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Golfsmith, a nationally-known golf and tennis retailer, opened its new 28,500 square foot Pleasanton superstore Friday morning to long lines of waiting customers searching for bargains and special prizes being offered during the store's grand-opening weekend.

The new store, at the site of the former Galaxy movie theater in the Rosewood Pavilion at Santa Rita Road and Rosewood Drive, replaces Golfsmith's store in Dublin, which is closing.

The new store features an indoor golf driving range with four tees where golfers can test its own brand-name clubs that the store sells and can also sign up for golf lessons at the pro shop a few feet away. At the other end of the store, there's a full-court tennis area with a full-service tennis department just outside the screened area where players can buy new equipment or have their rackets restrung.

On a tour through the new store just prior to today's opening, Adrian Gonzalez, Golfsmith's vice president, said the new Pleasanton facility will bring to the Bay Area the many features found in the retailer's superstores in other parts of the country that its smaller stores in Dublin, Fremont and Palo Alto could not provide.

"We got into the Bay Area by acquiring the Don Sherwood golf and tennis stores, so now we are combining those into this much larger store," he said. "Here in Pleasanton, we're in the heart of some really great golf courses and in a large marketing area for both golf and tennis."

Besides golf and tennis products, the store also features sports clothing and accessories. On opening day, the store will have 25 employees, including those transferred from the Dublin store.

Golfsmith International, Inc. was founded in 1967 and is headquartered on a 40-acre campus in Austin, Texas. Two years ago, Golfsmith made its Initial Public Offering (IPO) and today is traded under NASDAQ symbol GOLF. More information on the company and its products can be found on the company's website at www.golfsmith.com.

The building Golfsmith is now occupying was built three years ago to house Broyhill Home Collections, a nationally-known furniture maker and retailer. That company had demolished the Galaxy 8 Cinema in the Rose Pavilion after the movie theater property was acquired by Regal Cinema, which opened its larger IMAX theater complex in Dublin.

During the construction period, Broyhill, itself, was acquired by Furniture Brands International, which chose to cancel plans to open a Pleasanton location. The building has been empty since 2005.

- Jeb Bing

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