How to Start a Golf Simulator Business

1. Is a golf simulator business viable?

The short answer is yes — but only if the numbers work for your specific location and setup.

A single simulator bay typically rents for £20–£50 per hour depending on location, time of day and the quality of the experience. At the lower end of that range, a bay generating eight paid hours on a weekday and twelve on a Saturday and Sunday could bring in around £2,200 a week at 100% occupancy. In practice, new venues often run at 40–60% occupancy in the first few months, which makes early-stage cash flow tight — but occupancy tends to build steadily as the business becomes known locally.

The strongest simulator businesses tend to have a few things in common: they are easy to find and book, they offer a genuinely good playing experience, and they are priced to attract regular use rather than just one-off visits. Memberships, corporate bookings and golf leagues all help to build a more predictable revenue base on top of casual bookings.

2. Startup costs

Startup costs vary considerably depending on how many bays you are installing, the quality of hardware, whether you are fitting out a bare space or taking on an existing venue, and whether you own or lease the premises.

As a rough guide, you should budget for the following:

A stripped-back single-bay setup in a low-cost space could be launched for under £20,000 if you are handy with a power tool. A polished two-bay venue in a town-centre commercial unit with quality hardware is more likely to cost £80,000–£150,000 or more before you open the doors.

Do not underestimate working capital. Many simulator businesses struggle not because the concept fails but because they run out of cash while building up occupancy. Budget for at least three months of fixed costs — rent, utilities, software subscriptions and insurance — before the business is breaking even.

3. Choosing your premises

The premises decision affects almost every other part of your business: your costs, your customer base, your opening hours and your ability to run unmanned. Get it right and it makes everything easier.

Space requirements

A single simulator bay needs a minimum of around 4–5 metres in length and 3–4 metres in width to be comfortable, with ceiling height of at least 2.7 metres — ideally 3 metres or more. Taller players and those with a steep swing can struggle in lower spaces. Build in additional space for screens, projectors and any seating or viewing areas.

Location

Unlike a driving range or pitch-and-putt, golf simulators do not need to be near a golf course. Industrial units, town-centre retail space and leisure complexes all work well. Parking is often more important than footfall — most customers will drive to you. A venue that is easy to find on Google Maps, has clear signage and straightforward parking tends to convert more first-time visitors into regulars.

Planning and permitted use

Check the planning use class of any premises before committing to a lease. Leisure and entertainment uses typically fall under Class E or Sui Generis depending on the specifics. If you are converting a retail or office unit, you may need change-of-use consent. Get this confirmed in writing before signing anything.

4. Single bay vs multi-bay

Starting with a single bay is lower risk and often the right call for a first-time operator. It keeps startup costs down, simplifies operations and lets you test pricing and demand before committing to more hardware and space.

The downside is that a single bay has a fixed revenue ceiling. If you max out at, say, £35 per hour and manage to sell twelve hours a day, you are looking at around £15,000 per month gross before costs — which leaves limited headroom once you account for rent, utilities, software, insurance and your own time.

Multi-bay venues spread fixed costs across more revenue-generating space and unlock additional services like competitive golf leagues, corporate hire and group coaching. They also require more capital, more management and a larger customer base to fill.

A common approach is to start with one or two bays, build up occupancy, and expand once demand justifies it — assuming the premises allow for it.

5. Choosing simulator hardware

Simulator hardware sits on a broad spectrum from entry-level camera-based systems to high-end launch monitors used by Tour professionals. The right choice depends on your budget, your target market and how much accuracy matters to your customers.

Launch monitors vs camera-based systems

Launch monitors (such as those made by Trackman, Foresight Sports, Uneekor and Full Swing) measure ball and club data using radar or high-speed cameras and are generally considered more accurate. They tend to cost more but produce better data for coaching purposes and attract golfers who care about shot analysis.

Camera-based infrared systems (Skytrak, Garmin Approach, and many others) offer solid performance at a lower price point and are a reasonable starting point for most commercial venues where the primary use is playing rounds rather than detailed coaching.

Simulation software

The software is what your customers will actually interact with. E6 Connect, GSPro and TGC Tours are among the most popular options for commercial use, offering large course libraries and competitive play features. Some hardware is locked to specific software; others support multiple platforms. Check software licensing costs and whether multi-player or remote play features are included — these matter for group bookings and leagues.

Projection and screen

A short-throw projector and impact screen are standard. Screen quality and projector brightness affect how the experience feels. Budget at least £500–£1,500 for a decent screen; better setups spend considerably more. The screen will take significant impact over time — build replacement costs into your long-term budget.

6. Staffed vs unmanned venues

One of the biggest decisions for a small simulator venue is whether to staff it or run it unmanned. Both approaches can work — the right answer depends on your hours, your location and how much you want to be involved day-to-day.

