TREND Men host at-home golfing parties

Men are coming to direct sales parties to try out drivers and putters.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Lynn Martin isn't shy about hosting a sales party.
She's done the Longerberger basket party, the Tastefully Simple gourmet food party and the Stampin' Up party. While her guests are gathering and before the salesperson starts the spiel, husband Ray Martin is rolling out the door.
"I make myself scarce those days," said Ray, of Orland Park, Ill.
That is, until the day he wanted to host his own party.
Lynn was surprised at first, until she discovered the sales pitch -- golf clubs. Then she wanted a piece of the party, too, and in no time, more than 10 couples were invited to a Saturday afternoon ProShopHome party, eating off of golf-themed plates and using golf-ball emblazoned napkins.
"This is the man's Tupperware party," said Alex Lugo of Orland Park, who attended the Martin's soiree. "You get to see the latest equipment and try it all out."
Although many direct-sales products are geared toward females, it's not surprising to see companies coming up with concepts aimed at men, said Amy Robinson, spokeswoman for the Direct Selling Association in Washington, D.C.
With direct sales, either person-to-person or party sales, representing a growing $28.7 billion industry, everybody wants a piece of the action. The DSA estimates direct sales increased 7.5 percent last year from 2001. And in 2001, sales rose 4.2 percent from 2000. Robinson said that on average, direct sales have outpaced retail sales by about 1 percent over the past decade.
Party trend
Now men are getting in on the party trend.
When Greg Qualizza comes to a party, he has guys ogling Callaway putters and TaylorMade drivers the same way women eye candles and kitchen gadgets. Part of the reason he founded The ProShopHome in April 1999 was to create the male version of the Tupperware party.
"My wife is a real big supporter of home parties -- Pampered Chef, candle parties," he said. "I kept thinking, why don't guys have something like that? Men have really never had an arena for an in-home party that they felt comfortable at."
Qualizza added that he was also looking for a way for women to buy golf equipment without feeling intimidated by sales associates at pro shops. But his concept is quickly becoming a way for men who want to crack open a brew with buddies and take a few swats at the ball with the latest and greatest in drivers.
Profit-driving
While he'll sell an entire set of custom-made clubs, he brings two of the three most popular types of clubs to a party -- drivers and putters. For the first half of this year, sales of drivers and woods in total dollars are up almost 7 percent from last year, according to Golf Datatech in Kissimmee, Fla. The wedge market is up 11 percent while putter sales are up 9 percent, despite a drop in the number of units sold.
Party hosts automatically get a Verex putter that retails for $99, as well as a percentage of sales based on the amount sold within three months of the gathering. That putter gets upgraded to the $169 two-ball Odyssey version if a guest at the party agrees to host the next party.
Qualizza said he's co-hosted nearly 100 parties in the Chicago area, and he's booked through September.
So far, he's generating an average of $600 in sales and up to $100 in profits from each party, comparable to Tupperware gatherings where sales average $400 with profits of $100. The money is not quite enough for Qualizza to quit his day job as an electrical engineer, but he's working on it. The fledgling company is based out of his Orland Park home office.
Social occasion
These days he's meeting with various manufacturers such as Tommy Armour to see if they will provide merchandise directly to him. Right now, he's getting his inventory though a pro shop.
The ProShopHome parties are structured much like other in-home direct-sales gatherings. A table is laden with golf shirts, golf balls, gloves and other accessories. Nearly 20 drivers and several putters from a variety of manufacturers line the Martins' yard. Their guests are seated on the outdoor patio as Qualizza begins his pitch.
When he's done with his pitch, Qualizza organizes a putting and longest-drive contest that allows the group to try out his different products.
The Martins' afternoon party stretched until 9 p.m., nearly double the length of the average gathering. But an errant shot into the neighbor's yard threatened to shut it down earlier.
"I think it's time to quit," said Paul Mandel of Oak Lawn, Ill., as he watched a buddy's drive launch over the restraining net. "Everybody go home."