Building a Business Around Swings
After that visit, I started wondering whether adding sim bays could actually work for my place. I had no idea what equipment businesses use or how much space the setups need, so I went down a rabbit hole trying to understand what makes a commercial setup reliable enough for constant use and not just for hobby players.
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Yeah, I went through the same mess of questions when I decided to open a small training-focused facility last year. I figured I’d start with basic bays, but once I got into the planning, I learned fast that commercial use is a different beast. The biggest shock was realizing how much durability matters. My first hitting mat lasted maybe two months before looking like it had been attacked by wolves. After replacing it twice, I finally accepted that I needed to invest in the same kind of components busy entertainment-focused places use. Ventilation also surprised me—put ten people in a room swinging clubs and suddenly the whole bay feels like a sauna. Another thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to think about layout from the customer’s perspective. If your bays feel cramped or the projector is in a spot where someone can smack it with a club, people notice. When I was trying to piece together what a proper setup even looks like, I found myself referencing a Commercial golf simulator because it actually helped me understand what components make sense for heavy traffic and what configurations other facilities use. Not pushing anyone to buy anything—just saying it gave me a baseline so I didn’t build something customers would complain about. After adjusting the bay spacing, improving the lighting, and adding simple things like hooks for club bags and benches for people waiting their turn, the place finally felt like somewhere players wanted to stay longer instead of rushing through their sessions.