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🏌️ Start a Golf Club in Your Garage

🏌️ Start a Golf Club in Your Garage

Plus, July 4th Deals You Can't Miss!

July 04, 2024

Good Morning, Golfers!!

Happy Fourth of July! Today, we’re talking to Neighborhood National—they’re changing the landscape of golf and making simulators accessible in neighborhoods everywhere. ⬇️

Today's Topics

⛳ Building Golf Sim Clubs w. Neighborhood National
🔦 Simulator Spotlight
😎 Golf Steals & Deals of the Week
🏌️ Tee Talk: Hot Topics on the Forum

🔥 Plus, scroll for our golf meme of the week.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

In 2022, Jeff had a lightbulb moment while chatting with his wife about installing a golf simulator in their garage—he wanted to see if their neighbors might be interested in sharing and using the space too. This sparked the birth of Neighborhood National No. 1, transforming an ordinary garage into a local golfing hotspot.

Today, Neighborhood National is on a mission to make high-end golf accessible, transforming any available space—garages, office corners, or community areas—into vibrant local clubs. We caught up with Jeff and asked him about:

💭 The Inspiration Behind Neighborhood National

💡 Key A-Ha Moments Along the Way

⛳ Essential Advice for Starting a Sim Business

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can read the full interview here.

Can you share what inspired Neighborhood National's unique golf simulator club concept and how it differs from traditional simulator experiences?

I struggle with the price tags associated with the game, and the fact that everything these days—inside or out—seems to be a combination of expensive, extremely busy, and/or lacking in quality. I had a previous business idea that was more aligned with a traditional sim venue model. However, like the traditional models, the biggest challenge was the math to make it work.

This time around, my inspiration focused on convenience and affordability. I revisited my earlier business plan but made a significant change by eliminating all fixed costs—no labor, no real estate, no simulators. We now facilitate a sim sharing network that operates as one collective Neighborhood National club. Members enjoy extremely affordable and often convenient access to high-end technology, while Club Pros (hosts) manage a local, fun golf hangout for a small group that we oversee on their behalf. They use it as much as they like, and it also manages to pay for itself.

Ultimately, our focus is on building the community of Neighborhood National with the aspiration to create the world's largest private golf club. Anyone can belong since we're just minutes away and a fraction of the cost.

What has been the most surprising aspect of starting a golf simulator business for you?

Community is the key. Making sure that every club is a "member's golf dream come true" is the mantra. When we focus clearly on the member, three things happen. 1) everyone wants to help out, becoming additional eyes and ears for the club; 2) expectations are managed, accepting that things don't have to be perfect; and 3) no one wants to disrupt the experience. After all, who wants to ruin their golf dream come true?

For someone interested in starting their own golf simulator business, what are some key pieces of advice you would offer?

It's a very hot space and will only become more popular in the near term, with relatively low barriers to entry. Traditional models often come with high fixed costs, making it easy to enter the market but challenging to sustain and grow over time. I start by advising folks to consider which business they truly want to enter—whether it's a restaurant, an academy, or a driving range, as all these can be geared towards off course concepts. Each has distinct business model implications.

Then, I emphasize the importance of differentiation. Assume that someone else might launch a similar concept just down the road—which is quite likely. What will make folks visit your spot over theirs?

Our Key Takeaways:

Accessibility and Affordability: Neighborhood National is transforming the golf simulator business by eliminating traditional cost barriers, making high-end golf accessible to more people.
Community-Centric Approach: At the heart of their business model is a focus on community, turning local spaces into vibrant, social golf hubs that cater to the desires and conveniences of its members.
Unique Business Model: By avoiding fixed costs and fostering a sim sharing network, Neighborhood National offers a distinct approach compared to traditional golf simulator businesses like restaurants or academies.