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How To Get Started Playing Golf

12/27/2022

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A Beginners Guide to Golf

Learning to golf
I first started playing golf when I was 9 years old. I attended a camp near my home in south Florida. It was pretty simple, they took us to a range, gave us clubs and the pro gave us pointers from time to time. I was lucky to be introduced to the game before I had any preconceived notions about golf. Not everyone is so lucky so I wanted to share some thoughts on how to get started in golf. 

When you first start playing golf, don’t expect it to be as easy as the pro’s make it look. I’ve learned to expect to encounter a variety of challenges and obstacles to the game. Golf requires a combination of physical skill, mental focus, and strategic thinking. As a beginner, you should expect to spend a lot of time learning and practicing the basic skills of the game, such as gripping the club correctly, aligning your body properly, and developing a basic swing.

In addition to learning the basics of the golf swing, I would advise that you also expect to spend a lot of time on the course. You’ll want to learn how to navigate the layout and play the different shots that you’ll encounter in a typical round. It will be a trial and error process where you make mistakes and adjust as you learn from those mistakes. It is important to keep an open mind and be willing to learn and improve, as this will be key to your success on the course.

Along the way, try to keep it fun. At the end of the day, you are playing for enjoyment and shouldn’t let the challenges get you down. Golf can be a rewarding and enjoyable sport, and the more you play and learn, the more you will begin to appreciate the beauty and challenge of the game. Even if you struggle at times, try to remember that golf is a game and is meant to be enjoyed.

If you are interested in learning how to play golf, there are a few key steps that you can follow to get started.

  1. Learn the basic rules and etiquette of the game. Golf is a game with strict rules and a set of unwritten etiquette guidelines that players are expected to follow. Familiarizing yourself with these rules and guidelines will help you avoid any embarrassing mistakes and ensure that you are welcomed by other players on the course.
  2. Get the right equipment. Golf is a sport that requires specialized equipment, and having the right clubs, balls, shoes, and other gear is essential for success. While it is possible to borrow or rent equipment when you are just starting out, eventually you will want to invest in your own set of clubs. As a beginner, you should focus on purchasing a set of game improvement irons, which are designed to be more forgiving and easier to hit. You should also consider getting a putter, a driver, and a few wedges. See our reviews to help identify the best equipment for you.
  3. Find a good place to learn and practice. Golf is a game that requires a lot of practice and repetition, and finding a good place to learn and practice is essential. Many local golf courses offer lessons and practice facilities, and some even have dedicated areas for beginners. Alternatively, you can consider joining a golf club or seeking out a private instructor to help you get started. Another good option is to find an indoor golf facility that offers instruction packages.
  4. Start with the basics. When you are first learning how to play golf, it is important to focus on the basics and build a solid foundation. This means learning how to grip the club correctly, aligning your body properly, and developing a basic swing. There are many different swing techniques and methods, and finding the one that works best for you will take time and practice.
  5. Focus on your short game. While driving distance is often what gets the most attention in golf, the short game (putting, chipping, and pitching) is where most players score. As a beginner, you should focus on developing your short-game skills, as they will be the key to shooting low scores and improving your overall game.
  6. Play regularly and have fun. Finally, the most important thing to remember when learning how to play golf is to have fun. Golf can be a challenging and frustrating game at times, but it can also be extremely rewarding and enjoyable. The more you play and practice, the better you will become, and the more fun you will have.

I know that getting started in golf can seem intimidating to many folks, but with the right approach and a little bit of patience, you can quickly develop the skills and confidence you need to enjoy the game. By following these basic steps, you can learn how to play golf and start experiencing all that this great sport has to offer.

Keep in mind that learning how to play golf is a process that takes time and practice. How long depends on a number of factors, such as your natural athletic ability, your dedication to practicing and learning, and your overall goals as a golfer.
For many beginner golfers, it can take several months to a year to develop a basic level of proficiency and begin to see improvement in their scores. I’ve found that for most beginners taking lessons, practicing regularly, and playing frequently can help you improve more quickly.

