Making Use of Your Golf Simulator to Make Profits

An huge advantage with using a golf simulator in your business is..."the sun never sets on a simulator". Golf courses are always dependent upon the weather to cooperate and the day is finished when the sun finally dips under the horizon. This is not the way it is on a simulator. Schedules will be more consistent and total billable hours can be extended, while using a golf pro. You can stay open later into the night by using of a golf simulator. If your establishment offers refreshments, you can anticipate your customers will stick around longer, play an extra round, or get a few tips on their technique while in the meantime normal golf courses are closed.

The history behind golf simulators is important to know. Once used as a training tool, golf simulators were used by players as a convenient resource to receive advice and feedback on their swing. This same training aspect remains the underlying advantage to most golf simulators. Yet, today as software and sensor technology progresses and evolves, golf simulators are transforming into not only simply training devices, but sources of sports entertainment. An experience people are willing to purchase. The key element to driving customers to your golf simulator and thus greater revenues into your pocket is by knowing how to take advantage of its services.

Golfers are always competitive. A golf simulator can assist tremendously with this pursuit, by providing club fitting, swing analysis and year round indoor play. So you need to open your business to the people who are looking to enhance their game. The best way to do this is to work with or hire a golf pro. A professional can charge their client for time on the simulator and use of the sophisticated training tools provided on most golf simulators available to buy. Many golf pros are turned off by the simulators. They think it will steal their regular business clients. The truth is a golf simulator can help a golf pro better understand where the problem areas are with a client's game and in turn, make them a more effective teacher. At the same time this will allow golf pros to work year round and charge the same if not more money for an indoor session. Do you offer club fitting? With most golf simulators, a pro is given the feedback required to offer club fitting to your customers, thus increased sales to your shop.

Teaming with a golf pro is the easiest way to generate revenues on your golf simulator. I would recommend working with the pro to create programs which incorporate both indoor and outdoor lessons. Check with your local golf courses to see what golf pros are charging for lessons and use that information to price your packages competitively.

This is the element of your simulator which can drive profits through repeat business. Providing your customers a genuine entertaining experience will have them coming back for more (with the addition of their friends). Using your simulator to create entertainment is simple. From the comfort of your establishment, you are offering your customers the opportunity to play in the world's best golf courses. Golfers enjoy trying out new courses; a golf simulator gives them the ability to play a round in California, the next round in Mexico, or where ever they wish to play from your course library. By marketing this feature and creating a buzz for your business, you may also establish different leagues, tournaments and contests, such as "longest drive" and "closest to the pin."

All of these are easy ways to drive individuals and teams of players to your system. Again this is a fantastic way to lengthen your hours. Without all the walking, or riding carts, a two-some will play 18 holes of golf on a simulator in about an hour and fifteen minutes, so host a league night of eight players and you could have golfers at your establishment; eating, drinking, and playing golf, well into the late hours, if you choose.

I would suggest surveying your customers to see how much interest there is in specific events. If you currently run a summer league, I would roll that league into an indoor fall or winter league. Maybe your sponsors will offer prizes for a "closest to the pin" contest or to the winner team of a tournament. Market the idea of being able to play a different golf course every week and incorporate this into your leagues and tournaments. My advice is scheduling nine hole leagues that play no longer than eight weeks.

By creating a few simple programs and working with a golf pro, you can easily set up your golf simulator to start producing revenues for your business. One last piece of advice: Market your programs! Don't let your current customers forget about your system and catch the attention of potential customers! This will greatly heighten participation and customer awareness. This is simple advice and performance will vary on location, market competition and other factors. If you're looking for more advice or have questions about generating more profits through your golf simulator, feel free to contact me through my website.