What a find. Went to Dicks Sporting Goods looking for balls and shoes. No sales, no deals, just full retail prices which the same old inventory. So, decided to check out the Southern Golf store. Loved the store owner. Knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The shop has it all. Ended up buying a pair of shoes- Skeetchers- which normally I would never even considered. But, after listening to the shop owner I decided I give them a try. What a great buy. Comfortable, stylish and a reasonable price. This is my go to golf shop now. read more

I'm a new golfer who purchased a bag and clubs from him. It felt like a mom and pop shop would be a great option. I don't know how much everything costs, so I trusted his judgement. After purchasing clubs, I talked to him about doing lessons and he quoted me $80 per lesson. When I came back to do the lesson he said a pack of 5 lessons now cost $480 (includes tax), which comes to $96 a lesson. Two weeks after purchasing the lessons I learned that I had to relocate for work. I called to let him know and he said they don't do any refunds but could do store credit. I went to the store to discuss one more time, and he mentioned that a set of 5 lessons cost $400, and insisted they aren't set up to do refunds. I said that he charged me $480, and that I find it difficult to believe that you have a business that can't do refunds. He insisted multiple times that he couldn't do refunds. Once I insisted on a refund, he found a way to give me a refund but for only $330. He said I needed to pay $96 for the lesson and the remaining $54 would be in credit card fees that he would be charged for giving me a refund. It feels like there is no set pricing and he makes up the prices as he goes. I do not recommend using this business. read more

Do your research. He will sell you anything even if it is not right for you. Prices cheaper on Amazon.

Im pretty sure everyone who left 1 star is just cheap.. Golf is expensive and if you dont like that play a different sport .. this guy helps out a lot and he gave me a fair price for a new Taylor Made 5 iron and gives great tips! read more

Very very very overpriced on clubs he states that he can get the best place around since he buys them outright so he can make his prices lower but is a complete lie he puts them 100 dollars over price and always takes you to the most expensive thing in the store has says you need that instead. There is no sales there's just being the price back to retail he is a SCAM read more

Do not recommend. All this guy wants is your money- my husband went in to ask for advice on how to repair a club of his and he was made to felt like he was 2 inches small - all this guy was trying to do was make him buy a new club.. stay away from this price gouging place.. read more

Avoid. 10hcp. I went in for a free club fitting as stated on his sign out front. I got there and he had me hit about 20-30 balls into his simulator (which was turned off) with a few different brand irons. That was the extent of the fitting. He said I had hit the most expensive one the best. He grabbed them off the wall and proceeded to take me around the store to get the rest of my bag filled as I had wanted. At the checkout stand my bill was $3300 with grips on the new irons still saying "demo clubs" which he said they were the same as any other grips. I walked out of the store with nothing. read more

I broke my TM driver shaft and Mike helped me get it replaced from TM at no charge.He was very nice,helpful and knowledgeable so I referred my wife my son and several friends who have gotten clubs new and some used. The store is packed full of all kinds of golf stuff.We r lucky to have a golf store like this in St Petersburg. read more

Don't go here absolute scam! I went in with my old set of taylor mades i had as a junior trying to trade them in. He said they had no value and then upsold me a new set of low range clubs for the retail price with no discount for trading a whole set in. Be careful if you go here read more

I've been stopping here fore 5 years buying various clubs, balls, gloves etc, however i dropped off 11 clubs to get re-gripped and the total cost was $275.00 my golf buddy had the same grips put on the following day at another golf shop and only paid $145.00, i had a feeling i was getting ripped off, and the grips were very slippery, this was the main reason why i needed them re-gripped, i will take them now to my friends shop where he had his done and have them re-gripped again, moral of this story is don't bring your clubs here to get re-gripped major rip off, looking at some of these reviews he only cares about making $$$$ read more

STAY AWAY. I'm a new golfer and needed a new putter. Clearly the owner Michael Nicholson could tell I was a novice and decided to sell me a putter that regularly retails for $40 for TWICE THE PRICE at $80. I didnt realize I had gotten scammed until I got home and checked it out myself. A small mark up is understandable, especially for a local store, but TWICE THE PRICE? And all this after him claiming in the store "WE HAVE THE CHEAPEST PRICES." No, Michael, you don't have the cheapest prices and you are the definition of a scammer. Why do this to a new golfer? For anyone wondering, the putter was a Silver Ray Ray Cook SR600 35", and right on their website it says it retails for $44.99, and can be found elsewhere for much cheaper. What a shame. read more

Great local small business with a nice selection at fair prices on balls, gloves and clubs.

