Indoor golf in 2026 is a growing, seasonal and mostly social business. The National Golf Foundation counts 8.1 million US simulator users in 2024, and half of them aren't golfers. Across 200+ venues on Golf O'Clock, the median venue runs about 41% utilization in peak season, and summer runs at less than half the winter rate. Here's what a year of booking data says about how the business actually works.
Platform figures come from anonymized, aggregated Golf O'Clock booking data for fiscal year July 2025 to June 2026, covering indoor golf venues live in that period, bowling and internal accounts excluded. Utilization means booked bay hours divided by each venue's own open bay hours. Seasonality uses venues open all twelve months. National figures are from the NGF's 2025 white paper, The Golf Simulator Opportunity. We update this page as new data closes.
The market, from the outside
The National Golf Foundation's 2025 white paper puts numbers on what operators feel:
- 8.1 million US golf simulator users in 2024, up from 3.8 million in 2015
- 51% of simulator users hadn't played on a course in the past 12 months, up from 42% a decade earlier
- 47.2 million golf participants in 2024 once off-course formats are counted, a record
- 6.5% of US golf facilities had installed simulators
One NGF figure gets quoted more than the rest: that 80% of facilities reach profitability within their first year, and 44% in the first month. In the paper, that comes from a survey of 354 golf facilities, what NGF calls the green grass market. These are mostly courses and clubs that added a simulator to a business that already had customers, staff and a building. It's a real finding, but it says little about a standalone venue paying rent on a whole unit. For those, the numbers below matter more.
Our platform in numbers
- 200+ active venues in North America, the UK and the EU
- 1.3M+ bookings processed and $70M+ in booking revenue
- 250,000+ unique golfers and 2.5M+ hours of simulator time booked
- $120 average revenue per booking, across all venue types and regions
Utilization: what normal looks like
Peak season, November to April, by percentile:
| Percentile | Peak-season utilization |
|---|---|
| 10th | 8% |
| 25th | 20% |
| Median | 41% |
| 75th | 57% |
| 90th | 72% |
Blended across the full year, utilization lands in the mid thirties. A lot of industry material treats 60% as a normal planning assumption. In this data it sits close to the 80th percentile, and only in the busiest six months. Building a forecast on it is how venues end up short on cash in the spring.
What a bay earns
A typical bay sells about 1,900 hours a year. At median rates of $40 in Canada or $55 in the US per bay hour, that's about $75,000 in Canada or $105,000 in the US in session revenue per bay, before food, memberships, lessons and events. The month matters as much as the year: a bay that earns $9,600 in January earns about $3,600 in September.
The full break-even math, with leaks and top-quartile habits, is in our golf simulator profitability analysis.
The season is the business
High season runs November through May. March is the busiest month, ahead of January and April. Venues averaged just under 50% utilization from November to April and about 23% from May to October, with December through March all above 50%. Six good months and six thin ones, against twelve months of rent.
That gap, more than the equipment, decides whether the year works. Our off-season guide covers what fills it.
The week and the day
| Day | Peak-season utilization |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 44% |
| Friday | 44% |
| Sunday | 39% |
| Thursday | 36% |
| Wednesday | 35% |
| Tuesday | 34% |
| Monday | 32% |
The spread is flatter than most operators assume. Saturday beats Monday by about 1.4 times. Indoor golf runs close to seven days.
The hours are where the surprise is. On weekdays, bookings peak at 6 PM and 7 PM, but 9 AM comes third, and 9 AM to 4 PM carries about 57% of all weekday bay hours. On weekends the peak is 1 PM, with no evening spike at all. A venue that charges one peak rate after 5 PM is probably underpricing weekday mornings and weekend afternoons.
Who books, and how that changes
The average booking runs 1.95 hours in peak season and 1.75 hours in low season. The more interesting pattern is how a customer changes from visit to visit. A first booking is usually a group of more than three people, out for something to do. By the second, the group is just over two. By the third, the average party is under 1.8 people and the session is longer: they've come to practice.
It fits NGF's finding that half of simulator users aren't golfers. The social night out is how people find indoor golf. The practice habit is why some of them stay.
What it means going into 2027
Three things follow from the data. Plan the year on the annual utilization, not the January one. Price by the hour the way customers actually book, which means weekday daytime and weekend afternoons deserve more attention than they get. And treat the second and third visit as the product, because that's where a first-time group turns into a regular. The operators who do those three things are the ones in the top quarter of that utilization table.
Written by Mathieu Morin, CRO at Golf O'Clock. Based on operating data from 300+ indoor golf venues.
Frequently asked questions
Is the indoor golf industry growing?
Yes. The National Golf Foundation counts 8.1 million US golf simulator users in 2024, up from 3.8 million in 2015, and a record 47.2 million golf participants in 2024 once off-course formats are included.
What is a good utilization rate for a golf simulator?
Across the 200+ venues on Golf O'Clock, the median runs about 41% utilization in peak season (November to April), the top quarter 57% and the top tenth 72%. Annual blended utilization lands in the mid thirties. Treat 60% as a strong peak-season result, not a planning assumption.
How much revenue does a golf simulator bay make per year?
A typical bay on Golf O'Clock sells about 1,900 hours a year. At median rates of $40 in Canada or $55 in the US per bay hour, that is about $75,000 in Canada or $105,000 in the US in session revenue, before food, memberships, lessons and events.
When is the busy season for indoor golf?
November through May. March is the busiest month, then January and April. In Golf O'Clock's booking data, venues average just under 50% utilization from November to April and about 23% from May to October.
What are the busiest times at golf simulator venues?
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days and Monday to Wednesday the quietest. On weekdays, bookings peak at 6 PM and 7 PM; on weekends the peak is 1 PM, with no evening spike.
How long is the average golf simulator booking?
About 1.95 hours in peak season and 1.75 hours in low season, across the 200+ venues on Golf O'Clock.
Are most golf simulator customers golfers?
About half are not. The National Golf Foundation found that 51% of simulator users had not played on a course in the past 12 months, up from 42% a decade earlier.
Are golf simulator businesses profitable in their first year?
The often-quoted figure that 80% reach profitability within a year comes from NGF's survey of 354 golf facilities, mostly courses and clubs that added simulators to an existing business. It says little about a standalone venue paying rent on a whole building. For those, utilization against fixed costs decides it.