There’s More To Golf Simulators Than Golf Simulation

Everyone knows that golf simulators re-create the game of golf in a virtual environment, but there is a wide range of other features with golf simulators that are not quite so widely known. Not only can you play your favourite courses from around the world, you can compete with others with quick play contests or develop you skills through practice programmes and analyse your strokes to correct errors and bad habits.

Cowlens install Sports Coach simulators. With these particular systems, forty golf courses are included as standard, so there is a huge amount of choice for the avid golfer. Surprisingly, a further 110 famous courses are also available as a bolt on package, should the 40 not be enough.

If you want to generate your own tournament, you can. Any course can be selected and any number of holes. The tournament can be created to last for as many hours, days or weeks as you like. The golf play mode is extremely flexible and even includes popular competition modes such as Stableford, Greensomes, Medal Stroke Play.

Quick play contests are a great alternative to playing a full round of golf. Quick play contests include longest drive, nearest to the pin or even putting. Not only are these features great for speedy group challenges, they are also useful in practice.

Speaking of practice, there are also special features designed specifically for this. The golf driving range feature can be adopted which displays performance data after each swing, including club speed, club face angle, distance and carry etc. You can even practice your chipping and putting skills and bunker shots or try the short game academy, which is a 143 yard course designed to help you improve your approach shots, pitch shots, chip and run and bunker shots (to name a few). With the short game academy players can even practice shots from the fairway, rough and long grass.

Simulators provide accurate feedback on your stroke so that you can fix those nasty habits. With high speed cameras observing your down-swing, impact position and follow through, your performance can be reported with astounding accuracy, which is why the simulator can even be used to help you find the right club and ball to suit your game with the custom fitting facility.

All in all there is more to a golf simulator than golf simulation. To find out more about what our simulators can offer, visit Cowlens.co.uk.

Cowlens Golf: Golf Simulators For The Commercial Market

We at Cowlens Golf are often asked if we install golf simulators in peoples homes. The simple answer is no. Cowlens only offer high quality golf simulator equipment to the commercial market.

Why? Because Cowlens packages are not designed for personal use. They are geared for our customers to generate high returns from the golf simulator market with a low capital investment.

At Cowlens, we take an interest in the profitability of your business and seek to identify whether a simulator would be beneficial. We arrange to meet our customers at their commercial premises to talk through the options. We look at the space available and whether we feel that a golf simulator would be right for our customers and their premises.

In some cases, the premises would not be suitable. We have no interest in encouraging customers to buy equipment if their premises are unsuitable or unlikely to generate an income.

At Cowlens, we also recognise that in many cases, one of our highly specified golf simulators would not be the most suitable solution as many of the high tech features would not be used to their fullest potential. In these cases, simulators with a slightly lower specification may be the more appropriate solution.

Our packages start from as little as £8,495 with enrolment into our 3-year agreement. Support and repairs are covered by the 3-year package.

So, if you want to profit from the golf simulator industry, avoid a high start-up capital outlay and would like to know whether your facility would benefit from a golf simulator,  talk to us first. Visit Cowlens.co.uk to find out more.

Replacement Parts for a Golf Simulator

So how much are replacement parts for a Golf Simulator?

Before running a golf simulator business, it is sensible to investigate not only the capital costs but also the likely cost of on-going maintenance. New simulator equipment can be expensive – prices of £20,000 upwards are not unusual, but the cost of replacement parts can be expensive too. Stranegely, unlike assessing maintenance costs for an expensive car, the cost of replacement parts for golf simulator equipment is often overlooked at the outset.

Take for example a golf simulator with high-speed camera technology. The projector alone could cost close to £2,000 to replace and the lighting and camera equipment a further £1,000. A faulty computer could have a replacement cost in excess of £1,000 and simple things such as a strike mat, multi surface mat and non reflective carpet could set you back approximately £750.

Cowlens low cost simulator package takes both the capital cost and maintenance cost into account. Cowlens offer to install golf simulators at a fraction of the price of other golf simulator suppliers (Our packages start from as little as £8,495 with enrolment into our simple three year agreement). However, what is even better is that our package includes full technical support and the replacement of failed components (subject to our fair wear and tear policy) not just foe one year, but for three years. We also offer on-going support packages to keep your simulator running like new even after the three year agreement ends.

