Golf Gear Direct are an online golf equipment retailing arm of Medway Golf Centre Ltd.
This, our parent company, was formed in 1991 by Brothers Paul and Nigel Street who opened their first physical store in Rainham, Kent on the 30th October 1992.
In the pre-internet days, the store was aptly named Medway Golf Centre, being located within the boundary of the Medway Towns in Kent.
In the face of stiff competition from a local well established driving range retail shop the newly created 'High Street' golf store thrived, quickly building a reputation of quality and fairness combined with excellent customer service standards. 1992 was early in the days of the High Street boom of golf retail where the industry experienced a seismic shift from it's traditional base of on course golf shops so, Medway' were well placed to experience growth.
Subsequently the company expanded into golf course management with our first additional venture being the management of the golf services at Cobtree Manor Park Golf Course on behalf of Maidstone Borough Council. Medway Golf Centre Ltd further expanded into management of and supply to, a number of on course retail outlets amongst whom include: Gillingham Golf Club, Sittingbourne Golf Club, Moatlands Golf Club, Hilden Golf Centre and the Weald of Kent Golf Course.
Early in the 2000's it was clear that online retailing was about to eat into the High Street business so the company created the Golfgeardirect brand name. The website commenced trading in 2003 so at the time of writing we have been online for over 20 years. The company subsequently changed the name of the High Street store in Rainham, Kent to that of Golf Gear Direct to reflect it's growing online presence.
The company then purchased www.ladiesgolf.co.uk to provide us with a more focussed, niche website. Having operated this for 10 years we sold this during 'Covid Lockdown' to raise some much needed funds at the time!
Golf Gear Direct are also proud to part of the Euroselect Group which is an affiliation of 20 leading golf retailers who combine their expertise to enhance the range of products and levels of service they offer to their respective customers.
We are a well respected company within the golf industry stocking all leading brands including: Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, Mizuno, Ping, FootJoy, Wilson, Cobra and Adidas to name but a few of our 70 manufacturer suppliers.
At our Headquarters in Headcorn Kent, we offer a full custom fitting service for all leading brands of golf clubs and we have a stylish showroom where customers can collect goods in person or browse our selection of goods in person. It's also possible to book a club fitting session online.
Our Team genuinely contains some of the most experienced staff within the golf retail industry and you will read below the huge number of years experience we boast. So if it's knowledgeable advice and help you desire then there's no better place to call or visit than Golf Gear Direct.
I am the operational Director of the business and worked for the first few years on the shop floor at the original Rainham store, before my other business commitments conspired to deprive me of the time required to serve the public face to face. I have played golf for 50 years (yes 50) and my first victory was the Junior Championship at Sittingbourne Golf Club, Kent in 1975! (yes 1975)
After becoming an accomplished junior golfer in my Youth it was anticipated that I would become an Assistant Golf Professional, however upon leaving school I decided to go into the construction industry following in the footsteps of my Father and Grandfather.
Subsequently I returned to play golf full time for a few years between spells of working in construction and building up our company, before fully deciding to move into golf retail in 1991 by opening our first store in Rainham. Kent.
I am a 50% shareholder in the company partnering with my Brother Paul and act in a silent capacity owing to my responsibilities running our Estates Management Company in Berkshire and London.
I was a talented golfer in my youth before quitting the game for a while to concentrate on Cricket. Subsequently I returned to golf upon retiring from Cricket.
I am the PA to the Managing Director, Paul Street. I take care of all accounting functions, salary payments and the day to day administration of Medway Golf Centre Ltd (the parent company of Golf Gear Direct)
I commenced work here in October 1999 on a part time basis whilst my son was at school. Over the 24 years my hours and role have extended and I now have a very varied day to day working life which I love. A common expression used in my office is 'as you know I love a spreadsheet!'
Although not a golfer myself, having worked with all these avid golfers for so many years I have witnessed first hand the joys and despair that a round of golf can bring! The eternal striving for that perfect shot / round of golf that will stay in a players memory forever and I know my colleagues strive to make sure you have the right golf equipment to help you enjoy your game and become a regular customer too.
