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If the warmer days and the emerald shoots emerging in your lawn have you thinking about a verdant fairway, pristine bunkers and carefully manicured greens, you’re not alone.
April heralds the start of golf season — with leagues, lessons and courses all gearing up for what everyone hopes will be another great year on the links.
Drew Michael, manager at Dave DiRico’s Golf in West Springfield, said golf is making a comeback, and he and the knowledgeable staff at what can best be described as the “ultimate pro shop on steroids” are ready to fill any and all golfers' needs for a great season.
“COVID changed everything,” Michael said of how the lockdown created a demand for outdoor activities that could be enjoyed at safe distances, like golf. “There are more golfers of every kind now — more young people, more ladies, more girls, more juniors — all boosting the industry.”
Beyond boosting interest in the sport, it also changed how golf is played, Michael said.
“It’s a more fun activity than it used to be,” Michael said. “There are nine-hole leagues, simulation golf and the equipment is better than ever.”
As a shop that provides everything for every type of golfer — from beginner to seasoned player — equipment is a big focus at Dave DiRico’s Golf and has been their specialty since owner, PGA pro and recent Western Mass Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dave DiRico bought the location — formerly the family-owned Fran Johnson Golf and Tennis — in 2012.
Michael said DiRico was just wrapping up his career as the Crestview Golf Club pro — the course was being sold at the time — when the opportunity to purchase Fran Johnson’s presented itself. The entire family — himself, his wife, Joann and daughter, Carrie — urged him to take the leap.
“Dave bought the building, but everything inside was new from the ground up when we opened,” Michael said of his father-in-law’s vision for his golf shop. Like Fran Johnson Tennis and Golf before it, Dave DiRico’s is very much a family-owned business, with Michael now serving as the store manager and Joann running the office.
And it’s no surprise that, with DiRico’s background as a teaching pro, helping clients find the right equipment to play their best golf game is a big part of what Dave Dirico’s Golf offers to clients. That focus on equipment includes two in-house club fitting bays, staffed by knowledgeable salespeople, all of whom are certified club fitters.
“We do custom club fitting,” he shared. “Sometimes we get people who want to try out equipment on their own, but given what we would like to offer, it’s one-on-one club fitting to a client, to make sure they have a club that best fits them the best, as everyone is different.”
When it comes to fitting a golfer to equipment, Michael said they can offer everything from the “latest and greatest” that was just released for the current season, to previously owned equipment. “As soon as it’s launched, we pick it up and run with it,” Michael said of the season’s new club and equipment offerings, adding the shop will then offer prior models of their premium equipment at a reduced cost.
For newer — or budget-minded — golfers looking to get into the sport affordably, Michael said his staff can help match them to the right previously owned equipment for their level of experience level and style of play.
“We have all the major brands,” Michael added, ticking off well-known golf equipment makers including Callaway, TaylorMade, Titlist, PING, Mizuno Cleveland/Srixon and Cobra.
And the offerings at Dave Dirico’s go far beyond just an outstanding selection of golf equipment. “We also offer clothing, footwear, golf bags, we’re a full-service retail in that sense,” Michael said.
In addition to equipment and apparel for every type of golfer, Michael noted that Dave Dirico’s Golf is a full-service equipment repair shop.
“We offer regripping, repairing clubs, there’s a lot of services in the area of club repairs that we offer,” he explained.
The shop also offers an opportunity for clients to book golf lessons in their fitting bays, taught by on-staff pros after hours.
“We have four teachers who, outside of store hours, will book lessons, though not through the store,” Michael said. “It’s an opportunity for clients, though it isn’t our specialty.”
“These guys teach all year,” he added. “Lessons ramp up at certain times, but it’s never dead.”
The opportunity to partake in golf lessons at the same place you get fitted for your best clubs is just one of the ways Dave DiRico’s Golf is a cut above other golf equipment shops.
“We’ve really evolved into a one-stop shop,” Michael said, adding his staff really gets to know their regular customers “by name, they know the product [they] buy over the years, and many friendships have developed here over the years.”
After 38 years as a golf pro, DiRico knew the importance of a personal connection with your clients. When he opened his golf shop, that level of personal connection and customer service was his mantra from the beginning. Today, that level of service is something Michael said he and his staff strive to do every day, for every client who walks through the door.
“Golf equipment — you can get that anywhere — but customer services — that’s something we pride ourselves on. All our guys are knowledgeable,” Michael said. “Dave has been retired for a few years now, but it’s something he always pushed on us, and it will always be a focus of our employees” and Dave DiRico’s Golf.
DAVE DIRICO’S GOLF IS AT 21 MYRON ST. IN WEST SPRINGFIELD. HOURS ARE MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY, 9 A.M. TO 5 P.M.; THURSDAY, 9 A.M. TO 7 P.M.; AND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, 9 A.M. TO 4P.M. THE SHOP CAN BE REACHED AT 413-734-4444. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT DAVEDIRICOGOLF.COM.
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