I've decided to share a few sections of our free indoor golf business plan to help you decide whether or not to go for the download.  I've shared our executive summary and SWOT Analysis to give you a good sense of what our free business plan covers (click to get the plan).

Running an indoor golf business involves creating a facility where golfers play rounds on a golf simulator that projects an image of a course and uses sophisticated sensors to depict the real shot in a virtual environment. There are many of these businesses existence, and success turns on 4 basic items:

• Managing start up costs
• Keeping simulators fully rented
• Add on revenues from food and beverage, merchandise or lessons
• Controlling operational costs

This business plan will address each of these four items and a bit more.

The GolfPlex (working name) is a high end facility incorporated in City, State designed to provide entertainment via high definition full swing simulation golf. The golfing entertainment will be complimented with good food, beverage, golf merchandise and attractive surroundings. 

Our goal is to provide the (City) golfer, and eventually golfers across the US, with an enticing alternative to outdoor golf when time, weather or proximity prohibit traditional play. We provide a realistic golf experience in a comfortable environment, turning the local golf season from 180(?) days to 365 days per year.

Each of our (6) state-of-the-art golf simulator units will be linked to allow competition and record keeping. Customers will be given the option to register a user name with the center and keep track of their scores, see how they stack up with other users of the system, and track their performance throughout the year. Game software will also allow for tournaments to be played with real time scoring and statistical breakdowns of the entire field. It will give customers a quantifiable depiction of their golf game and will allow them to improve their skills. 

A group of four can play 18 holes in about 2 hours on a wide variety of courses for only about $25 per player. Compare this to a 4-5 hour round on a local golf course that can cost anywhere from $45-$90 per player depending on where you play.

SWOT Analysis
Strengths – A key strength is in the product delivered by HD GolfPlex. Our simulators are top of the line and provide a realistic golfing experience with very accurate shot simulation. Our facility is also a key strength in that it is high end and provides key amenities local patrons seek in both golf and entertainment. Our staff is friendly and helpful. A final strength is in developing a strategic plan focused on customer centric operations and an information-based marketing strategy. There are a number of golfer oriented marketing databases we can leverage while we build our own data.

Weaknesses - A main challenge will be scheduling to keep the center full. Weekday business hours and weekend days with great weather are likely to be off-times for the business and show a lower utilization. Leagues, corporate events, and other creative ideas and activities will be critical to keep the place full all day, every day. Our other weakness is the technological complexity of the simulators. We’ll be reliant on the manufacturer for service or will have to develop in house technical talent for maintenance and repair of the simulator units. 

Opportunities – One opportunity is to partner with local golf courses and clubs to offer offseason memberships. Merchandise sales and club fitting is another opportunity – we could leverage local distributor reps to do demo days, have demo and fitting sets on site and offer extended fitting and playability sessions. The simulator units also have the capability to display advertising, but feedback from the vendor indicates this is best used for in store promotional activity versus seeking ad revenue. A final opportunity would be in the hiring of or partnering with PGA trained teachers to provide lessons and coaching for clients. Research so far indicates that teachers keep lesson fees, so this would just be a strategy to keep the simulators running. One other idea is to focus more on video game or private sporting party clientele in the golf offseason as the projectors can be attached to a receiver to show TV or video games. Could target alumni groups to show / host their football games.

Threats – The main threats are competition or issues with the simulator manufacturers. Competition could be from other similar businesses or Sports Bars as they could add a simulator. There are (number) of Indoor Golf facilities in the area so far. The closest is (#) minutes away. Competition from Sports Bars is a possibility as is competition from golf retailers like Dicks or Golf Galaxy, both of which have a single simulator for club testing.


Get our plan here - http://www.yardstickgolf.com

What do indoor golfers want?

The Indoor Golf Player Preference StudyYardstick Golf recently completed a survey of indoor golfers to understand their preferences and find out more about what might make their experience more enjoyable or more frequent. This paper shares what we found and how you might use the information.

The study is 5 pages covering how factors such as a player's handicap drive differences in how they think about indoor golf, how frequently they'll play, whether they'll recommend to a friend and more.  The preferences study is free with your purchase.


