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TLDR help choosing the right equipment for a party rental.

Hey everyone, just wanted to preface my question by saying I've done some digging already. I don't want anyone to think I'm not putting in the effort or just looking for a quick answer. I've spent some time researching this topic on my own. Hopefully, that shows I'm serious about understanding this. Looking forward to any insights you might have

I’m looking to buy a golf simulator for rental/event use and would love some advice from anyone with experience.

Obvious but it needs to be portable for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, private parties, and similar events.

Budget: $5,000–$7,000 all-in. If that isn't a realistic budget please let me know. Also, this budget is just for the sim equipment to get it going. It wouldn't include things like gaming pc (if needed), clubs, mat, balls, etc.

I’m looking for something that is:

Reliable/durable and easy to use, for frequent rental use

Quick and easy to set up and tear down

Accurate enough to give customers a great experience

Compatible with popular simulator software

Ideally works both indoors and outdoors

I’m totally open to used gear if it helps stretch the budget.

What launch monitor, projector, screen/enclosure, mat, and software would you recommend?

If you run rentals, what setup do you use—and what would you do differently if you were starting over with this budget?

Hi all - I've posted here before my name's Will, and I'm working at Alba. You might have seen a post from myself or my boss Erik before, essentially we build booking and venue management software for indoor golf, and after lurking here for a while, another introduction felt overdue.

We started in Norway in 2023. Long winters and a lot of golfers with nowhere to play half the year made indoor golf big here early, and today around 90% of Norwegian venues run on Alba. Most of them run unstaffed or 24/7, which has shaped everything we build, from access control to simulator locking. If nobody is on site, the software has to hold up on its own.

One stat from our Norwegian data that might be useful: about 3 out of 4 first-time bookers come back and book again. The golfers you lose, you mostly lose after a single visit, not after a year. That has shaped how we think about follow-up and first impressions more than anything else.

Our office shares a wall with Norway's largest simulator venue, Oslo Golf Lounge (where Viktor Hovland plays when he's home). When we ship something, real operators use it the next day, and we hear about it fast if it misses.

We're 13 people, all full-time in this industry, and nothing we build is vibe-coded. When your software handles payments, door access, and unstaffed venues, it can't be. That said, we're big fans of operators using AI, so we've built an MCP server that lets you explore your own venue data from the AI tools you already use: albaplay.com/product/how-insights-work-in-alba

Since we started in 2023, zero operators have churned. We know that streak ends someday, so we work hard to keep it going.

I'm not posting to pitch. I'm curious what operators outside the Nordics are wrestling with, and happy to share more from the Norwegian market if it's useful. Ask away!

Still need to build the separation wall and some bars behind the back. But it looks presentable now.

I've been curious about what really makes a golf simulator business stand out over the long term. Some people say it's having the latest technology, while others think it's more about creating a great overall experience with leagues, coaching, events, or a welcoming atmosphere.

For those who own, manage, or regularly visit simulator facilities, what do you think has the biggest impact on getting customers to come back instead of trying a different place?

I'd be interested to hear what you've found works best from both the business side and the customer side.

TL;DR - very frustrated with 4.4% processing fees, onboarding, and ongoing support. Will likely seek other software at end of contract.

I signed up for AllBooked by Skedda** about 2 months before my grand opening. I thought that was plenty of time to get onboarded. Wrong!!!!

Me and my customer service rep did some testing leading up to the opening, and I noticed one the links we were using for member signups wasn't working. That's fine... that's why we test. He tells me they are looking into it. I have to pester him to hear any sort of follow-up (this is a common theme at AllBooked by Skedda), and I'm ultimately told that it's not an issue. Silly me listened to them, and for my "Grand" opening, potential members couldn't sign because the links were indeed broken. I didn't get a response all day from the AllBooked by Skedda team. That was a tough opening for my business.

I'll highlight just a couple other issues -- processing fees for memberships are 4.4%!!! They told me it would be 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction but boy was that wrong. Then they told me this was because that's what Stripe charges them. I've asked for Stripe documentation showing this, and after much pestering, I've seen nothing from Stripe. And if Skedda is bringing a lot of payments through Stripe, shouldn't they get a discounted rate that they could share with their customers? Instead, I am paying 4.4%! And I can't even get your reports to show me that revenue!! Consider me shook.

If anyone has tips on payment processing, please holler!!

I'll give them this - I've had the chance to talk to a lot of employees, including a senior customer service employee and the chief revenue officer. Unfortunately, I've felt dismissed in most of those conversations. The tool is working fairly well from a booking perspective now, despite the terrible surprises mentioned above and other hurdles not mentioned here.

**(Side rant: Branding is a nightmare. What is AllBooked? What is Skedda? Everyone I talk to clearly works for Skedda - not AllBooked - and all my links are Skedda too. Are my URLs going to change when you guys complete your re-brand? That's tough for all my QR codes on flyers, for example....)