As you continue to play and practice, you will likely see your skills and knowledge of the game improve over time. Some golfers may be able to reach a more advanced level of proficiency within a few years, while others may take longer.

Overall, the key to learning how to play golf is to be patient and persistent, and to be willing to put in the time and effort required to improve. By consistently practicing and playing, and by seeking out guidance and instruction when needed, you can learn how to play golf and become much better than when you just started playing.

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Golf Simulator Man Cave - Must Have Items

11/19/2022

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Decking Out Your Golf Simulator Man Cave

This article will give you all the information you need to build a golf simulator man cave in your house. While you will need a golf simulator, there are many other items you'll need for your golf simulator man cave. We'll start with a few of the components you'll need to customize your man cave, whether it is in your basement, garage or a shed.

Your golf simulator hitting bay can be a ready made kit or something you DIY yourself to get the ultimate setup for your golf simulator man cave. Before this becomes your favorite room in your house, your next step will be to design, purchase, and install all the features and accessories you need to go along with the simulator technology.

I'll start by talking about protection for the hitting bay and the residential golf simulator room. You will likely want padding to protect your room from golf balls hitting softer items. You'll want ceiling protection for your golf simulator, along with side panels / wall padding and even padding for the hitting bay itself. An alternative to the wall padding can be either heavy curtains or a hitting net to protect the walls and prevent golf ball ricochets.

  • Golf simulator hitting bay
  • Heavy curtains for golf simulator
  • Golf simulator wall or ceiling padding
  • Golf simulator side netting

With the protective frame planned, it is time to start looking at the items that will make the golf simulator man cave start to function as a golf simulator for home use. Starting from the ground up you'll need a golf hitting mat and you'll likely want golf simulator turf for a landing pad for golf balls. The golf simulator turf may also double as a putting green for the golf simulator. You will want a good quality screen to hit golf balls into and a good projector to project images onto the screen. You'll also need somewhere to put your computer and an easy to use golf simulator control box. Last but not least, is the heart of your man cave, the golf simulator and the golf simulator software.

  • Golf hitting mats
  • Golf simulator turf
  • Golf simulator putting green
  • Golf simulator computer stand
  • Golf simulator control box
  • Golf simulators
  • Impact screens
  • Projectors
  • Golf simulator software
  • Golf simulator tees

You may also want to consider ways to heat or cool your man cave, particularly if you are building it out in your garage, basement, or in a shed.

Man Cave Golf Simulator Design Ideas

garage golf simulator
golf simulator shed man cave
man cave with a golf simulator
man cave garage golf
budget man cave golf simulator
These are just a few of the ways you can turn that extra space into a golf simulator man cave. Whether your man cave is in a shed, a garage, or the basement, there are lots of ways to set it up for fun.

Now it's your turn. What did we miss? Comment below.

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Golf Simulator cost Infographic

8/26/2022

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Home Golf Simulator Price Breakdown

Home golf simulator installations are on the rise. We've done research on component prices and wanted to share them in a fun an interesting way. Our first chart shows a breakdown of required components versus optional ones and how they contribute to the price of your home golf simulator.

golf simulator cost breakdown
We also thought it would be interesting to visualize each component cost as a share of the total using a tree map. Because the total setup cost and components can vary, we did three versions: an affordable golf simulator setup, a mid-tier one, and a premium golf simulator installation.
Home golf simulator price comparisons
Let me know what you think. Do you want to see more of these types of visualizations?
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5 most popular golf simulators (real customer reviews)

8/6/2022

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18 Statistics on the Top Golf Simulators

I recently ran a survey in my forum of over 8,000 golf simulator enthusiasts to understand what golf simulator they owned and how they rate it. I asked them to share information on what they paid, what metrics it tracks, their satisfaction with its accuracy, if they’d buy it again, and what golf course software they use with the golf simulator.

I wanted to share a quick article of golf simulator statistics based on the buyer survey. Below is a summary of their responses starting with the most popular golf simulator in the survey, the SkyTrack Launch Monitor. I hope you find this informative.