We believe that our packages offer excellent value in this competitive market. To find out more about our low cost simulator package, visit www.cowlens.co.uk

Wanting More Access to Golf?

Golf in the winter months doesn’t have the same allure as golf in the summer does it? Trudging around a golf course in winter lacks appeal to all but the most enthusiastic golfer. Even those keen to play may find that their my fair weather golfing partners have already accepted defeat and packed up for the year. Other, things seem to take priority.

But what if there was a full 18 hole virtual golf club near you that was open all year round? What if that golf course was easily accessible, and playing on it meshed neatly with your daily routine?

Leisure centres, amusement arcades and bowling alleys located in or near our high streets sound unlikely places to have golf simulator facilities. But maybe, if these premises offered access to golf simulators, people would actually use them. After all, people visit these places to get fit, play competitive sports or to have some recreation time. Is that not the same reason why people play golf?

A suitable premises doesn’t have to be a golf course or virtual golf facility. In fact, these places could even be discouraging to an amateur golfer. Some people are just looking for an excuse to be able to play or practice at a time that fits into their daily routine.

Consider these scenarios for a moment:

If you were to go to the gym, you may think you have no time to practice your golf that same evening. But if there was a golf simulator at the gym, would you not be tempted to sneak in some practice?

Children love to play in amusement arcades. If you were to take your youngsters on a day out and found yourself dragged into an amusement arcade, and noticed that a golf simulator had been installed, would you be able to resist a few swings to rid yourself of that disastrous hook?

What if you go bowling one evening to compete with your friends and notice a golf simulator has been installed. How long would it take before the rivalry moves onto a nearest to pin competition, or another planned visit is tabled to play greensomes?

At Cowlens Golf, we are particularly interested in the more unusual premises such as these. We believe that these venues would capture the passing trade that is not experienced by specialist golf centres.

If you have a premises such as this and have previously overlooked golf simulators due to high costs - or because you are worried about the footfall, then our low price, low risk package may just be the answer.

To find out more about our simulator package, take a look at our website, Cowlens.co.uk.

Maximising Profits From Golf Simulation

With good quality golf simulators costing the best part of £20,000 or more, it can be a daunting prospect to enter into the golf simulator market.  With typical hourly play prices of between £20per hour inclusive of VAT, it is easy to see that with an average of 5 hours play per day, the business will struggle break even after a full twelve months.
In fact, with a pre-tax play price of £16.66, 5 hours play per day, 365 days a year, revenue would be approximately £30,000.  In basic terms, forgetting overheads for a moment, profit would be approximately  £10,000 on a £20,000 investment, in other words about 50% return on investment.

This might appear a good return to you, but at Cowlens, we don’t think it is!

So what do we think is a good return on investment?
60%?  70%
No.

Ideally, a business would want to generate a return of 100% or more on their initial capital investment, starting in year 1.
To overcome this, some simulator companies may promote their systems with an illustration of much higher game play.  Some will have illustrations of up to 14 hours play per day.  This amount of play would show income levels in excess of £85,000 per year.  Whilst this is not impossible, it is clearly impractical and unrealistic for a start up company.  With many new businesses folding in the first year of trading, it is clear that businesses need the best possible start in order to survive, not unrealistic targets.
So is a 100% return on investment actually possible?  At Cowlens we believe that with the right set up, it is.
Cowlens have devised a new approach.  We call it our low cost simulator package.  With a low start up cost of just £8,495 (and enrolment onto our 3 year pricing plan) businesses already have a head start.

Taking the earlier example of 5 hours game play per day and income of £30,000 it is easy to see how the low entry price of £8,495 can generate an attractive return on investment.  There are other monthly charges to consider with the 3 year plan, however with these included, returns of over 100% can be achieved in the first year with just 5 hours play per day at £16.66 per hour.
Of course, not all businesses will be the same, thats why Cowlens also assist with developing pricing structures to increase returns. Examples are shown on our previous blog: Golf Simulator Profits - Buying Time. With a definitive pricing structure and our low entry cost combined, we believe that with the risks of failure are significantly reduced and the opportunities of success are enhanced.
If you would like to know more about our low cost simulator package visit Cowlens.co.uk.