The indoor golf industry has exploded in recent years, with numerous franchises vying for market share. However, one brand stands out from the crowd with a business model so effective that it’s not just competing—it’s positioned to outlive many of the current indoor golf brands out there. The Swing Bays has cracked the code on what both golfers and franchisees truly want, and their numbers prove it.
Unmatched Member Visit Frequency
Here’s what really sets The Swing Bays apart from everyone else: their members come back every four days on average. We’re talking about people who genuinely want to be there, multiple times per week.
Founder Dustin Miller shared this stat, and it’s pretty incredible when you compare it to what everyone else is doing. Those traditional simulator places where you walk into a dark room? Their members might show up every few weeks. The entertainment venues trying to appeal to everyone with full restaurants and bars? They’re mostly seeing people for birthday parties and corporate events. You’re lucky if they visit once a quarter.
But The Swing Bays hit on something different. They’ve created a space that serious and beginner golfers actually crave. It’s not about special occasions; it’s become part of their routine. When someone’s coming in every four days, they’re not just paying their membership fee and calling it even. They’re grabbing drinks, signing up for lessons, buying gear, joining leagues. Every visit is another opportunity for revenue. It’s really that straightforward – the more often people show up, the more they spend.
Why Going Kitchen-Free Was a Game-Changer
One of the smartest moves The Swing Bays made was ditching the whole restaurant thing. Think about it – while other golf entertainment venues are dealing with spoiled food, managing kitchen staff, training servers, and constantly fixing broken equipment, they keep things beautifully simple.
Instead of running a full kitchen, they partner with caterers and offer quality packaged food options. This approach is a win-win for franchisees because they get to skip all the restaurant headaches. No more worrying about hiring cooks or dealing with the constant turnover that plagues the food service industry. No more throwing away expired ingredients or scrambling to cover shifts when someone calls in sick.
The beauty of this model is that it lets franchisees do what they do best – create amazing golf experiences for those who want to play better for longer. They’re not splitting their attention between managing a restaurant and running golf programs. Everything becomes more streamlined, more predictable, and honestly, way more simple
When you eliminate the kitchen complexity, you’re also eliminating a major source of stress and unexpected costs. Our franchisees can focus their energy on what really matters: making sure every customer has a blast hitting golf balls and wants to come back with their friends.
The Swing Bays Programming Keeps Golfers Coming Back for More
Here’s what The Swing Bays figured out early on: today’s golfers aren’t just looking for a place to hit balls into a screen. They want to hang out, meet people, and actually have fun while they’re working on their game.
Walk into any Swing Bays location and you’ll see what we mean. Their event calendar looks like something you’d find at an upscale country club. There are the couples’ nights that have turned into date night destinations, and sports viewing parties where you can watch the Masters while playing a course like Augusta virtually.
Members aren’t just showing up for their usual practice sessions anymore—they’re coming in for the wine and golf pairings, staying for the fitness classes, and booking extra time because they want to get better before league night.
When people are having this much fun with golf, they actually get better at it. Better golfers become more confident golfers, and confident golfers become regulars who bring their friends along. It’s a simple formula that works: give people reasons to love being there, and they’ll keep coming back.
Building a Business That’s Intentional
You know how most indoor golf franchises seem to be juggling a million moving parts while their members come and go? The Swing Bays took a completely different approach. They figured out early on that keeping things simple and putting members first would be their secret sauce.
They’ve created a business model that’s both member-focused and incredibly efficient to run. It’s not just about making money today—it’s about building something that consistently delivers value while being scalable.
The real magic happens when you build with value in mind from day one. Every decision becomes more intentional, every dollar spent has a purpose, and your growth actually means something sustainable.
The Complete Golf Ecosystem
The Swing Bays isn’t just another place to whack golf balls when the weather’s bad—it’s basically everything a golfer could want under one roof. Walk in as a member and you’ve got access to the whole nine yards: professional club fitting with all the high-tech launch monitors, on-site repairs when you inevitably ding up your driver, the latest gear from all the big brands, lessons with actual PGA pros, golf-specific fitness training, and all those little things you’re always running out of like balls and gloves.
For franchisees, this setup is a goldmine. Instead of relying on just simulator rentals, you’re running multiple revenue streams that all feed into each other. When someone comes in for a quick practice session, they might end up getting their clubs adjusted, booking a lesson, or grabbing new gear—suddenly that simulator session turns into a $200 visit.
The real beauty is how it keeps members coming back. Once golfers find a place that handles everything they need, they tend to stick around rather than driving all over town to different shops and pros. That stickiness is huge for franchisees because it means predictable monthly revenue and higher lifetime customer value.
Having all these different services also means franchisees aren’t completely dependent on just one thing. If indoor simulator time slows down during nice weather, equipment sales and lessons can pick up the slack. It’s the kind of diversified setup that keeps cash flowing year-round and gives golfers a real reason to become regulars instead of just dropping by occasionally.
Golf Performance Above All
Here’s the thing about golf improvement – it requires laser focus, not distractions. While other facilities try to be everything to everyone, cramming in entertainment centers, and focusing on the menu, The Swing Bays has made a deliberate choice to do one thing exceptionally well: help golfers play better golf.
The Swing Bays isn’t designed to compete with your local sports bar or entertainment complex. It’s a purpose-built training environment where golfers of all levels come to work on their craft. Every element – from the lighting and acoustics to the technology and setup – has been carefully considered to optimize practice sessions and accelerate improvement.
What Really Sets The Swing Bays Apart
Here’s something that’ll blow you away: The Swing Bays has only lost 18 members since 2022. Let that sink in for a moment. In a world where businesses struggle to keep customers coming back, these guys have cracked the code on retention.
They’ve built specific systems by focusing on what actually matters to their members. They keep things fresh with regular programming, so there’s always something happening. But it’s not just about the events—they’ve created a real community where people form genuine friendships that go way beyond just hitting golf balls together.
The magic happens when you combine all this with their commitment to delivering the same high-quality experience every single time someone walks through their doors. Members know exactly what to expect, and it exceeds their expectations every visit.
This kind of retention rate creates what business folks call a “compounding effect.” When people stick around, you can actually predict your revenue, which means you can reinvest in making the experience even better. It’s a beautiful cycle that benefits everyone involved.
The Future of Indoor Golf
The Swing Bays has cracked the code on indoor golf while competitors are still figuring things out, building a winning formula that’s simple to run and keeps members coming back four times a week on average. They’ve skipped the complexity of running kitchens and created a complete golf experience that goes way beyond just hitting balls, with retention rates through the roof that translate to serious profits and a scalable business model. The indoor golf industry is heating up, and The Swing Bays isn’t just keeping pace—they’re leading the charge by blending operational efficiency with genuine member satisfaction, something most franchises are still trying to nail down.
For anyone thinking about jumping into indoor golf, they show what’s possible when you get the fundamentals right, positioning themselves not just to survive in this competitive market but to dominate it, with the real question now being how fast they’ll leave everyone else in the dust and what kind of expansion opportunities that success will open up.