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SkyTrack Launch Monitor

This was the most popular simulator in the survey based on the number of responses. I suspect it has to do with the affordable price point and wide range of compatible golf course software options. 

SkyTrack Pro’s:
  • An affordable golf simulator price point
  • Wide range of compatible golf course software packages
  • Includes driving range software
  • Portability and outside simulator use
  • On the lower end of depth required for use

SkyTrack Con's:
  • Lower than average reported accuracy in survey responses
  • Need to move it for left versus right handed golfers
  • Owners reported there was not video playback capability

SkyTrack Simulator Owner Reviews
SkyTrack Ball Metrics
SkyTrack Club Metrics
Check Price

Garmin R10 Launch Monitor and Golf Simulator

The Garmin was the second most popular simulator in the survey based on the number of responses. It is a relatively new offering from a well known brand. Along with being from a well known brand, folks were excited as it tracks many more metrics than simulators that are much more expensive.

Garmin R10 Pro’s:
  • Very affordable price point (one of the lowest on the list)
  • Wide range metrics it tracks and courses it can use
  • No adjustment needed to switch between left versus right handed golfers
  • Portability and outside simulator use
  • Has video playback capabilities to see your swing

Garmin R10 Con’s:
  • Lower than average reported accuracy in survey responses
  • Requires marked balls to pick up spin accurately

Garmin R10 Owner Reviews
Garmin R10 Ball Metrics
Garmin R10 Club Metrics
Check Price

Flightscope Mevo Plus

Owners reports indicate that the Flightscope Mevo plus outperforms the less expensive simulators in every way and comes in at a much lower price point than many of the high end options. Owners reported it was easy to set up and worked well right out of the box.

Flightscope Mevo Plus Pro’s:
  • An affordable price point
  • Much better ratings on accuracy by owners than average
  • Very high percent that would buy it again
  • Ability to upgrade to Mevo Pro and track even more metrics
  • Low reported delay from hitting the ball to seeing data
  • Video playback and driving range are both available

Flightscope Mevo Plus Con’s:
  • Not much club data without the Pro add-on
  • Requires a bit more depth for setup than a few others

Flightscope Mevo Plus Reviews
Flightscope Mevo Plus Ball Metrics
Flightscope Mevo Plus Club Metrics
Check Price

Uneekor EYE XO

The Uneekor EYE XO is a premium overhead launch monitor and golf simulator. It's super-speed cameras provide instant shot feedback and some of the most accurate, in-depth data on the market. Owners give it very high marks for accuracy. It is a residential golf simulator that is considered pro level and is often found in commercial settings.

Uneekor EYE XO Pro’s:
  • The BEST ratings on accuracy by owners
  • 100% of respondents would buy it again
  • Very broad range of ball and club data that it tracks
  • Almost no reported delay from hitting the ball to seeing data
  • Video playback and driving range are both available

Uneekor EYE XO Con’s:
  • Fixed position overhead means you are not taking it outside
  • A higher price point that may be beyond budget for some

Uneekor EYE XO Reviews
Uneekor EYE XO Ball Metrics
Uneekor EYE XO Club Metrics
Check Price

Bushnell Launch Pro

Bushnell acquired Foresight Sports in the Summer of 2021, and the first big product to be released came in the form of the Bushnell Launch Pro launch monitor. It is a bit bigger and heavier than other portable models in the review and folks tend to think of it as professional grade.

Bushnell Launch Pro’s:
  • On the higher end of simulator accuracy ratings by owners
  • 94% of respondents would buy it again
  • Very broad range of ball and club data that it tracks
  • Almost no reported delay from hitting the ball to seeing data
  • Video playback and driving range are both available
  • On the lower end of depth required for use

Bushnell Launch Con’s:
  • Need to move it for left versus right handed golfers
  • Setup process was confusing for some owners
  • Below average number of compatible course software options 

Bushnell Launch Pro Reviews
Bushnell Launch Pro Ball Metrics
BLP Club Metrics
Check Price

I hope you found these top 5 golf simulator reviews helpful. There are many great reasons to get a golf simulator and there is surely one that will fit your needs. A great setup will allow you to play or practice at any time of day, in any sort of weather.

