By Kim J. Harmon

When construction began on the new clubhouse at Rock Ridge Country Club, Bill Flood had a good idea of what the perfect pro shop should look like.

So, with the guidance of builder George Trudell and the support of club president Marty Gersten, golf chair Mike Portnoy and committee members John Kortze and Joe Golden, Flood got what exactly he wanted.

“George led us through the building project here,” said Flood, the head PGA professional, “and gave me a budget and let me go out and design the thing. He gave me a lot of leeway and it was a huge help.”

It was also a huge success. On December 2, at the 13th annual Special Awards Banquet at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Flood will be honored as the 2007 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private golf facilities by the Connecticut Section of The PGA of America.

According to the PGA, the Merchandiser of the Year Award recognizes excellence in business and merchandising at private, public, and resort golf facilities.

And while he is savoring the prime rib or roast beef au jus, Flood will be considering himself lucky he has people like assistant pro Jeff Sobieraj, computer whiz John Phillips, and his own wife, Jennifer, in his corner.

“They do all the work,” he laughed, “but I get the award.”

Sobieraj has been at Rock Ridge for eight years and is a tireless worker; Phillips is fresh out of Arizona State and developed an ordering program for the club.

Jennifer, meanwhile, is the shop manager and designs most of the displays.

“My wife is the driving force here and stays on top of all the new fashions,” said Flood, who arrived at Rock Ridge as an assistant pro in 1996 after managing three Golf World stores in Syracuse, New York. “But this award comes from the work ethic of everyone here. They feel like this is their shop, as well as mine. They know the membership and they work so hard. I just steer the ship.”

The pro shop officially opens for the season on March and closes on December 31. Obviously, there is little – or no – golf being played in December but, equally as obvious, the month is the biggest month of the year for the shop (staff members probably are in danger of repetitive stress injuries from wrapping so many gifts … 600 to 700 during the holidays).

The key, Flood says, is creating a partnership with manufacturers and offering good merchandise with which the staff is familiar.

“We don’t get into discount stuff,” he added. “We sell the nicest stuff we can at a fair price. But the battle isn’t in selling; it’s displaying.”

That’s why all the displays are re-ordered and re-designed every couple of weeks.

“There is so much cool stuff coming out all the time,” said Flood. “Clothes and technology.”

And it’s one thing to stock the new fall sweaters, knickers, or weather-proof golf shoes, but keeping on top of the ever-changing club technology is another. Annual visits to the Florida merchandising shows (and the product knowledge seminars) are important, but having a sharply-tuned knowledge of the membership and what they may prefer in their golf bags is crucial.

“You have to know everyone’s bag,” said Flood, who services between 210 and 230 members (not to mention 160 or so young players in the junior program) and teaches about 4,000 lessons a year, “and know how everyone plays. We watch them on the range and get out to play with them whenever we can.”

That kind of attention to detail does not go unnoticed by the golfers or by those running things behind the scenes.

“We have the most supportive membership,” said Flood, “and the (golf) committee never makes me feel like an employee. I have the best job in the country.”

And in four weeks or so, the Connecticut Section of the Professional Golfer’s Association will further recognize his efforts (and those of his staff) at Foxwoods.

And maybe, if he has the time, Flood will give an impromptu lesson next to the baccarat table.