Replaced the grip on my putter within a few minutes and did a great job. Looking around the store, he has a huge selection. I didn't buy anything else that day but will return when I am ready. read more

STAY AWAY! The owner of the store is completely interested only in his own profit line. First I needed a new driver shaft and he claimed I could only order one from him directly shipped from Taylor-made and it would've cost more than the whole driver itself. I took the same club to the PGA superstore and they threw a shaft in there no problem much cheaper. Second I'm relatively new to golf so I purchased some used irons from him played for about two months and came back to upgrade he didn't even give me 50% of what I paid for those clubs, on top of that he pressured me into purchasing a brand new set of game improvement irons that have the incorrect shaft for me. After explaining I swing my driver on average 115 to 120 mph and asking him if swing speed should require different shaft strengths, he answered no it doesn't matter and was quick to sell me regular flex irons. I owned the new irons for two weeks and sold them on eBay for half of what I bought them for because he said no returns. Will never be back. read more

Michael (the owner) was very friendly and helpful. I got sucked into playing a charity tournament for work and went to him asking for help! I dusted off my clubs and he gave me a quick lesson on stroke/technique. He is obviously passionate about the sport. If I ever decide to get back into the sport, I would not hesitate to come back! read more

I have never written a review for any business. So here it goes. Micheal is patient, great listener, informative, and a true golf professional. He assisted with a fair trade and subsequent purchase of a Honma driver and Mizuno 3 iron. While you may find some items less expensive elsewhere, if you are looking for a unique personal customer service experience, I highly recommend Michael and Southern Golf! read more

Michael was very patient and a real gentlemen , I did listen to his expert advice and bought the clubs he had recommended on a previous visit . I have since played and have noticed I improved my game wonderful thank you Michael! Michelle M. Montreal Canada read more

This is a great golf store that is locally run and been in business for over 30 years. The owner is even willing to price match. Highly recommend read more

This is the first review I've ever written on any site and for good reason. I purchased a set of irons 2 days ago from Michael at Southern Golf. First and foremost, everything in his store is over priced. There isn't an item on his shelf that you can't find online for much cheaper. Secondly, he told me a certain price for a set of irons one week, then when I came back to buy them the following week, he told me a completely different inflated price. Instead of admitting it, he decided to act as if it was a different set of irons from the week prior. I am not stupid. They were the same exact clubs, in the same exact condition, in the same exact location in his store. I guess that's why he doesn't put a price tag on most of his used clubs, so he can change prices like the wind. That's his right, I guess. After some lengthy negotiations, I ended up getting the price somewhat near what we had discussed the week prior, but still about $40 more. He told me if I paid cash that he wouldn't charge me tax and could give me a better deal. I left and drove to the ATM and came back and gave him the cash to purchase the irons. I also traded in my old irons, old bag and old putter towards the value of a used bag. Even though the trade in and resale value of my clubs, bag and putter far exceeded the price of the used bag, he still charged me $20. I of course decided to take the deal, so I am most certainly to blame on this particular transaction so no complaints here. The next day, I had a personal tragedy strike that is going to require every bit of money I have and then more. I had to re-evaluate my priorities and unfortunately had to return the clubs. I hadn't even swung them yet and they were in the exact same condition I purchased them two days prior. I called Michael and explained to him the situation and asked if I could return the clubs. I explained to him that it has nothing to do with the quality or price, I hadn't even hit them yet, and it was strictly based on this expensive, unexpected tragedy that I now have to dedicate all of my resources towards. Though Michael was sympathetic of the tragedy, he refused to refund me what I paid him in cash just 2 days prior. He stated he could give me store credit or could give me the trade in value of the clubs, which were less than half of what I had just paid 2 days prior. (note - even bad online retailers allow you to return clubs in 30 days for a full refund. This policy is ridiculous.) After extensive negotiation, explanation and attempting to appeal to his humanity, Michael "did me a favor" and agreed that he would give me some cash back, but not all. He initially wanted to give me over $100 less, but I told him that was unacceptable. He then made a "final offer" to give me $60 less than what I had just paid him. Keep in mind it hadn't even been two days since I purchased them, and these clubs were in the same exact condition as they were when I bought them. Considering the current situation that I am in, I accepted the deal because I realized he was not going to give me my money back in it's entirety. So in summary, I now have an iron-less bag and am out $60 because I decided to shop at Southern Golf. Michael had already shipped off the old clubs I had traded in to a guy who sells them at the flea market the same day, so I was unable to reclaim my previous set. The reason I am upset and chose to post here is not because $60 is going to make or break me. It's the principle of the matter. Michael at Southern Golf chose to be greedy instead of fair. He decided to lose a long time customer and create a ripple effect over $60 measly dollars. He apparently couldn't fathom being involved in a transaction where he wasn't the financial beneficiary. He wasn't interested in making the customer happy. It would have costed him nothing to make me happy, but he chose the other route. I'd suggest you do your homework if you're going to shop here. Know what you want and what the market value is for it. He does not put prices on most clubs and will try to take advantage of your lack of golf knowledge. He will not provide you a refund for anything. Had I shopped anywhere else, I would have been refunded in full. Not here. Not this guy. read more

This is an absolutely horrible golf store. Everything is over priced and nothing is quality. The owner tried to three times to get me to buy clubs and then continued to pressure me into buying gloves. The used club selection is better at Play It Again sports and the new clubs are a couple of models old still. I have no clue how they are still in business. read more