There are a few things every golf simulator needs in order to provide a quality experience, namely a launch monitor or tracking system that records your shot data, a net or hitting screen & projector, and good software that simulates your shots.

Now it is your turn.
Please let me know what you think in the comments. What simulators should I add to this list? What do you think of your simulator?

If you liked this article, please use the buttons up top and share it - thanks in advance for your help!

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking on the link may earn us a small commission but will not cost you anything extra.
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How much does it cost to start an indoor golf business (2022)

8/4/2022

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Commercial golf simulator costs
We get this question a lot. Let’s start by examining the most crucial element, golf simulators. 
​

What does a golf simulator cost?​

  • The best commercial golf simulators generally run between $35,000 and $75,000, but some start in the high teens and some can run up to $100,000
  • Home simulators start at $300 and can run as high as you want, approaching the high end of the commercial range
  • Simulator prices tend to vary based on the features included, accuracy of the ball physics and realism of the simulated golf course

The price ranges also vary by brand. That said, you don't have to spend $100k to get a great setup. See sometailored golf simulator packages that can bring your startup costs down.
 
Cost ranges by commercial golf simulator brand:
  • aboutGolf: costs range from $42,000 – $92,000
  • Golfzon: costs range from $40,000 – $70,000
  • HD Golf: costs range from $35,000 – $70,000
  • P3ProSwing: costs range from $8,400-$18,400
  • ProTee United: costs range from $5,200-$26,200
  • Trackman: costs range from $49,995 – $100,000
  • TruGolf: costs range from $30,000 – $70,000
  • Visual Sports: costs range from $35,000 – $100,000
  • XGolf: costs range from $40,000 – $70,000
  • See More Affordable Commercial Packages

Get all the information you need to start and grow a profitable indoor golf business with our Ultimate Startup Plan:
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Starting an indoor golf business

Yardstick Golf has done extensive research on what it cost to open indoor golf centers.  There is a wide range of startup costs for the indoor golf bars we studied. Four of the biggest factors driving the range in costs are:
  • The number of simulators deployed at a facility
  • Price point of the individual simulators chosen
  • The size of the facility being established
  • Other services offered like food and beverage
 
Small Indoor Golf Centers
Small golf centers we studied cost between $50,000 and $250,000 to open. They had between 2 and 4 simulators and were between 1,500 and 3,200 square feet.  Simulator choices were on the lower end of the commercial range.
 
Medium Sized Indoor Golf Centers
Medium sized golf centers we studied cost between $350,000 and $650,000 to open. They had anywhere from 6 to 8 simulators and were between 5,500 and 10,000 square feet.  Simulator choices were generally mid to high end of the commercial range. Beverage services were much more common that food service.
 
Large Indoor Golf Businesses
The largest golf centers we studied cost between $750,000 and $900,000 to open. 7 to 10 simulators were the norm for this group and the facilities were between 6,800 and 12,000 square feet.  Simulator choices were typically high end, but a few went more in the mid-commercial range. Beverage services were also much more common that food service.
 
What do you think?
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Now I’d like to hear from you:

Did you have a different experience opening your center, or are there other cost questions you’d like to know?

​Comment and share your experience or question.

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golf lessons on your simulator

7/30/2022

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Golf Lessons From Anywhere

I recently met Eric Eppic, the Founder and CEO of Swizzy Golf. Eric's company is bringing golf lessons to everyone via their app. Since simulators are a great learning tool and because his app focuses on video, I see the to be very natural companions. Given this opportunity to get more out of your simulator, I asked Eric to share more about Swizzy - his thoughts are below.

