Tom Stine, co-founded of the Florida-based Gold Datatech, a golf research firm, calls the company one of the top golf specialty stores in the country. "Customer service is at the heart of it, along with its remarkable variety and scope of products," he tells GSR. According to Stine, the privately held Golf Galaxy is among the top three chains of its kind in terms of sales, the others being Edwin Watts Golf (Florida) and Golfsmith International (Texas). Golf Galaxy's stores typically boast about 70 styles of golf shoes, nearly half of those for women.

But Golf Galaxies are far more than places to stock up on equipment. The interactive features of the store include large putting greens with artificial turf, golf simulators (electronic driving ranges for trying out clubs), and on-site club-repair services. Each store also has equipment called "ball-launch monitors," which take high-speed photos of golf balls leaving the club face, measuring the spin of the balls and its launch angle. These shots show which driver works best for the customer: no small thing when making a $400 or $500 investment in a driver.

Moreover, lessons are available at the stores. Each Golf Galaxy has at least one PGA or LPGA professional on staff who offers lessons and computer video swing analysis, and answers questions about equipment and club fitting. This year, according to Golf Galaxy, there were about 30,000 lessons give at its stores, which are collectively the fifth-largest employer of PGA pros anywhere, the company officials say.