Golf HQ: A Custom Operations Portal for a Two-Store Retailer

Client: Golf HQ, golf retailer with stores in Takapuna and Silverdale
Services: Custom web application, ecommerce integration, booking systems, loyalty, ongoing development

The challenge

Golf HQ runs two physical stores, an online store on Shopify, and a Lightspeed (Vend) point-of-sale system - three systems that, out of the box, don't talk to each other. Running a modern retail business across all three meant staff doing manual work to keep stock, orders, gift cards, and loyalty points in sync, with plenty of room for costly mistakes.

Off-the-shelf tools could handle each piece in isolation. None of them could handle the business as a whole.

The solution

Rather than trying to force Shopify or Lightspeed to do things they weren't built for, we built a custom operations portal that sits across both systems - the single source of truth for the business, with Shopify and Lightspeed feeding into it rather than each other.

The portal now covers day-to-day operations end to end:

• Booking system for coaching, club fitting, and simulator sessions, with staff rosters and availability built in
• Bidirectional gift card sync between Shopify (online) and Lightspeed (in-store), so a card works the same wherever it's used
• Loyalty programme with tiers and points that update automatically from purchases across both channels
• Staff scheduling, timesheets, and leave management
• Supplier invoice processing, extracting line items from incoming invoices and matching them to products automatically
• In-store digital signage, driven by real booking data rather than a manual playlist

Why a custom build, not off-the-shelf software

None of this exists as a product you can buy. Retail businesses running two POS locations plus an online store plus in-store services are common - but the specific combination of systems, the specific gaps between them, and the specific way staff need to work is never quite the same twice. A custom-built portal means the software fits the business, not the other way around.

Results

Golf HQ now runs its stock, orders, bookings, staff, and loyalty programme from one system instead of three disconnected ones - with new functionality added continuously as the business's needs change.