Implementing SumUp POS in American Golf's Hospitality Ventures
American Golf, Europe's largest golf retailer with 97 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland, has joined the SumUp family! Stocking golf equipment and selling both in-store and online, American Golf recently opened its first food & beverage site as part of its goal to become an all-encompassing golf leisure brand.
The company has been building on their existing retail offering and is now opening family golf centres across the UK, which consist of golf driving ranges, golf courses, food and beverage, and adventure golf. American Golf is currently steered by roughly 900 passionate golf enthusiasts. We had a chat with Michael Anderson, American Golf's Leisure Operations & Compliance Manager, to discuss his experience with SumUp.
From Retail to Hospitality: Why American Golf Needed a New POS System
With this shift towards hospitality, American Golf faced new operational challenges. Their existing golf point of sale system — a Microsoft-based POS — was designed for retail transactions and, therefore, ill-equipped to handle the complex requirements of hospitality management.
The company needed a golf POS system that could streamline operations, improve efficiency and support its evolving business model. This led to the American Golf partnership with SumUp, a decision that transformed its operations and enhanced the company's customer experience.
Outgrowing Legacy Systems: Challenges with the Previous POS
When American Golf decided to open its first Sports Lounge-style restaurant, it became clear that its golf point-of-sale system needed an upgrade.
Before adopting SumUp, American Golf relied on a traditional golf retail point-of-sale solution, which worked well for selling golf clubs, apparel and accessories. However, it lacked the functionality needed for hospitality services.
"We had an existing Microsoft-based POS system, which we have been using in our retail offering for a number of years. But as we opened up the hospitality and catering side of our business, it came with its own demands. From an operational point of view, it is simply very different to how we need to operate in retail business."
The need for bespoke hospitality solutions became a priority when the business opened its first food and beverage site.
"When we started the talks about opening our first Sports Lounge style restaurant, we just knew that our existing system wouldn't be able to be adapted for a hospitality offering. There was no table service, for one, and it simply wasn't designed for the kinds of demands we see daily, like ingredients-level inventory and the need for touchscreen devices. Everything was scanned in via a barcode label. So, it never would have worked. As we started to build a team to manage the leisure side of the business, one of our new hires had worked with SumUp previously and recommended it."
Fast-Tracked Implementation: Meeting Tight Deadlines with SumUp
"By the end of this month, we will be using the POS across four sites, from a sports lounge restaurant to a driving range, where we plan to sell adventure golf, as well as an 18-hole championship golf course."
Michael didn't have much advance notice when implementing the new POS, but with the help of SumUp's support team and regular meetings between himself and support, American Golf was ready for the grand opening within the span of a couple of weeks.
"We wanted to ensure we were ready for opening in line with the easing of post-pandemic restrictions. At one point, there just seemed no way that we were going to have our system and hardware set up in time. But Sam from the Sales Team was incredibly laidback and proactive and assured me we'd be fine – and he made sure we were ready by our deadline."
Despite limited time before their grand opening, American Golf successfully rolled out the SumUp POS system implementation across multiple sites.
Seamless Integration and Setup
Even before the restaurant construction was complete, American Golf was able to configure its entire golf POS system remotely with SumUp's support. Michael was particularly impressed with the consistent support provided throughout the process of installation and beyond.
"If you consider, we quite literally didn't have a single product registered on our SumUp POS, and we were only two weeks from opening – it was an incredible feat."
"While the restaurant was still just a building site, we were able to configure the entire system by working with the support team. Imagine the system fully set up and your restaurant is still just a building site – all it took was plugging the system in, connecting to the WiFi, and we were off and running. This would've been impossible with our previous POS; it may have even delayed the opening by at least a couple of weeks."
How the Kitchen Display Screen Enhances Service
SumUp's Kitchen Display Screen was a big selling point in completing American Golf's POS setup, and the available customisation helped new staff warm up to the new system.
"It's mounted onto a wall in our open kitchen. It looks great and, most importantly, reduces the need for paperwork – we try to cut out the need for paper altogether. It's cleaner, more professional and quicker!"
The Kitchen Display Screen offered several advantages:
Eliminated paper-based order processing
Allowed real-time updates and allergy notifications
Provided customisable layouts for chefs to work more efficiently
Beyond POS: SumUp's Role in Future Growth and Expansion
With SumUp consistently adding functionality across their products and allowing for feature requests to be made, Michael has found the products to be flexible and meet their growing industry-specific demands.
"At our leisure sites, we will be introducing things like golf societies, golf events, functions and so on, and SumUp has been perfect for that. It's not a case of "this is the system, and that's what you're limited to". I came into this with little knowledge or experience about customising POS systems, and the support has been brilliant. Whenever I wanted new changes introduced, they'd make it happen."
"I know that when we want to see specific changes, SumUp is always incredibly flexible and makes it happen. They really listen to your ideas and implement them."
A Scalable Solution for a Growing Hospitality Business
The American Golf partnership with SumUp was a game-changer for their expansion into hospitality. By implementing a golf POS system, American Golf successfully streamlined operations and improved service delivery. For businesses looking to expand into hospitality, SumUp POS system implementation offers a reliable, scalable and innovative solution to meet business needs.
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SumUp Golf POS System FAQs
What prompted American Golf to partner with SumUp?
American Golf needed a golf point-of-sale system that could support its expansion into hospitality. Their existing Microsoft-based system lacked essential features, like table service and ingredient-level inventory tracking. SumUp offered a cost-effective, flexible and scalable solution that could seamlessly integrate with both retail and hospitality operations.
How does SumUp's POS system benefit large retailers like American Golf?
SumUp's golf POS system is designed for scalability, supporting both retail and hospitality operations. It enables streamlined inventory management, real-time sales tracking and fast, secure transactions.
What is the SumUp Kitchen Display Screen, and how does it improve service?
The SumUp Kitchen Display Screen (KDS) is a digital order management system that eliminates the need for paper tickets in restaurant kitchens. It allows real-time updates, allergy notifications and customisable layouts, helping chefs and kitchen staff streamline workflows, reduce errors and speed up service.
How quickly can SumUp's POS system be implemented in a new venue?
SumUp's golf retail point-of-sale solution can be fully implemented within weeks, making it ideal for businesses with tight deadlines. American Golf successfully set up its system in just two weeks, thanks to SumUp's proactive support team, plug-and-play setup and remote configuration capabilities.