Getting the most out of your simulator, with Swizzy Golf
Hi everyone, we’re Swizzy Golf – a mobile platform for real-time, remote golf lessons between students and certified instructors. We’ve taken advanced swing analysis tools and integrated them directly into our live lesson environment. While in a lesson, instructors can annotate on screen, record live swings, replay live swings, analyze videos from an existing media library, and more, as their students follow along – all in real-time.
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Our mission is to democratize the sport; to make golf more welcoming than ever, giving everyone in (or aspiring to join) the golf community instant access to high quality lessons. With Swizzy Golf, the factors that have made golf inaccessible in the past are no longer barriers, and we think an even greater way to facilitate this is through golf simulators. Golf simulators provide the much-needed space that power a seamless and effective Swizzy Golf lesson. With that said, offering Swizzy Golf as an option in golf simulators is beneficial for the venue as well – we allow golf simulator venues to promote instruction or lessons without having an actual Professional on-site.
 
In 2018, the National Golf Foundation conducted research on “Simulated Golf” where PGA Superstore CEO Dick Sullivan claimed they conducted over 50,000 golf lessons in their in-house simulators. In addition, he said, “You don’t see Amazon giving lessons or putting grips on. We’re unique that way. We don’t just sell product, we provide a different level of service.” Swizzy Golf empowers golf simulator operators via the option to provide their customers with this different level of service. The additional service of providing golf instruction will draw more patrons to the simulators and increase the amount of money they are likely to spend there.
 
Dedicated support to enable your success
Offering Swizzy Golf as an option would require minimal effort. To optimize your space for virtual lessons, we recommend setting up a simple phone-stand / tripod in the simulator area for customers to use with their device. Furthermore, we can provide material on how the students can easily get setup and into a virtual lesson within minutes. There are a number of ways that we can support your efforts for providing remote instruction. Because we’re still a relatively new and growing company, we’re able to dedicate time and effort to each of our partners to find the best solution for their space. In addition to providing the platform and assisting in optimizing the simulator for virtual lessons, we can dedicate Pro’s on our platform to be available at given times, manage the lesson booking requests from your customers, and facilitate the entire lesson transaction process from beginning to end. We're even working with golf simulator manufacturers on software integrations, which would allow users to access Swizzy Golf lessons directly through the simulator without an external device.
 
More about Swizzy Golf
The idea and technology behind Swizzy Golf surfaced in late 2018, when a pair of passionate golfers realized two voids in the industry: 1) insufficient digital golf instruction, and 2) lack of access to quality, real-time golf instruction. Since then, the concept has been tested, the platform has been built, and the solution has gone live – now helping to connect Students and Instructors across the globe… whether you’re in the US, Europe, as far as Korea and Australia, or beyond.
 
And here we are – powering the first golf technology platform to enable live, remote golf lessons.
 
Find us at our website here, or in the iOS and Google Play Appstores. We can’t wait to join you on your journey to better golf – whether in your golf simulator or otherwise!
 
Swing easy,
The Swizzy Golf team
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How to use a golf simulator to lower your score (free download)

7/21/2022

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Lower your score with a golf simulator

If you are looking to lower your scores, I’ve recently used a golf simulator to shave a few strokes off my typical score. I was able to take my handicap from a 7 to a 4 by getting very precise information on how far I hit each and every one of my clubs. Below is a bit of a story on how and why I did it.

I recently got a new set of irons and wanted to see how far I hit each one. I decided to do a couple different sessions on a golf simulator and track the results. Over a few different sessions I hit each one of my irons 10 to 12 times and tracked the distance of each shot in a spreadsheet.

When I analyzed my shot data, the results surprised me…
  • I had as much as 30 yards between my best and worst shots some clubs
  • The average distance between my 5 and 6 iron was only seven yards
  • My belief of how far I hit some irons was off by 10-15 yards (I assumed I was longer)

Golf simulator deals
That last point seems to be fairly common.  According to Shot Scope’s database that has tracked nearly 20 million shots, 80% of golfers are missing their greens on the short side.

After seeing the data, I did a few things:
  • Adjusted the gaps on a couple irons and re-hit them to get updated distances
  • Created a cheat sheet that I laminated and stuck on my bag
  • I now regularly reference the cheat sheet when selecting a club

Here is how I did it. First I made a sheet in Excel to track the distances of each club. I put room to track 12 good swings with each club. I quickly realized that hitting 12 shots per golf club plus warm up in a single session would probably not give me the best results.

