Indoor Golf is becoming ever popular in the UK and more and more indoor golf facilities are appearing. If you’re looking to open a facility with golf simulators then its critical to look at all aspects of the business as many areas can get overlooked. Leaving out the basics, we’ll take a look at some of the key areas that are often overlooked and may help you make a decision on the golf simulator and hopefully these key points may help you with your business venture. We’ll also discuss why we believe Trackman offers so much more in commercial environments.

Tracking Device:

As a Trackman specialist we are going to be biased in this area but we’ll focus on the key points that makes a difference. A ceiling mounted launch monitor is a very good choice. This would enable central ball position in a wide enough bay so right and left handed shots would be tracked from the one tracking device. Main calibration is done at installation so once its done there’s no worrying about alignment and calibration. Trackman self calibrates every time you turn on the system which is a benefit in case anything has moved physically in your setup so means accurate data every single day. You’ll also need to consider whether the system needs marked golf balls and/or stickers on the golf club for club data. These elements can change not only your upfront costs but also ongoing costs. You also have to consider what your hirers will expect/want. Will they want to put stickers on their clubs? Will they want to be limited to one type of golf ball only.

There are many tracking devices on the market and many today do hold good accuracy levels, no doubt about it. But it’s not just about the hardware itself as we’ll see.

Software

One of the keys areas is the software. Think about the customers paying their money. The software is what they are seeing and interacting with so it’s critical that it fits the bill. Firstly the user interface is very important for the golf simulator. It needs to be logical and simple to use for tech experts through to complete novices. This isn’t about golf ability but tech useability. You want your customers to feel confident when using the golf simulator. This will result in them coming back. We highly recommend purchasing a launch monitor where the golf simulator hardware manufacturer also produces the software. You need stability and reliability so having the one manufacturer controlling both aspects means a much more seamless experience.

With trackman we also run multi monitor options within the bay. This is because trackman software has an extended screen option where you can display more data information on different screens. This is an amazing feature to see specific data away from the course graphics on the main impact screen and clear and concise data means repeat bookings.

Whilst some golf simulator launch monitors have the ability to integrate third party simulation software which seems a big advantage, its also worth considering its two big disadvantages. If you’ve purchased hardware based on using a third party software and that software company goes under you could be left high and dry. Its something that gets overlooked but could result in a huge problem and significant costs to replace the software or have to change to a different hardware. We urge customers to never under estimate this. The second issue is support. If you have a support issue, who’s problem actually is it? Who do you contact? Is it the hardware company or the software company? We have seen many instances over the years where each would blame the other and this can mean major downtime whilst the issue gets resolved.

Support

In a commercial Golf Simulator environment you have to think what happens if you have a problem. As mentioned above, having one manufacturer that supplies both hardware and software is an advantage if something goes wrong. Trackman offer phone support free of charge all year round and out of hours. Having someone you can phone who will be able to remote in and solve your issue quickly and efficiently is critical to keep your business operating. Trackman are the leaders when it comes to support and this was one of the main reasons that Golf Tech decided to go trackman only. Home users may not worry about this so much when buying a system but it something that should never be overlooked in a golf simulator commercial facility. Golf Tech also offer a chargeable remote support service. The remote software we use is very sophisticated and means that we can understand more about the system and why there maybe an issue. Built into this is a monitoring software which keeps an eye on all aspects of the pc. This helps us see potential issues early and also assist in diagnosing golf simulator issues

Wear & Tear

Buying the golf simulator is just the beginning of your costs. Don’t fall under the illusion that you’ve spent out a lot of money and that should be it. There are three fundamental wear areas within the golf simulator. Where you are standing, where you are hitting and the impact screen. Wear will depend on many aspects and its impossible to put a time frame on any of these areas. We always say think of it as a set of tyres on your car, Drive on the motorway and you’ll get plenty of use. Drive around Silverstone and you’ll soon be replacing them. Trainers as opposed to golf shoes may well help in the stance area. Its important to remember with most golf simulators you’re in a much more controlled space say compared to a using a driving range mat. So that wear will come faster.

The hitting turf is also important. We use Huxley golf for our tee turf due to the quality. There are many tee turfs on the market to choose from. All will look like they’ve worn very quickly but in a good tee turf this is normally the colour that is fading out of the fibres rather than its completely worn. Appearances can be deceiving but expect the turf to compact down quite quickly.

