Commercial Golf Simulator Design: Beyond the Basic Package

TL;DR

When planning a commercial golf simulator facility, understanding the distinction between a basic equipment package and a comprehensive design-build solution is crucial. While a simple package provides the core components like a launch monitor, projector, and screen, it leaves the owner responsible for critical aspects such as electrical planning, traffic flow, and overall user experience. A professional design-build firm, in contrast, integrates the simulator spaces while collaborating seamlessly with architects and general contractors. This approach ensures that everything from higher-lumen projectors to robust launch monitors is suited for the demands of commercial lighting and frequent use. Drawing on extensive experience, a design-build partner anticipates and mitigates common pitfalls, ensuring safety and an elevated aesthetic, whether through customized millwork, padding, or themed bays. This level of expertise and integration provides peace of mind, guaranteeing a correctly set-up, durable, and sophisticated indoor golf simulator lounge that caters to a diverse clientele.

The Scope of Commercial Golf Simulator Installation

Stephen: Nice. Going on to the next question, what is the difference between a golf simulator equipment package and a full commercial design build installation?

Cliff: Sure. I’ll I’ll

Tyler: Oh, go ahead. Go ahead, Colleen. This one’s great for you.

Why a Design-Build Approach Elevates Your Commercial Space

Tyler: I’ll I’ll jump into this one. It’s very similar to when we in the residential space, when we talk to folks about DIY enclosure package setups versus a more design build turnkey type solution that we typically provide., in that commercial space, if you’re just buying these equipment packages, then you’re on the hook for figuring out all the other pieces, the thinking through the electrical, the overall flow of traffic, the overall design, and just experience in the space versus when you work with a full commercial design build firm like ourselves., we’re helping you through that entire process, thinking about the overall design, what makes sense for golfers, what makes more sense in the commercial setting, very similar to what Cody said before., there are just a lot of considerations when you have lot a lot of people in various levels of experience with golf coming into your facility, being safe, factoring in all those considerations and, working with somebody in that design build space who has all that prior experience.

Tyler: They’ve done that before. They can save you all the time and effort of learning all those pieces, figuring it out on yourself, on your own. And just the overall look and feel is typically dramatically different. Right? If you’re gonna go with golf simulator equipment packages, you’re gonna get the same look and feel everywhere, and it’s going to feel like what you would typically get from a golf simulator equipment package provider. Whereas with design build, you’ve got a lot more options to customize the millwork, the padding, the putting turf, and have something either, individual bays being unique and themed, or having a consistent look everywhere, but much more elevated than, just a standard package deal.

Tyler: Those would be my overarching thoughts on key differences.

What experience do you want your clients, your customers have coming in?, do you want them to feel like something has been built and designed intentionally, or it just looks like, okay. There’s training days, set up around the space. But any other thoughts you’ve got, Cody?, feel free to

Cliff: Yeah. No., I think it is also the type of experience you wanna have as an owner. Right. Do you wanna get in there and get your hands dirty and order just an equipment package and figure it out yourself, or do you want more of a white glove service, the full turnkey experience? So, I prefer to just stroke a check to the experts, but some people like to get in there and, budget friendly and DIY it up. Sure. Depends on the owner.

Stephen: Yep. Yeah. And I know even from our last conversations when we were talking about this more on the residential side, it’s, especially when you’re talking now more so on the commercial side, I think that there’s a certain amount of aspects that you guys offer just even in terms of, peace of mind of knowing that it’s knowing that it’s set up correctly versus having to guess if you figured out this complex whole system yourself correctly. ?

Tyler: Yeah. I think on that, Steven, it’s one of those things where, I’m almost scared, but proud to admit, we’ve we’ve learned from a lot of mistakes in the past, and we’ve carried all that experience forward in every other new build that we’ve done both on the commercial and residential side. Jay, exactly what you said, instead of repeating mistakes that we learned on the first sins that we did versus, 200 plus sims later. There’s a Yeah. Just knowledge that we have, with our crews.

And, again, if you’re working with a more experienced design build, installer and, GC, they’re they’re gonna be able to handle those things and know a lot of that upfront versus you having to figure it out along the way.

Stephen: Yeah. No. That’s that’s awesome. And I think now going forward to almost like the natural follow-up question, because, obviously, who doesn’t want peace of mind and knowing that it’s made correctly. How much does a commercial grade golf simulator room typically cost to get built?

Cliff: There’s a lot of different factors. ? That’s obviously a loaded question in industry in any industry. ? And people love to put you on the spot and ask you right then and there. But, it can range from 50 k per bay to upwards of a 100 k per bay, and it depends on your technology requirements and what you’re looking to get out of that. But then there’s also varying factors., a lot of times we’re going in these commercial facilities, and we’re we’re doing more than just the sim itself., we’re we’re doing maybe a merchandise area, a little lounge bar. We’re typically going in and doing a full remodel on the whole space.

Cliff: Flooring, paint, millwork, all those different aspects. Just beyond the simulator, there’s a lot of different key factors to, work in. If you’re working with the GC, maybe they can handle that, and we just do the bay, which we’ve done plenty of times, or we come in and we do the whole thing. ? So just depends on the project. But I think that if you’re budgeting for a commercial golf sim, I think if you’re around that 50 k mark per bay just for the sims, then you’re kinda setting yourself up for success.

Durability and Design: Essential Considerations for Commercial Use

Tyler: And I think, one of the points I mentioned before, just again, when we think about commercial space, you wanna make sure that the equipment, everything from the HDMI cables to all the way up to the projector and launch monitor are suited for long term ongoing use, working within the lighting conditions within the space., typically, that does require some higher quality equipment or equipment that’s more suited for those environments. And that’s just like Cody said. Right? This when you think of this range from 50 to a 100 k, technology plays a huge part in where that range shifts outside of overall fit and finish and, the design elements going into the space.

Stephen: Yeah. No. I think that those are some important details. But, yeah, that range, I think, for people to think about when they’re when they’re looking for this information is super helpful. Going forward to the next logistical step of this is, I think, what it what it brings up the question of is what construction requirements should be planned before installing a commercial golf simulator?