I am the General Manager here at Golf Gear Direct. I began working for the company in 1998 after leaving college where I achieved a diploma in Sports Science. Throughout my 25 years of employment I have held a variety of roles, starting out as a customer service representative at our former high street superstore and in the professional shops at Cobtree Manor Park Golf Course and Gillingham Golf Club.
In 2002 I was promoted to Assistant Retail Manager at our high street store where I worked until 2006, when I made the move to the position of Director of Golf at the Weald of Kent Golf Course (where the golf course and hotel operation is run and maintained by our sister company).
In 2010, after a successful spell in my Director of Golf role, I made the switch back to retail and took up the position as General Manager of Golf Gear Direct. It's a position that I thoroughly enjoy as I am privileged enough to work daily within an industry that is a huge passion of mine.
I am the Golf Gear Direct Performance Fitting Centre & Showroom Manager. I have worked for the company for over 27 years. Starting when I was 21 as a Trainee Retail Manager at the Rainham High Street store, I soon progressed to become the General Manager.
After 30 successfull years in Rainham we decided to close the store during 'lockdown' so I relocated to our Head Office/Distribution Centre in Headcorn. where we further developed the Performance Fitting Centre.
I have focussed my specialist skills upon club fitting, training with the many of the best fitters & club designers in the golf industry, across all the major golf manufacturers. This includes regular online updates and in-person training days. There is genuinely very few club fitters in the country with as much experience as I have.
I pride myself on my ability to engage with our clients making them feel at ease during their time at the fitting centre, and as a keen amateur golfer playing off of 3 handicap, there is nothing I enjoy more than helping golfers achieve the best results they can through my knowledge of golf club technology and fitting.
I am truly one of the lucky ones in life who actually loves what I do for a living. We are an international sized company yet remain as 'family' run business and I am proud to say we retained the moral standards that Paul Street, who formed the company. To give the best selection of products at competitive prices with incomparable customer service levels.
I manage the technical aspects of the Golf Gear Direct website and omnichannels. I joined the Medway Golf Centre team fulltime back in 2002 after doing my work experience in 2001. Originally joining as a shop assistant, I soon became website development manager in 2006.
My main passions are with the design side of my role. Product loading, content creation, website design and video editing are just a few of my daily tasks. When joining the company I completed a qualification in retail customer service. Learning the importance of high level customer service comes from our high street background and I've made sure this high level has been applied to all our online channels.
My claim to fame in golf was winning the 2007 Queen Mothers Cup in Portugal, an event in which over 10,000 golfers entered from across Europe.
I have been here in my role as a Customer Services Manager at GolfGearDirect for coming up to 10 years now and it is my job to make sure you have a seamless and enjoyable experience purchasing your new equipment with us.
I have extensive experience in the golf industry of over 25 years, having worked in a variety of roles at venues both in the Uk and around the world, including, Chateau Elan in Georga USA, Adare Manor in Co. Limerick, Ireland and Keperra Country Golf Club in Queensland Australia.
If you need any assistance, have a question that needs answering, or just want to let me know how good your new clubs are, feel free to give me a call on 01622 891675
I am one of the Customer Services Representatives. I'm responsible for a variety of roles within Golf Gear Direct making sure the highest level of customer service is offered to all of our customers. I joined the team in 2022 having worked in the Golf Industry for 9 years previously. I have wide product knowledge, in particular relating to the Electric Golf Trolley Market in addition to my extensive knowledge of the brands stocked here Golf Gear Direct through my experience in the industry.
I work closely with Ian Henderson our Head of Custom Fit, to offer Custom Fit appointments whether it be for Irons, Woods or Wedges when Ian is away from the business. I am a keen amateur golfer and also a very keen village cricketer.
I work as the Digital Marketer at Golf Gear Direct, where my primary responsibilities revolve around creating our marketing emails and producing content for social media posts.
My journey with the Medway Golf Centre began in 2019 when I joined the company as an apprentice. Throughout this period, I worked at Golf Gear Direct, whilst still persuing my Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. Having successfully completed the program, I now work at Golf Gear Direct fulltime.
My leading passions are with social media content and email marketing, but I do also help out with Product loading, Google Search Engine Optimisation, as well as contributing to website management.
