Commercial Sim Bay ROI
Will your venue pay itself back?
Model bay count, market, and utilization. See payback period, monthly EBITDA, and 5-year ROI for a commercial golf simulator venue. Methodology sourced from the RG Golf ROI Analysis.
Inputs
Tell us about your venue
Market tierAuto-adjusts rate & opex
Number of bays4 bays
Hourly rate$52/hr
Range: $40–$65 base · $60–$85 peak
Utilization40%
Benchmark: 35–50% realistic · 55%+ excellent
Operating hours per week168 hrs
Default: 168 hrs (24/7 self-serve) · Min: 56 (8 hrs × 7 days)
PackageEagleye III
Build-out & soft costs$100,000
Lease improvements, flooring, HVAC, permits, GC fees, signage, working capital. Auto-sets for Tier 2 × 4 bays — adjust for your market. Excludes real estate purchase.
Projected results
Year 1 steady-state
Payback period
5.7months
Top-quartile · in line with best-performing venues
Total CapEx
$243,996
Hardware $143,996 + build-out $100,000
Monthly revenue
$60,523
Monthly opex
$18,000
Monthly EBITDA
$42,523
Year 1 net cash (after CapEx)
$266,280
5-year ROI
+946%
Upside not modeled: this calc excludes memberships ($150–$400/mo recurring), F&B margin, corporate events ($500–$2,500/event), and league fees. Top-quartile venues hit 9–15 month payback when these are layered in. See the ROI analysis for the full breakdown.
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How we got these numbers
Hardware CapEx per bay
Pricing reflects the Eagleye III Professional core package ($18,999/bay: sensor + software + RG pad) and Premium complete turnkey package ($35,999/bay: core + host computer + projector + auto-tee + touchscreen + installation). Source: RG Golf ROI Analysis.
Revenue model
Monthly revenue = bays × (weekly operating hours × utilization %) × 4.33 × hourly rate
Hourly rate defaults: $85/hr (Tier 1, range $70–$100), $52/hr (Tier 2, range $40–$65), $38/hr (Tier 3). Editable per scenario.
Operating expenses
Monthly opex = fixed base + (per-bay marginal × bays) — calibrated to the ROI analysis's $18,350–$36,400/mo range for a 4-bay Tier 2 venue. Covers rent, labor, utilities, insurance, marketing. Higher tiers scale for urban real estate and staffing.
Build-out & soft costs
Build-out = fixed base + (per-bay × bays) — tier-calibrated to the all-in range of $225K–$375K for a 4-bay venue. Covers lease improvements, flooring, acoustic treatment, HVAC, projector mounts, permits, architect + GC fees, signage, POS/A/V, working capital for pre-open. Excludes real estate purchase (most operators lease).
- Tier 1 Urban: $80K fixed + $25K/bay (4-bay = $180K)
- Tier 2 Suburban: $40K fixed + $15K/bay (4-bay = $100K)
- Tier 3 Small Market: $20K fixed + $10K/bay (4-bay = $60K)
Editable — if you have a precise quote from a GC or know your market, overwrite the default.
What’s excluded (on purpose)
- Memberships, F&B, corporate events, leagues — top-quartile revenue drivers, held out to keep the base case conservative. Flagged as upside in results.
- Financing — assumes cash purchase. Financed IRR differs (usually improves cash-on-cash return).
- Ramp period — shows steady-state month 1. Real venues ramp over 3–6 months as leagues and memberships build.
- Tariffs — pricing reflects current Americas landed cost. If trade policy shifts, package pricing adjusts at time of quote.
Payback benchmarks
- 9–15 months — top-quartile (Tier 1, strong utilization, events + memberships layered in)
- 18–30 months — typical performers (Tier 2, moderate utilization, some events)
- 36+ months — below-median (weak utilization or Tier 3 without diversified revenue)
Calculator v1 · methodology cited from /blog/golf-simulator-roi. Every model is an estimate — real venue performance depends on location, operations, and marketing execution.
marketing@rggolf.com