How to Start a Driving Range
By Bill Herrfeldt
Perhaps you've been interested in golf and you would like to turn your hobby into a career. With a little help and money, consider starting a driving range where you can make a good living, assuming that you follow some basic principles. You'll find owning one rewarding, and you will be close to the sport you have loved almost forever.
Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging
Decide whether you will open a brand new driving range or buy an existing one, instead. If you want to start a golf range from scratch, you'll first need to locate a parcel of land that is large enough to contain a building and enough stalls to justify the cost. Of course, that piece of land must be at least 275 yards or longer to accommodate today's long hitters. If you choose to buy an existing driving range, so much of your decision will be based on the terms set out by the seller. If you decide to pursue this, you should be fully aware of the such things as the cash flow of the business and weigh its potential profitability based upon the seller's asking price.
Do your homework before you build or buy a golf driving range because it will be critical to your financial success. For instance, you need to know who your perspective customers will be and what are their expectations. And it's a great idea to broadcast your plans to your neighbors because they want to know and are a source for new customers. Furthermore, if you are building a range from the ground up, most likely you will need approval of your plans for the property; and depending on your county, these approvals can be difficult to get. Consider getting help from a professional to expedite that process.
Before you open a new range or buy an existing one, determine the hours the driving range will be open and how much you will charge. Both of these should be based on your customers' wishes and expectations. Also, recognize that your range will experience down-time, so you'll need to decide whether you will reduce your prices at those times to encourage greater traffic.
Develop a vision of what you will offer. For example, you should decide if offering food to your clientele is economically feasible. How about other factors such as selling golf equipment and clothing or offering golf lessons? If you consider any of these opportunities to grow your driving range business, each should have its own pricing strategy.
About The Author
Bill Herrfeldt specializes in finance, sports and the needs of retiring people, and has been published in the national edition of "Erickson Tribune," the "Washington Post" and the "Arizona Republic." He graduated from the University of Louisville.
