About Us
Lem Clevenger
I began looking into indoor golf as a potential second career. After years in the the corporate world, I began to dream about a second career in golf. I've always loved golf and thought about switching careers to become a business owner. In doing deep research into indoor golf businesses, it quickly became apparent that the assumptions about the number of rounds played drove the business case on such an enterprise. This refers to both the number of simulators my area could support and the percentage of time they would be rented.
About 15 years ago I went deep researching indoor golf, golf simulators, and related golf gear. I've surveyed actual business owners, indoor golf players, and golf simulator owners to understand what really works. I also built a forum with over 20k members that actively talk about golf simulators and golf gear.
What I found was that the simulator manufacturer ROI models overstated actual use. I was also able to evaluate a number of other data sources covering weather, golfers in a 10 mile radius, home price, percentage of renters, etc around a facility to identify a few drivers to help build a forecast of expected utilization in my area.
Given the total lack of information like this, I thought it might be interesting to see if I could build a community and continue to gather data about golf, golf simulators, golf gear, and business that potential owners and DIY enthusiasts would find useful in building their own business or home golf simulator.
I began looking into indoor golf as a potential second career. After years in the the corporate world, I began to dream about a second career in golf. I've always loved golf and thought about switching careers to become a business owner. In doing deep research into indoor golf businesses, it quickly became apparent that the assumptions about the number of rounds played drove the business case on such an enterprise. This refers to both the number of simulators my area could support and the percentage of time they would be rented.
About 15 years ago I went deep researching indoor golf, golf simulators, and related golf gear. I've surveyed actual business owners, indoor golf players, and golf simulator owners to understand what really works. I also built a forum with over 20k members that actively talk about golf simulators and golf gear.
What I found was that the simulator manufacturer ROI models overstated actual use. I was also able to evaluate a number of other data sources covering weather, golfers in a 10 mile radius, home price, percentage of renters, etc around a facility to identify a few drivers to help build a forecast of expected utilization in my area.
Given the total lack of information like this, I thought it might be interesting to see if I could build a community and continue to gather data about golf, golf simulators, golf gear, and business that potential owners and DIY enthusiasts would find useful in building their own business or home golf simulator.
Reid Colson
Reid Colson is a long-time data professional with experience at multiple Fortune 500 companies. His most recent position was as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Markel. Before that, he held several roles at Capital One, including the Vice President of Data Engineering.
Throughout his distinguished professional career, Reid has developed a specialization in analytics, data warehousing and business intelligence, as well as the invaluable skills of coaching, people development, and strategic planning. With a wealth of experience in working closely with people, Reid excels at unlocking their full potential while generously sharing his knowledge.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Reid is an avid and dedicated golfer, boasting over 40 years of experience in the game. His passion for golf was kindled during his high school years when he actively participated on the school's golf team. He has a 5 handicap and a background in competitive golf. His unwavering love for the sport has remained a constant presence in his life, fueling his enthusiasm both on and off the golf course.
While his career did not involve golf, his passion for golf never wavered, transforming him into the go-to resource among his friends for golf gear recommendations. This wealth of knowledge and expertise is something he gladly shares with readers of Yardstick Golf. Reid's genuine enthusiasm and willingness to assist others have made him a trusted authority in the realm of golf equipment, ensuring that fellow golf enthusiasts can make well-informed decisions to enhance their game.
When he’s not on a golf course, Reid loves to spend time with his family and friends, take a boat out, and relax, surrounded by water and nature. He also enjoys listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
Throughout his distinguished professional career, Reid has developed a specialization in analytics, data warehousing and business intelligence, as well as the invaluable skills of coaching, people development, and strategic planning. With a wealth of experience in working closely with people, Reid excels at unlocking their full potential while generously sharing his knowledge.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Reid is an avid and dedicated golfer, boasting over 40 years of experience in the game. His passion for golf was kindled during his high school years when he actively participated on the school's golf team. He has a 5 handicap and a background in competitive golf. His unwavering love for the sport has remained a constant presence in his life, fueling his enthusiasm both on and off the golf course.
While his career did not involve golf, his passion for golf never wavered, transforming him into the go-to resource among his friends for golf gear recommendations. This wealth of knowledge and expertise is something he gladly shares with readers of Yardstick Golf. Reid's genuine enthusiasm and willingness to assist others have made him a trusted authority in the realm of golf equipment, ensuring that fellow golf enthusiasts can make well-informed decisions to enhance their game.
When he’s not on a golf course, Reid loves to spend time with his family and friends, take a boat out, and relax, surrounded by water and nature. He also enjoys listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
Our Indoor Golf Mission
For nearly 15 years, our mission has been simple. Yardstick Golf's aim is to help you build a successful indoor golf business or build the best simulator through research and data driven strategies. With over 1,500 buyers, 25,000 followers, 200 pages of published content, 50+ surveys, and countless hours of research, we have a grounded opinion about golf simulators and golf gear.
Our benchmarking study is the cornerstone of our golf simulator business research. By examining the performance of peer indoor golf businesses, you can quickly target the areas needing improvement. The benchmarking data also provides you with achievable minimum goals and targets based on the experience of others.
Our golf equipment buyers guide is the centerpiece of our gear research. We ask our forum of 25k followers to rate equipment they've bought. We analyze the results and publish our findings across this site and in the linked google sheet.
Whether you are a golf pro, a course manager or someone starting a second career, we can help. We've done extensive research on the indoor golf business. By combining surveys, data about businesses, traffic, weather and golfer demographics we've determined the keys to running a successful indoor golf center.
Sitemap
Our benchmarking study is the cornerstone of our golf simulator business research. By examining the performance of peer indoor golf businesses, you can quickly target the areas needing improvement. The benchmarking data also provides you with achievable minimum goals and targets based on the experience of others.
Our golf equipment buyers guide is the centerpiece of our gear research. We ask our forum of 25k followers to rate equipment they've bought. We analyze the results and publish our findings across this site and in the linked google sheet.
Whether you are a golf pro, a course manager or someone starting a second career, we can help. We've done extensive research on the indoor golf business. By combining surveys, data about businesses, traffic, weather and golfer demographics we've determined the keys to running a successful indoor golf center.
Sitemap
