf stores in the Boca Raton area heats up with the entry of a new retailer. The nation’s largest golf retailer, Golfsmith, officially opens the largest golf retail location in Southeast Florida March 4, 2011. Golfsmith’s new 32,000 square-foot store will offer more products and more game-enhancing technology to improve a golfer’s performance than any other Boca Raton area retailer. Plus, golfers can use the free indoor driving range, even when the sun is not shinning. During the grand opening celebrations, Friday and Saturday, hundreds are expected to line up to claim more than $40,000 worth of prizes and giveaways.

“Boca is a hotbed for golf and tennis and we’re proud to provide a whole new retail experience to Boca area golfers and tennis players”

“Boca is a hotbed for golf and tennis and we’re proud to provide a whole new retail experience to Boca area golfers and tennis players,” said Golfsmith President and CEO Marty Hanaka. “This is one of our most technologically advanced stores. Our purpose is to inspire people to play better and love life more. This grand opening will showcase our custom fitting studios, our free indoor driving range, a huge putting green and exclusive deals that golfers won’t find anywhere else.”

Golfsmith’s entry into the Boca market signifies a major shift in the way golfers and tennis players are outfitted and served. Instead of buying off-the-shelf, Golfsmith’s focus is to custom-fit players with just the right equipment at guaranteed low prices. What differentiates Golfsmith from other retailers is the ability for customers to test drive the hottest new clubs in one of the five indoor driving range bays or on the 600-square foot putting green. In addition, this Golfsmith location will have dedicated areas to serve left-handed players, women, seniors and junior golfers (those under age 12), and state-of-the-art, biofeedback driven golf lessons are available in-store from GolfTEC.

“This is a golfer’s paradise. We have made the new Boca store the kind of place golfers do not want to leave, “said Hanaka. “The Golfsmith experience is like none other because our associates have a passion for the game, and the expertise to custom fit golfers for free with the most precise equipment to help them play better. We even guarantee that our customers will play better or they can bring their golf clubs back.”

Custom fitting is the process where a club fitting specialist uses computerized swing analysis to study every aspect of a player’s swing and then recommend the best types of clubs and the set-up of those clubs, including shaft flex, loft, lie and more. Golfers can be custom-fit for any type of golf club and can even be fit for the right golf ball. A new study released concludes a majority of golfers in America are playing with clubs that do not fit them properly. (Please visit www.customfityourgame.com) The Boca Raton location will also offer two custom fitting studios. Custom fitting is one of the fastest growing sales categories for Golfsmith. The company traces its roots to making custom-fit clubs in 1967.

Golfsmith’s associates are also experts in custom fitting seniors, juniors and women as well as left-handed players. These specific groups of golfers will no longer have to hunt around a store for equipment and clothing designed for them anymore. This new store will offer dedicated shopping areas for each demographic category.

“Women, juniors and seniors have different hitting strengths and swing speeds,” said Steve Shirk, Golfsmith’s Boca Raton general manager. “In order to play the best, each golfer needs clubs custom fit for their abilities. Golfers should n ever buy clubs solely based on just their height and weight. If you are a junior, senior or a lefty, you generally have to hunt for your clubs in other retail outlets. Here at Golfsmith, we have dedicated Senior, Women, Junior and Lefty club and merchandise areas and it is free to be custom fit,” Shirk added.

The new store is part of the company’s growth strategy by the Texas-based retailer. Golfsmith plans to open up to 12 new stores throughout the country over the next two years. This is Golfsmith’s eighth Florida location.

About Golfsmith -Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOLF), is a 44-year-old specialty retailer of golf and tennis equipment, apparel and accessories. The company operates as an integrated multi-channel retailer, offering its guests the convenience of shopping in more than 77 stores across the United States, through its Internet site and from its assortment of catalogs. Golfsmith offers an extensive product selection that features premier branded merchandise, as well as its proprietary products, clubmaking components and pre-owned clubs. Visit www.Golfsmith.com