Every indoor golf venue eventually faces the same question: should we push memberships, or keep things simple with pay-as-you-go pricing? The answer depends on your venue type, your customer base, and how much operational complexity you are willing to manage. But the data from venues using Golf O'Clock points clearly in one direction for most operators.
The case for pay-as-you-go
Pay-as-you-go is the default model for most venues when they open. It is simple to set up, easy for customers to understand, and requires no ongoing billing infrastructure. A customer books a session, pays at the time of booking, and that is the end of the transaction.
For venues in their first year, pay-as-you-go is often the right choice. You are still learning your demand patterns, your peak and off-peak hours, and which customer segments are most valuable. Locking customers into memberships before you understand your own pricing structure can create problems later.
Pay-as-you-go also works well for venues with a high proportion of one-time or occasional visitors, such as venues near tourist areas or venues that attract corporate groups and events. These customers are unlikely to become members regardless of what you offer, and a simple per-session price is the path of least resistance.
The case for memberships
Memberships solve two problems that pay-as-you-go cannot: revenue predictability and customer retention. A member who pays a monthly fee is committed to your venue in a way that a casual visitor is not. They are more likely to book regularly, more likely to refer friends, and more likely to forgive the occasional operational hiccup.
From a revenue perspective, memberships provide a base of recurring income that is independent of week-to-week booking fluctuations. A venue with 40 active members paying a monthly fee has a predictable revenue floor that makes financial planning significantly easier. Pay-as-you-go revenue, by contrast, is entirely dependent on bookings, which can vary substantially with weather, seasons, and local events.
Venues on Golf O'Clock that run membership programmes alongside pay-as-you-go pricing consistently report that members account for a disproportionate share of total revenue. Members book more frequently, tend to book longer sessions, and are more likely to purchase add-ons. The lifetime value of a member is substantially higher than that of a casual visitor.
Hybrid models
Most successful venues run both. The typical structure is a tiered membership programme alongside standard pay-as-you-go pricing, with members receiving a discounted rate per session or a set number of included sessions per month.
A common configuration on Golf O'Clock looks like this: a standard pay-as-you-go rate for casual bookings, a basic membership that provides a 20 to 25 percent discount on all bookings, and a premium membership that includes a set number of sessions per month with the option to book additional sessions at the discounted rate. This structure gives customers a clear reason to upgrade while keeping the entry point accessible.
The key to making a hybrid model work is ensuring that the membership discount is meaningful enough to change behaviour. A 10 percent discount is unlikely to convert a casual visitor into a member. A 25 percent discount, combined with the convenience of not having to think about per-session pricing, is a much stronger proposition.
What the data shows
Across venues using Golf O'Clock, those running active membership programmes show higher average monthly revenue per bay than pay-as-you-go-only venues of comparable size. The difference is most pronounced in venues with four to eight bays, where the operational overhead of managing memberships is low relative to the revenue benefit.
The conversion rate from casual visitor to member varies significantly by venue, but venues that actively promote their membership programme at the point of booking, and that follow up with first-time visitors after their session, consistently achieve higher conversion rates than those that simply list membership options on their website.
If you are not running a membership programme yet, the most practical starting point is a simple two-tier structure: a free tier (standard pay-as-you-go) and a single paid membership with a clear, meaningful discount. Add complexity only once you understand how your customers respond to the initial offer.
Written by Mathieu Morin, CRO at Golf O'Clock. Based on operating data from 200+ indoor golf venues across North America, the UK, and Europe.