John Daly Opens Discount Golf Shop

Professional golfer John Daly and two partners opened the second John Daly’s Discount Golf Shop on March 20. The store is in Fayetteville’s Kantz Center at the corner of Mission Boulevard and Crossover Road.

Barbara Rowland, manager, said Daly’s partners are Shawn Pless and Greg Whorton, both of Russellville. The first store opened in Russellville (across the Arkansas River from Daly’s hometown of Dardanelle) about three years ago, she said.

Daly was the state’s highest-earning golfer in 2005, bringing in more than $1.7 million in tour events.

Rowland, who has golfed “for fun” for about 20 years, said the store carries products by Taylor Made, Calloway, Adams Golf, Titleist, Nike, Ashworth and Adidas and will be continually expanding its selection.

Her top-selling item after a week and a half of operation was a Calloway driver retailing for about $300, she said. The single most expensive item in the store is a Taylor Made driver at about $400. John Daly autographed golf balls sell for $10 each.

Independent golf stores are popular because pro shops that are attached to courses have a limited selection, low turnover and generally higher prices, she said. There are about three other independent stores in the area. She guessed the average pro shop was about 25 percent higher on individual items.

Rowland did not know how much revenue the Russellville store did in 2005, but said the group “did OK”

One of her main objectives is to make the store a destination for women golfers, Rowland said. Selections for female golf apparel and equipment is slim in the area, she said.

The Kantz Center location may be a temporary six- to eight-month stay. The group may relocate to a retail center under construction at the intersection of Interstate 540 and Sixth Street in Fayetteville, Rowland said. It depends on the amount of traffic the store gets in the meantime.

Daly, a former golfer for the University of Arkansas, won the 1991 PGA championship.

More on Daly
• Arkansas Golfers Make Green on the Greens: John Daly picked up nearly three-quarters of his winnings last year in just two events. He’s among the state’s top professional golf earners.