Staffed venues

Having someone on-site allows you to handle walk-ins, run the bar if you have one, deal with hardware issues and provide a more guided customer experience. It also adds significant cost — staffing a venue for twelve or fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, requires multiple people and quickly becomes expensive. For multi-bay venues or those with a bar and food offering, staff often make sense commercially. For a single-bay venue operating in evenings and at weekends, the maths rarely work.

Unmanned venues

An unmanned simulator removes the need for staff entirely by automating the customer journey. A customer books online, pays at the time of booking, and receives a unique access code ahead of their session. They arrive, enter the code to unlock the door, play their session and leave. The access code expires automatically when the booking ends.

This is already how businesses like Proper Golf in Leek operate. Customers book through the website, receive their code, and turn up to play without anyone needing to be there to let them in. It significantly reduces staffing costs and makes extended opening hours — including early mornings and late evenings — commercially viable.

A booking platform like Golf Sim Pro can handle the entire flow: customer books, payment is taken, confirmation is sent, and a unique door code is issued ahead of their session — all without any manual involvement from you.

7. Pricing your simulator sessions

Pricing affects how busy you will be as much as it affects how much you earn per booking. Price too high and your bays sit empty; price too low and you are busy but struggling to cover costs.

Most simulator venues charge by the hour, though per-session and per-person pricing models both work depending on your target market. Here is how different pricing levels might affect a single-bay venue:

In most UK towns, £25–£35 per hour is a reasonable starting point. In London or city centres with higher footfall and higher operating costs, £45–£60 per hour is common.

Peak and off-peak pricing

Consider charging more at evenings and weekends (when demand is highest) and less during weekday daytimes. This encourages usage during quieter periods and helps spread demand across the week. A venue charging £25 off-peak and £35 peak may find it easier to build consistent occupancy than one with flat-rate pricing.

Memberships

Monthly memberships give your most loyal customers a reason to commit and provide you with predictable recurring revenue. A typical membership might offer a set number of hours per month at a discounted rate — for example, eight hours per month for £120, versus the standard pay-as-you-go rate of £180 for the same hours. The discount rewards loyalty while the upfront commitment reduces your revenue risk.

8. Taking bookings and payments

Taking bookings by phone or message is not a viable long-term strategy. It creates unnecessary admin, makes it hard to manage availability, and puts customers off if they cannot book at the moment they decide to play.

At minimum you need a system that lets customers:

• See your real-time availability
• Choose a date and time slot
• Pay at the point of booking
• Receive an automatic confirmation
• Cancel or reschedule if needed

A system that handles cancellations automatically — issuing refunds according to your policy without requiring you to intervene — saves significant time and avoids disputes. No-shows are also significantly reduced when payment is required upfront.

If you are running unmanned, your booking system also needs to generate and send a unique door access code to the customer before their session. Golf Sim Pro is built specifically for golf simulator venues and handles all of this — including access code management, membership packages, gift vouchers and custom booking slots — as part of a single system. You can view our pricing here or arrange a call if you want to talk through your setup.

9. Marketing your opening

Most golf simulator customers come from the local area. Before your doors open, focus your marketing effort on being visible to people searching locally — not on building a large social media following.

Google Business Profile

Set up a Google Business Profile as early as possible and keep it updated. When someone searches “golf simulator near me” or “indoor golf [town name]”, your Business Profile is often the first result they see. Add photos, your opening hours, a link to your booking page and a clear description of what you offer.

Local golf clubs and societies

Reach out to local golf clubs, societies and leagues before you open. Offer a free introductory session or a discounted group booking for committee members. Golfers talk to other golfers — getting a few influential local players to try your simulator before launch can generate significant word-of-mouth.

Social media

Short videos of the simulator in action perform well on Instagram and Facebook. Post the view from inside the bay, shots from different angles, and the scoring screen after a round. People want to understand what they are booking before they commit — give them a genuine feel for the experience.

Your website

Your website should do one thing clearly: help someone decide to book and make it easy to do so. Availability and pricing should be front and centre. A separate booking page that loads quickly and works on mobile is non-negotiable — most customers will be checking on their phone.

10. Pre-launch checklist

Before you open, work through this list. None of it is complicated, but missing something early can create problems that take time to unwind.

• ✓Lease signed and planning/use class confirmed
• ✓Simulator hardware ordered and delivery date confirmed
• ✓Room build-out completed and tested
• ✓Smart lock or access system installed and tested (if unmanned)
• ✓Website live with booking and payment enabled
• ✓Cancellation policy and refund rules set
• ✓Pricing and slot lengths confirmed in your booking system
• ✓Automated confirmation emails tested end-to-end
• ✓Access code flow tested from booking through to door entry
• ✓Business insurance in place
• ✓Google Business Profile created and verified
• ✓Local golf clubs and societies contacted
• ✓Social media accounts created with opening content ready
• ✓Working capital confirmed — at least 3 months of fixed costs