Here is a quick insight from the research we're giving away for free:  golfers rating beverage choice and quality as excellent at the facility they most visited spent 2x the average respondent in the survey.  Might be time to revisit your beverage selection.


Get the Indoor Player Preference Study for free in June when you purchase our Indoor Golf Study and Start up model here http://www.yardstickgolf.com/indoor-golf-study-promo.html - 

Give me a sign!!!

I continue to be dumbfounded as to why new businesses going in around my town so seldom put up a sign very early to say what the establishment is going to be.  The ones that do put signs up create all sorts of buzz about coming to town, and many end up getting a big following and seem to do quite well. 

When businesses do put up a sign, it's usually a tiny little sign that you have to get really close to read, or it only has a business name.  It should be a big banner that is plain and easy to see with information on what your business will be.  Why not?  The cost is a drop in the bucket compared to the construction and your ongoing marketing costs.  Everyone's eyes are drawn toward construction sites.  Everyone's immediate question when they see construction is "Oh, I wonder what is going there".  It becomes a conversation piece that people tell their friends about.

Granted, you might be so busy with so many things going on to open your store that you don't think about getting a sign up, but that would be a mistake.  Get a big sign up early and get up a website - even if it is only a coming soon website.  You can start collecting names for marketing use later.  You can do something simple like give us your email and we'll send you a special grand opening invitation or offer.  I've seen construction take many months to get some places open - this is very inexpensive advertising that creates anticipation for you to open. 

See more at: http://www.yardstickgolf.com/blog#sthash.H6k2Cdqr.dpuf

Improve your indoor golf business offseason now

If you own or run an indoor golf center, you are probably in the swing of your peak season and that is great.  There are probably lots of golfers and all your simulators are seeing lots of action.  But we all know when the weather improves, many of those customers will head outside to play. The good news is that you can take action now that will greatly improve your business in the slower season - that action is getting these players to provide you with an email address.

I know most of you are probably thinking email is dead and that social media is the way to go, but that thinking is wrong.  Ignoring email as a way to connect with your customers is a perilous choice.  Here are a few facts to consider:

• 91% of consumers check their email every day
• 72% of consumers check their email 6 or more times a day
• In an article by Advertising Age, a study of 1,400 U.S consumers, 42% said they prefer to receive ads for sales and specials via email
• 44% of consumers made a purchase based on an email offer
• Per Experian (a credit bureau), for every $1 spend on email, the average return is $44.25

Do I have your attention yet?  Cultivating a robust email list is essential to driving traffic to your facility.  What better time to collect email than when you have folks in your golf center.  Make collecting email part of every conversation, ask for it at the time of payment, offer giveaways for business cards, collect it on your website in return for a coupon . . .you get the point.

One awesome tool I've used to help me collect nearly 1,000 emails and quadruple my Facebook likes is JustUno.  The have an awesome set of case studies on how business are using their tools to increase subscribers, likes and followers:

67% Sales Increase with Justuno - Case Study

Do you have any great ideas on how you get email? Have a reaction to the article?  Please comment!!

- See more at: http://www.yardstickgolf.com/blog#sthash.H6k2Cdqr.dpuf

Groups improve local marketing efforts

One of the most important things you can do for your golf center is to develop strong and profitable local marketing strategies.  There are countless ways to do this and I've reviewed a couple in previous posts about fun budgets and college partnerships.  

Another way to develop traffic locally is to work with groups in your area. Quite often, many groups will need a place to meet or things to do with their members.

Research your area to determine which groups are the most active and have membership that is likely to be interested in golf.   Once you find these groups, craft an offer that suits their needs. For instance, a business networking group might need space and a screen for projection and want to meet early.  You can use these offers to tap into new customer groups and drive traffic at your store during a time when you are slow.   

