Indoor Golf centre

[Mullan180]

Morning everyone, Right, I've had an idea and I'm wanting feedback to see if it's a good idea or not. So honesty would be appreciated. The idea, Opening a idea golf centre with 5 simulators, Pitching area of around 50 yards and big putting green. Obviously, all on artificial grass. Maybe have a little café inside. Just wondering if you think there is a market for this and just general feedback on the idea.

 

[User20205]

Sounds like big unit, quite an investment. Where would it be?

 

[Mullan180]

Oh year the important bit. It would be around the Bolton area. There are quite a few units available which could hold something of this size.

 

[User20205]

It may work. It would need to be in a major city. The indoor place nr me in Bournemouth closed down after about 2 years, that was based more around beers & a laugh rather than proper golf. I’d join somewhere in the winter like you outline, but you’d need to check with the northern fellas to sound them out. Be prepared for it to be quiet in the summer

 

[virtuocity]

There was a brilliant facility 5 mins from Glasgow city centre. Chipping green with bunker, putting green, large indoor range, GC2, seperate area with simulator, very qualified pro, cafe, Mizuno fitting service, guest instructors e.g. Aimpoint coming in, good prices and service- the full works. Now shut, despite being a brilliant place. It's just not a huge money maker.

 

[shortgame]

I went to one similar a few years ago near Shrewsbury. Middle of nowhere in an industrial unit. It had 4 or 5 simulators, indoor putting green, small cafe etc.

We quite enjoyed it but felt it wasn't really worth the money (£25/30 per hr).

It had some novelty appeal back then as there weren't many simulators around.

It was a useful way to have couple of hours practice in the middle of winter when courses were all frozen/closed.

Nowadays with ProTracers becoming ever more popular at driving ranges and with more and more clubs having their own indoor studios/simulators I'm not sure there's much market for it.

I'd also question whether it would be a viable business all year round.

Where about were you thinking?

There might be a market for it in an urban area (think there's already several around London etc) but then the overhead would be huge.

 

[Mullan180]

Yeah this would be more geared at proper golf. But like they say "it's grim up north" so weather could help. And if I had it on a membership discount arrangement, I could still have a steady revenue coming in even in the summer.

 

[User20205]

I’d look at doing a deal with local clubs. Some kind of dual membership option, but the key may also be to get non golfers to use it. ‘Get into golf’ etc etc.
Sounds like a big capital investment to get it off the ground

 

[Mullan180]

Yeah the cost is a major factor for me. £25/hr is just mad. I thought about doing it like a driving range. X amount for so many balls. Then charging per hr for pitching and putting, But keeping it low as possible. With being in the north overheads are expensive but not as expensive as the the south or certain parts of Scotland. In the north west I think there is only 1 like this and that's about 30 miles away. I like the sound of the dual membership. I was also thinking for classes for kids 5-10 years old and Saturday mornings. try and get them hooked.

 

[Capella]

I think you would need something to produce relatively constant revenue on top of the simulators. Because otherwise, your season is very limited. I think during the summer months, interest in an indoor golf centre is next to nil (except during a spell of really bad weather maybe).

Let's say you can charge 25 pounds an hour for a simulator (I doubt people would be willing to pay much more than that) and you are open 12 hrs a day from ten to ten, that means even if every simulator is booked at all available time slots (something I promise you is not going to happen for daytime during the workweek), that's 1250 pounds a day max. That might sound a lot, but it really isn't for a facility that big which willl need energy, maintenance, personell etc. on top of the actual rent (or mortgage payments if you bought the place). And as I said, that's the absolute best case scenario for a day where everything goes right. You will have other days where you struggle to make 50 or 100 bucks, escpecially in the beginning and during low season.

Not saying it cannot be done, but you have to really calculate this trough and either bring in a good financial cushion yourself to get you through dry spells, or you need to find partners/investors who will bring in their own kind of business as well: a large golf shop for example, a couple of teaching pros wth a good clientel who want to keep working on their game during winter season, combine it with a pool hall or a good pub/restaurant that people want to come to even without playing golf, something like that.

 

[Mullan180]

Cheers for that. Great feedback. obviously i'm looking at this through rose tinted glasses. Need to see it for all views.

 

[shortgame]

This is the place I'd used, worth a quick read as it's very similar to your idea:


https://www.golfshake.com/news/view/10554/Shrosbree_Golf_Shropshire_Coaching_Practise_Golf.html

 

[shortgame]

Sad to see that it looks to have gone bust though...

 

[Grant85]

Agree with the sentiment on this that it wouldn't necessarily be a big audience.

Keen golfers like to see their ball in the air and simulators just don't give you the same satisfaction for a good shot, or the instant feedback for a bad shot.

 

[Crazyface]

Nuts to that, open some Batting Cages (Baseball). I'd go to that !!!! It's brilliant !!!

 

[shortgame]

Agree with the sentiment on this that it wouldn't necessarily be a big audience.

Keen golfers like to see their ball in the air and simulators just don't give you the same satisfaction for a good shot, or the instant feedback for a bad shot.

Indeed this is where TopTracer (ProTracer) is gaining popularity and market share. Speaking just last week to another range owner who's looking to introduce it soon - the 2 local ranges who've introduced it are booming (though the licensing fees aren't cheap!).

It would kill indoor Sim centres who wouldn't be able to compete on price

 

[MendieGK]

Keen golfers like to see their ball in the air and simulators just don't give you the same satisfaction for a good shot, or the instant feedback for a bad shot.

Disagree with this, i'd take a simulator with my own balls over the driving range with crap balls 100% of the time

 

[MendieGK]

i know from experience that indoor facilities are dead in the summer because people are on the course playing.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Maybe not on the scale you are looking for, but we have this in Milton Keynes

https://www.proshotgolfclub.com/price-list

It's relatively new, but, we had a similar place pretty much the same a year or three back which didn't make it.

 

[jim8flog]

As an avid golfer

Choose between an indoor simulator or a real game of golf on a golf course, the latter gets my vote every time.

However I do live in a area where the weather conditions means that there are very few weeks when I cannot get out on a course.

Like a lot of courses these days we have a simulator room as well as the range so players have the option. It is owned and run by the club pro and it does have the advantage in that in can be used for initial club fitting.