If you’re looking at franchise opportunities right now, you’re probably seeing a lot of businesses that promise to run themselves with minimal staff and maximum automation. And sure, that sounds appealing at first glance. But here’s what the smartest franchisees are figuring out: in an AI-driven world, the real money is in being really, really good at the human stuff.
Think about it this way—every business that can be fully automated will eventually be automated. But businesses that create genuine human connection? Those are becoming more valuable every day. And that’s exactly why The Swing Bays franchise model is attracting savvy franchisees who understand where the market is heading.
The Recession-Proof Nature of Community-Based Businesses
Let’s start with something every franchisee cares about: stability. When you invest in a business model like The Swing Bays, you’re not just buying a golf simulator franchise—you’re buying into a community hub. And here’s the beautiful thing about community: it’s really hard to replicate and even harder to replace.
When economic downturns hit, the first things people cut are the random subscriptions they forgot about and the services they can easily live without. But when your business becomes part of people’s social lives and personal development? That’s when you become essential, not optional. Members don’t just see The Swing Bays as a place to practice golf—it’s where they meet friends, celebrate milestones, improve their game, and feel like they belong.
As a franchisee, this translates directly to better member retention, even when times get tough. You’re not competing on price with a dozen other options; you’re offering something irreplaceable.
Higher Customer Lifetime Value = Better ROI
Here’s where the math gets really interesting for franchisees. Traditional service businesses might keep a customer for a few months or maybe a year. But when you create genuine community and personalized experiences like The Swing Bays does, you’re looking at relationships that last for years. The affiliate location in Parker, Colorado has only lost 18 members since they opened. Most businesses would love to have the retention rate.
The personalized golf and fitness plans, the member events, the couples’ nights—these aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re relationship-builders that dramatically increase how long people stay and how much they spend. When someone feels connected to your location and the people there, they don’t just maintain their membership—they upgrade it, bring friends, and become your best marketing asset.
From a franchisee perspective, this means you’re not constantly scrambling to replace churning customers. You’re building a stable base of members who genuinely want to be there and are willing to pay premium prices for the experience.
Your Members Become Your Sales Team
This is where things get really exciting for franchise owners. When you create authentic community experiences, something magical happens: your members start doing your marketing for you. And we’re not talking about incentivized referrals or social media posts—we’re talking about genuine word-of-mouth from people who truly love what you’ve created. Hear what keeps The Swing Bays member, Ryan, engaged and frequently visiting The Swing Bays on this video.
Think about how powerful this is. Instead of spending huge amounts on advertising to attract strangers, you have a community of people who are genuinely excited to share their experience with friends. They bring their golf buddies, their spouses, their coworkers and kids. They talk about it at dinner parties and suggest it as the perfect place for their company’s team-building event.
The Swing Bays model creates this naturally because people aren’t just customers—they’re members of a community. And people love sharing communities they’re proud to be part of.
Premium Pricing Power in a Commoditized Market
When you offer something truly unique and valuable, you don’t have to compete on price. While other businesses are racing to the bottom with discounts and deals, community-focused businesses like The Swing Bays can command premium pricing.
Why? Because you’re not just selling golf lessons or simulator time—you’re selling belonging, personalized attention, and genuine relationships. When someone feels valued and connected at your location, price becomes much less important than the experience.
This pricing power translates directly to higher profit margins for franchisees. You’re not constantly having to cut prices to compete with the gym down the street or the new golf app that promises to teach people at home. You’re offering something that simply can’t be commoditized.
The “Third Place” Advantage
One of the smartest aspects of The Swing Bays model is how they’ve created what sociologists call a “third place”—that comfortable space between home and work where life actually happens. This isn’t just good for members; it’s brilliant for franchisees.
When your location becomes a place where people want to hang out, work on their laptops, grab coffee, and catch up with friends, you’re maximizing the value of every square foot. Instead of just having peak hours when people come for lessons, you have steady traffic throughout the day. Members pop in to work between meetings, stay longer after their sessions, and use the space for informal gatherings.
This consistent utilization means better revenue per square foot and a more vibrant, active location that attracts even more members. It’s a virtuous cycle that benefits everyone.
Future-Proofing Your Investment
Here’s the big picture that forward-thinking franchisees are seeing: as AI gets better at automating routine tasks, human-centered businesses become more valuable, not less. The Swing Bays isn’t competing with technology—it’s using technology to enhance human connection.
They might use software to track member progress or optimize scheduling, but the core value proposition is fundamentally human. This means your investment is naturally protected against the kind of disruption that’s threatening businesses built purely on efficiency or convenience.
While other franchises might worry about being replaced by apps or automated systems, The Swing Bays franchisees are building something that gets more valuable as the world becomes more automated. They’re creating the antidote to digital fatigue.
The Operational Sweet Spot
From an operational standpoint, The Swing Bays model hits a perfect balance for franchisees. You’re not trying to run a fully automated business with minimal staff (which often leads to minimal customer satisfaction). But you’re also not running a business that requires you to personally deliver every service.
Instead, you’re creating a culture and experience that your small team (1-4 employees) can deliver consistently. The systems are there to support the human interactions, not replace them. This means you can scale your operation while maintaining the personalized touch that makes the business special.
The Swing Bays Co-founder Dustin Miller, PGA, has built systems to create personalized experiences at scale. It sounds complex but when he breaks it down, it makes sense and it’s truly The Swing Bays secret sauce.
Here’s where The Swing Bays really shines operationally: they’ve figured out how to create a human-focused business without the typical operational complexity and costs. While other indoor golf franchises might require large staffs and complicated operations, The Swing Bays runs on a lean model with just 1-4 employees handling the day-to-day operations. The golf and fitness professionals work as 1099 contractors, which means you get expert instruction without the overhead of full-time specialized staff.
Even better, there’s no kitchen to build out and manage—just a simple bar setup with canned beers, wine, and packaged snacks like chips and popcorn. This eliminates the complexity, labor costs, and regulatory headaches that come with food service while still providing the amenities that make people want to hang out. You get all the community-building benefits of a social space without the operational nightmare of running a restaurant.
The Bottom Line for Franchisees
Smart franchisees are realizing that in an AI-driven economy, the businesses that will thrive are those that double down on human connection and community. The Swing Bays model offers something that’s becoming increasingly rare and valuable: genuine human experiences that create lasting relationships.
In a world where everything is becoming more digital and impersonal, franchisees who create spaces for authentic human connection aren’t just building businesses—they’re building the future. And that’s a pretty good investment thesis.
