ST. PETERSBURG — Customers walk in and stop.
The 29,600-square-foot PGA Tour Superstore that opened here in June is big enough that shoppers tend to comment on it before anything else. A putting green sits behind the checkout counter, and clubs run the length of the floor.
“Oh yeah, definitely, it’s usually the first thing that’s brought up,” general manager Eric Reiher said. “They’re just shocked at the size, and we’re one of the smaller ones. There’s one in Myrtle Beach that’s 70,000 square feet.”
The store took over a former Bealls at 66th Street North, which explains the footprint. Five bays along the left wall handle custom fittings and lessons with instructor Justin Trombley, alongside a golf simulator and an express fitting station where customers can try new clubs. Racks hold apparel for men, women and juniors.
The chain has been opening four to five stores a year, Reiher said, expanding into a sport that has not cooled off since the pandemic.
The National Golf Foundation reported in February that rounds played at U.S. courses in 2025 hit another record, extending what it called “one of the most sustained periods of elevated play” in the game’s history. It was the sixth straight year Americans played more than 500 million rounds, a streak the foundation said shows the post-pandemic surge has lasted longer than many expected.
Topgolf has pulled in players who never picked up a club otherwise, Reiher said.
“Oh yes, it’s helped in the popularity,” he said.
The store held its grand opening June 13, days ahead of Father’s Day, one of its busiest days of the year. The event included $30,000 in giveaways and a $15,000 donation to First Tee of St. Petersburg.
Reiher said the store also wants to work with junior and high school programs, offering free fittings and free regripping and reshafting materials if the programs pay for labor.
For regular customers, a $299 Players Club membership includes 30 free regrips, a free lesson, one studio fitting, half off labor in the repair lab and 20% off future lessons and club fittings.
The store carries zero-torque putters, a design pushed into the mainstream by L.A.B. Golf and since picked up by other manufacturers. Its Fit & Go program builds a custom club on site from stock components, which spares customers the roughly two-week wait on a special order.
“It gives you the option of building your own custom club,” Reiher said. “A lot of people don’t want to wait on a special order.”