Golfzon connected with General Manager Ben Mackey to discuss the reasonings behind creating this new golf simulator business, the technology Golfzon provides and the secret sauce to a great customer experience.
Golfzon: Why start a commercial golf simulator business?
Ben: Golfzon, which began in South Korea in 2000, broke into the North America market in 2015 after noticing how the golf simulator market was trending up and how land availability for new golf courses was paring down. While COVID-19 has been great for golf courses, we are starting to see more demand than can be met with green grass facilities.
Part of growing the game is making golf more easily accessible to the customer. The Topgolf model helped shape the industry by making golf more attainable off the course - that’s where the Golfzon golf simulator comes into play. Commercial indoor golf simulator facilities are popping up all over because it’s the trend. It’s hot, and we all want to capitalize on it and make a big splash in the market.
ZSTRICT has seen the company’s growth and will be opening a few new locations in the near future.
Golfzon: What surprised you the most when starting ZSTRICT?
Ben: What surprised me the most was some of the hesitation towards golf simulators. When they were first manufactured 50 years ago, they gained a negative stigma that unfortunately stuck because the technology was really poor. A large number of our customer base, and some people who were coming in that were interested, still carried this negative connotation toward golf simulators, so that was a huge hurdle for us. We really had to make sure we changed that narrative right off the bat otherwise our business wouldn’t be successful.
It was really surprising to see the market’s opinion on golf simulators, but it was also so rewarding to have such an amazing product. We could show them there was something better, that Golfzon golf simulators are more than just a thing you put in your basement. Golf simulators are interactive, fun machines that allow you to play real golf.
Read the full Building a Commercial Simulator Business article on Golfzon.com to learn more about building a virtual golf business.
In the Connecticut area? Consider booking a bay and come out and give ZSTRICT a try!