Here are a few ideas with thought starters on unique offers you could make to some of these groups:

Networking Groups – I mentioned these above.  These are typically business people looking to meet others in their industry.  They often need venues where they can meet before work to socialize and connect.  
Senior Groups – This is often a group who has flexibility in the time of their outings, so you can focus here to drive traffic when you are slow,  You may target very active senior groups with offers that either give free tips and pointers, or with ones that provide a meal.  If you think about senior centers, you may want to offer transportation.
Kids Groups – I'm talking about groups such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and YMCA “Guides” groups.  As a dad of several of these, I was often looking for new activities to entertain and educate the kids.  
Civic Groups - By civic groups, I am referring to membership organizations that are active in the community.  Offering your facility for a fundraiser will help get you free PR as these organizations publicize their event at your location.
Church Groups - This is often a very large group and can be a diverse bunch.  Creating awareness with these groups is key.
Sales people offering a free seminar. . .you get the point.  There are lots of potential groups to go after.  Find those that work best for you.

Now it is just a matter of finding groups, seeing how many members, thinking about their needs and creating targeted offers for them.  But where do you to find groups?  You can use the list below as a starter – go to the various sites and add your geography to searches and see what your find:

·         LinkedIn
·         Google+
·         Facebook
·         Reddit
·         YMCA
·         Yahoo groups
·         Meetups
·         Alumni associations
·         Sports leagues

If you found this of interest, please share it with a friend. 

- See more at: http://www.yardstickgolf.com/blog#sthash.H6k2Cdqr.dpuf

Quirky approach to new business leads

I am always out looking for new places to find great information to share.  Recently I ran across the "IAMA" threads on Reddit.  Reddit calls itself the front page of the internet and the "IAMA" threads are where folks post "I am a (insert what they are) - ask me anything" threads.  

The one that caught my eye was one where the poster said he was going for broke with a few buddies opening their very own indoor mini golf facility.  The post got over 180 comments and probably a high multiple of that in terms of  views.  Many of the posters even said they would come visit when he was open.

Considering the IAMA post is free, I put it on my list as a unique approach to getting some free exposure.  More interestingly, many of the responses asked questions that seemed to help the original poster.  I saw a couple things on trademarking questions, licensing and more that the poster indicated he hadn't considered and appreciated being raised.

If you are not familiar with Reddit, I would take some time to become familiar before jumping out with your first post.  I've included a link to several golf related IAMA threads to help you get a feel for how these work.  I would suggest learning how the subrettids (sections of Reddit of related topics) are organized so you can find the best one to post.  You want to find the section most relevant to your post (I.e. golf or your town).

Folks reading these posts seem to want proof of legitimacy, so I see lots of photo's included to prove the authenticity of the poster.  These are typically a picture of hand written note saying "reddit - IAMA" in front of something that demonstrates legitimacy of the poster.

Good Luck! - See more at: http://www.yardstickgolf.com/blog#sthash.H6k2Cdqr.dpuf

Improve your offseason indoor golf business now

If you own or run an indoor golf center, you are probably in the swing of your peak season and that is great.  There are probably lots of golfers and all your simulators are seeing lots of action.  But we all know when the weather improves, many of those customers will head outside to play. The good news is that you can take action now that will greatly improve your business in the slower season - that action is getting these players to provide you with an email address.

I know most of you are probably thinking email is dead and that social media is the way to go, but that thinking is wrong.  Ignoring email as a way to connect with your customers is a perilous choice.  Here are a few facts to consider:

• 91% of consumers check their email every day
• 72% of consumers check their email 6 or more times a day
• In an article by Advertising Age, a study of 1,400 U.S consumers, 42% said they prefer to receive ads for sales and specials via email
• 44% of consumers made a purchase based on an email offer
• Per Experian (a credit bureau), for every $1 spend on email, the average return is $44.25

Do I have your attention yet?  Cultivating a robust email list is essential to driving traffic to your facility.  What better time to collect email than when you have folks in your golf center.  Make collecting email part of every conversation, ask for it at the time of payment, offer giveaways for business cards, collect it on your website in return for a coupon . . .you get the point.

One awesome tool I've used to help me collect nearly 1,000 emails and quadruple my Facebook likes is JustUno.  The have an awesome set of case studies on how business are using their tools to increase subscribers, likes and followers:

67% Sales Increase with Justuno - Case Study

Do you have any great ideas on how you get email? Have a reaction to the article?  Please comment!!

Use the web to scope out your competition and maybe even learn something you didn't know about your own business. http://buff.ly/1962oe1

Curated content December 21, 2013 at 10:11PM http://buff.ly/1962oe1

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