FORSYTH - Rich Nottelmann is bullish on America. He is bullish on small businesses, and he is bullish on golf.
Nottelmann and his wife, Christi, invested in a Golf USA franchise after exploring a variety of options. Since much of his working background has been in golf, they felt that was the best fit.
After being open for a year in the Forsyth Commons, just north of Good's Furniture, he is sure it was a good move.
"We were aware that you normally can't expect to do dynamite business in your first year or two, but it has gone a little better than we anticipated," Nottelmann said. "Our store location is good for high traffic volume; we have a good line of products and a bright, brand new building for our customers to visit."
He said his shop is the only Golf USA store in Illinois, a feature that influenced the decision to purchase a franchise from the Oklahoma City-based company. It opened stores in the Southwestern states before expanding to both coasts and points in between.
People are also reading…
"The company builds the store and owns the property, which was a nice feature for us," Nottelmann said. "They designed it and sent a team of people to stock it according to their plans, so we didn't have those headaches. We have 2,800 square feet of space and carry all the usual name brands of merchandise you might expect in a golf shop. We also do club repairs and are competitive pricewise with all the major golf equipment stores around the country."
He said the store features an area where customers can try out demo clubs by hitting into a net.
"The demo area has a swing analyzer that helps me custom fit the customer in line with his swing speed and the club loft most advantageous to the person being fit," he said.
The store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week, with longer hours Saturday.
"About the middle of March, we also will be open on Sundays," Nottelmann said. "That's when the golfers come out of the woodwork and start gearing up to open the season."
Being responsible for plunging into business was born out of necessity, he said. After graduating from Millikin University in 1991, he worked at golf courses for the Decatur Park District 10 years before the district began downsizing its facilities, including closing Nelson Park, where Nottelmann was club pro for five years after working at Faries Park as the late Richie Hammel's assistant.
"Although I worked there before that, I was his assistant for just one year and basically learned most of what I know about the business from him," he said. "I left the Park District in 2002 and worked several odd jobs, including a home cleanup and restoration service.
"While it was nice to be drawing some kind of paycheck, it really wasn't satisfying, from my perspective as a college graduate."
Nottelmann said he now feels he is where he belongs.
"I'm familiar with the golf business, and I'm used to the long hours," he said. "The difference now is I'm in business for myself, instead of working for someone else. It feels good knowing that if there are profits to be made, it's because of my efforts."
Several of Decatur's top golfers, including Dave White, Lon Lugten and Matt Bean, are among Nottelmann's regular customers. The trio is noted for attention to detail when it comes to clubs and being up on the latest technological advances in golf.
"Like some of the other guys, I love to spend some time looking at the latest golf stuff, and Rich has top-notch stock in clubs," Lugten said. "He has a really neat shop, and Rich is as knowledgeable as anyone in town when it comes to fitting clubs and he has the equipment to do it right.
"He's very customer-oriented and will spend the time with you if you have any questions. He's good at reshafting clubs for you and takes care of you if you need to send one of your favorite clubs to the manufacturer if you need it reworked.
"His store may not be as large as some of the more well-known golf shops located in metropolitan areas, but his personal service is better as far as I'm concerned."