The impact screen is a specific material to absorb the golf shot and also take a projected image well. We’re always testing new materials but the Golf Tech Ultra Impact screen is still the best material we have used over several years. It kills the ball well and the projected image looks really sharp, especially if using a 4K projector. Now lets talk about what many don’t know. When you first get your simulator screen it’ll be perfect if fitted correctly. However when balls hit the screen they will leave grey dull marks. This is perfectly normal and these are actually burn marks. The ball is spinning at high RPM’s and when it hits the material the friction will leave this burn mark, You’ll notice this significantly when the projector is turned off, less so when the projector is on. Also its critical not to use golf balls that have secondary logos or sharpie marks on them. Both are on the top layer of the golf ball so will instantly rub off on your impact screen leaving coloured marks. Its important to use clean balls and clean clubs as otherwise both will ruin a impact screen quicker than expected. Cracked or scuffed balls will also eat a golf simulator impact screen quickly so ball management is critical.

Creasing is also inevitable on any impact screen. Hitting off centre will put more load into one side of the screen and cause more creasing. We’ve talked about central ball position with a ceiling launch monitor but its also much more preferred to be hitting into the centre of a golf impact screen so the screen material is working evenly over its span to absorb the shot.

Finally wall panels are a key area to consider. Some golf simulator companies favour acoustic foam as it is a cheap option. The downside is they will split on impact so they can look tatty very quickly and you’ll need to replace them quite often. We favour upholstered wall panels. Whilst they are considerably more expensive they are built to last. Golf Tech only use a specific material with a very high rub count. This ensures the panels will last well. Ultimately a decision has to be made here which option suits you better.

24/7 Access

Many don’t realise that Trackman can integrate with a door entry system and also an online booking system with www.yourgolfbooking.com

If you’re thinking of staffing your facility during specific hours, why not have this system implemented so members for example can access out of hours. Customers can book online and will receive a one time door entry code and a second code to unlock the golf simulator. Golf Tech have already been involved in assisting with unmanned golf simulator facilities and they’re proving to be popular and more profitable. Again the initial decision on which launch monitor can have so many knock on effects and this is why its critical to understand all elements. Golf Tech’s Trackman showroom in Abingdon, Oxfordshire has the door entry system on display so we can show you the system fully working. We are also official installers of the door entry system.

Repeat bookings

They key to any golf simulator business is repeat bookings. What makes customers come back. Trackman have so many advantages over other systems on the market so its important to understand them all.

Trackman App:  The only system that has an app for players to be able to recap on their data from their hire session. If players can analyse when they get home and see their good/bad shots they’re more likely to rebook. The app also holds players information so you sign into the Trackman golf simulator with an on screen QR code. This makes player profiles much easier and saves time on setup meaning more playing time. Finally the app allows players to find a trackman facility and book a hire session. Simplicity is key and the trackman app has a major advantage here over any other system on the market.

Trackman Portal: Again another key area that many don’t know about. When buying a Trackman commercial device you have access to the portal.  Golf Tech will help go through the portal with you to help you understand the back end. There are numerous elements to this but a couple of key areas for us are analytics and tournaments.

Analytics are key to any business. The portal lets you see when the simulator is busy and even what areas of the software are being used. For example if you can see that Tuesday mornings are a quieter time for your facility then its easy to put out a promo for that time period to help bookings. Without analytics its impossible to understand your hire periods and how to successfully run the golf simulator efficiently,

Tournaments are another key area. You can create your own tournaments for all your bays easily from the back end. From nearest the pin to stableford events its all very simple to implement. You can even charge for tournaments for an added revenue stream.

Final Thoughts:

That’s just a few key areas of a commercial golf simulator business has to consider. Believe us there are many more. Trackman certainly in our eyes is the device that is critical for a successful business. The brand alone has a Signiant effect on bookings. But its the rest of the simulator build which is often overlooked which is just as important. We take this very seriously at Golf Tech and its this attention to detail that makes the difference from a good facility to an outstanding facility.

If you’re looking for the latter then booking an appointment at our Oxfordshire showroom is imperative to your business. You’ll soon see why so many clients decide to opt for Golf Tech Systems as their preferred Golf simulator company as we go much further and beyond with helping you with your project.