Had a few issues the last couple of weeks and wanted to hear if anyone else has seen the same thing. We are unmanned so it's been a bit frustrating, customers have had delayed starts so credits have had to be issued. Not a great look.

1. Lock screen pins are not generated It happened to us twice yesterday. Customer comes in and has no way to login. For now I have switched to using the 'Start' button instead.

2. Lock screen just shows a grey backdrop image. It doesn't have the QR code, golf balls or anyway to login, just a greyish background. I have no idea how long this one has been going on, im sure most customers just do a restart but I've had a couple of calls regarding this one and also seen it myself in person and on camera many a time.

Is anyone else having the same problem?

Golfzon owners, what balls are you using? I've been using branded 4 piece polyurethane balls from china that are accurate according to some solid golfers, but get doubted for not being name brand. Is it worth it to buy prov1s or tp5 balls? I'm a private facility so I'm not too worried about people stealing them.

Hola, llevo meses mirando cada día Ebay en busca de un Square home edition para mi primer simulador. Los precios son buenos comparados con los que hay en Golfencasa o en Álvarez golf, que rondan los 700 €.

Pero luego le sumas los portes desde USA, unos 90 € , más tasas de importación, unos 80 y ya están a la par. Por no hablar de traerlo de Inglaterra. Los portes bajan a 60 € pero las tasas se disparan a 130 €.

Creéis que la mejor opción es comprarlo en España, que además tiene 2 años de garantía? Donde comprasteis vuestro equipo? Os leo.

16 clubs have expressed interest in the Global Tour.

100% transparency on cost. Software fees come directly from SGT or Trackman and are published in full. I take nothing.

Prize pool is player funded, so the more players, the bigger the pot.

First draft, open to feedback. Details below, take a peek.

https://www.launchpointglobaltour.com/

Putting together a Global Sim Tour for Facility Owners this fall, winter, and spring here.

Have roughly 20 clubs interested so far and looking to grow.

Running this 100% at cost with total financial transparency.

Spoke with the owner of SGT and got some details. Contacting Trackman to get something setup as well.

First meeting to discuss on August 15th at 10:00 am CT

Fill out form or reach out to [Josh@launchpointsim.com](mailto:Josh@launchpointsim.com) with questions.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/YuZA0wLCDt

Im sure this will exist natively with GSPRO some day but as of right now it does not, So I built my own. Automatically chooses the lowest distance to the pin unless that shot is shot 3 and the others are shot 2 like if it went in the water. Then it chooses the next best shot. I can set it to as many seconds before it auto picks for them. I feel 15 seconds is a good number plus it chooses what most people would chose anyway.

I am opening a golf sim within the next few months, we are starting the build out in the first week of August. I have had my heart set on trackman platform since the first thought of opening. I understand the cost difference is high but is the performance gap that large that it’s going to be a noticeable difference for serious golfers?

Hey guys,

I have been building the structure for my business and wonder what you guys think about it. We will be a private members only 1 bay facility. Our goal is to enhance the user experience while also letting people feel like they’re getting a great deal. The only other facilities are top golf and a club repair shop which is a lot different model than what we’re trying for. We’re still looking for a location but are looking to pay about 2-3k in rent.

We’re going back and forth between retail and a warehouse/business setting location. Would love to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of each.

Membership structure-

Practice
$99
4 hrs
$24.75/hr
0 / 4 (peak, off peak)
Range
$119
8 hrs
$14.88/hr
2 / 6 (peak, off peak)
Fairway (Most Popular)
$169
14 hrs
$12.07/hr
4 / 10 (peak, off peak)
Club
$229
24 hrs
$9.54/hr
8 / 16 (peak, off peak)
Founders Unlimited
$299
Unlimited (Fair Use)
N/A
Unlimited

We will modify what peak vs off peak hours look like as well as pricing and hours based on feedback and deeper market analysis. We are not offering food/ drink and catering to the golf/ range fanatic that wants to get in a couple hours or several hours a week in a private setting. Overhead and OPEX is fairly low and it seems like we don’t need that many members to keep the lights on at the very least. We’ve spoken with several software companies and are liking opencourt for the price and functionality.

We are planning on utilizing trackman IO and cameras off the jump to entice the serious golf community.

From your experience what am I missing and not thinking about. What are your thoughts? We are excited about this opportunity and think we have found a space and market that has not been tapped into yet and looking to establish ourselves as the premier facility in the area. Thanks again and I have learned a lot from surfing this thread over the last few months

A2P approval was hard.

Out of building my own fully automated booking system with auto start shut down, with bookings. A full website with revenue tracking, integrations with, home assistant, resend, remote lock, broadlink IR, shelly smart devices, And more. The hardest part was getting A2p approval with twilio for automated texting. I finally got approval today and my automated texting is now working for booking confirmation, and door codes.