How Army Navy Country Club Generated $18,000 in Pro Shop Sales in One Month

For most pro shops, trade-in has historically meant one thing: a periodic promotion where members clean out their garages, drop off old golf clubs, and walk away with a little store credit. It is a nice service. But it is not a revenue strategy.

Army Navy Country Club Director of Retail Jonathan Sands saw a different opportunity. Rather than treating trade-in as a member benefit aimed at clearing out unused equipment, he used it as a mechanism to help members fund meaningful equipment upgrades. The results made October 2025 one of the strongest single months his pro shop had seen.

Pictured: Jonathan Sands, Director of Retail at Army Navy Country Club, with his Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year, earned through the Next Round Trade-In Rewards Program.

Rethinking the Trade-In Customer

The traditional trade-in customer comes in with a bag full of golf clubs from 2008 and leaves with enough credit to pick up a sleeve of balls and a new glove. That customer still exists, and Next Round’s portal serves them well.

But there is a second customer that most pro shops are underleveraging. This is the member who is already thinking about upgrading their irons, their driver, or their full set. They know their current equipment is holding them back. What stops them is the sticker price of a premium fitting and a custom build.

Trade-in removes that barrier. When a member realizes that the golf clubs sitting in their bag are worth $400, $600, or more in pro shop credit, a $1,800 iron fitting stops feeling out of reach. The credit does not feel like a coupon. It feels like a down payment. That shift in framing changes the entire conversation, and it changes what members are willing to spend.

Army Navy built their October push around this upgrade customer. The goal was not to move old equipment. It was to help members who were already ready to buy get across the finish line.

How It Worked

Next Round’s trade-in platform gave Jonathan and his team the infrastructure to run this at scale without adding staff burden. Members used the Next Round portal to quote their golf clubs from home before dropping them off at the shop. Quotes were locked in advance, so there were no value disputes and no awkward conversations at the counter.

Next Round supplied shipping materials and handled logistics on the back end. Staff confirmed quotes at drop-off and packed clubs for shipment. Members never received cash. Next Round paid the shop directly, converting all trade-in value to pro shop credit and keeping every dollar of spending inside Army Navy Country Club.

The result was a pipeline of members arriving at the pro shop with credit in hand and an upgrade in mind.

The Results

In Jonathan’s words:

“Army Navy Country Club partnered with Next Round Golf for a virtual trade-in initiative that generated over $18,000 in pro shop credit for members. That credit was fully redeemed in our golf shop, driving meaningful additional revenue while requiring minimal effort from our staff. Members valued the convenience of trading in unused equipment while earning credit toward new gear, apparel, and accessories.”

Because Next Round pays the shop directly and members never receive cash, all of that credit came back into Army Navy’s pro shop as real purchases. Members who traded in golf clubs left with new equipment, apparel, accessories, and more, driving pro shop sales across every category Jonathan’s team carries.

Gold Tier: Jonathan Earns His Pappy

Army Navy’s October volume did more than drive pro shop revenue. It pushed Jonathan and his team into the Gold Tier of the Next Round Trade-In Rewards Program, earning him a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year.

The Next Round Trade-In Rewards Program rewards shop managers and directors for the trade-in volume their facility processes. Higher volume means higher tier rewards. Gold Tier shops can choose from a Fine Wine Trio featuring Opus One, Far Niente, and Ovid Napa, a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year, or a trip to Ireland valued at $2,000. Silver Tier rewards include Pappy Van Winkle 10 Year, a 2016 Opus One, or a trip to the Bahamas. Bronze Tier rewards include Blanton’s Single Barrel, Overture by Opus One, or $500 to spend at Nobu, Ruth’s Chris, or Capital Grille.

For Jonathan, the choice was easy.

Want Rewards Like Pappy, a Trip to Ireland, and More?

Army Navy Country Club’s story is not a one-off. It is a blueprint. Find the upgrade customers in your membership, give them a frictionless path to trade in their golf clubs, and let the credit do the selling for you.

The Next Round Trade-In Rewards Program runs January 1 through March 31. Every trade-in your shop processes on the portal during that window counts toward your total. When your volume reaches a prize tier, you choose your reward.

Gold. Silver. Bronze. The path there looks exactly like what Jonathan Sands did at Army Navy Country Club.

Learn more about the Next Round Trade-In Rewards Program and get started at nextround.com/trade-in-rewards.