I decided to do two separate sessions of 6 shots with each club. If the shot was a huge outlier (say a massive chunk), I excluded it from my data. I recorded each reasonable (not perfect) shot in the spreadsheet and repeated the process through two different hitting sessions until I had 12 representative golf shots with each club. I also threw in some ½ and ¾ swing shots with my wedges and am super glad I did. I now have some great references for those in between yardages where you can really lower your score.

Then I got nerdy. . . 

I took the golf simulator data from the 12 golf swings and created a table that showed the Long, Average, and Short distance for each golf club.  The Long was an average of my 3 longest shots, and the Short was the average of my 3 shortest shots on the simulator. The average is across all 12. So now I know my average, short, and long distance with each club - including ½ and ¾ swings on all my wedges.

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Click the Image to Get The Distance Tool Free
This is where it gets really helpful. When picking a club I find my distance and go to the club with the closest average. I then look to see if the pin is in front, middle, or back position.  

If the flag is in the back of the green, I make sure the “Long” distance with that club won’t get me in trouble. If it might, I look at the average distance of the next shorter club and see if the “Short” distance would get me in trouble.  I am essentially looking at the two clubs to see which has less risk. Knowing my full range of tendencies has enabled me to avoid a blowup hole or two every other round or so. 

If the flag is in front, I go up one golf club and check for the same risks. If the pin is in the middle, I really just look to see if the short and long would stay on the green so I know if I should go after it,  hit more of a stock shot or choke down on the club a tad.

I hope this helps you find ways to use your golf simulator to improve.

No it is your turn. What do you think? How else could I improve this process? How do you use your golf simulator to train?

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7 Great Books to Feed Your Inner Entrepreneur

5/20/2022

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I’ve been reading a lot lately and it’s been inspiring me to refocus my efforts on improving my business. I’ve learned new ways of thinking, creative approaches to managing my time, and I’ve gained confidence from the books I’ve read. It is so interesting to learn about the inner journey of others and see many parallels to things I am working to solve.

I thought I would take a moment to share some of my favorites along with a bit of information about why they resonated with me. I hope this provides some help to you as you look for ideas, support, and strategies to nurture your entrepreneurial dreams.

Zero to One - Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is well known from both his actions as a VC and his history as one of the founders of PayPal. He brings an interesting perspective in Zero to One. He is essentially breaks down two models. One model is growing something that already exists, taking it from 1 to n. This is where most companies play. The other model is creating something of value that didn’t exist before, taking something from 0 to 1. A lot of the focus is on how to be a company or an entrepreneur that builds new things. He includes some thoughts on how to evaluate ideas and what is likely to scale quite large. 
The $100 Startup - Chris Guillebeau
In this book, Chris gives many, many examples of people who started a side-hustle and grew it into something amazing. You can’t help but be inspired by all the creative individuals and their success. It not only inspires, but it gives you tons of ideas and frameworks to apply to your business or idea. It helps reframe how you think about success and how to define it on your own terms.

Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
This was the very best story I’ve read in a long time. I found it refreshing how transparent the story spoke to both successes and failures. I think it might be the lowest ego CEO biography I’ve ever read. It covers the early days before the company was called Nike all the way through the period of massive success and Phil retiring. I plan to read it again just for the pure entertainment value. The transparency of failures or near failures provides a lot of lessons you can take to your own business.

Creative Confidence - Tom Kelley, David Kelley
I was very excited when I saw this book. Tom and Dave are the brothers that founded IDEO - the world renown design and innovation firm. They are also major factors behind the establishment of the D School at Stanford. What it really drove home to me is that we are all creative. We all have big ideas and we can all act on them. To get there, we need to find ways to stop censoring ourselves and let it rip. Lots of examples on how to build creative confidence.

The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
To be honest, I went into this one a bit of a skeptic. I’ve worked at a number of companies that realy like to talk about being lean, but it is lip service. I was expecting a buzzword heavy book without a lot of substance, boy was I wrong. I found the validated learning framework to be very helpful and was impressed by the depth of thought Eric puts into his recommendations. This one will really help you think about what you learn and how to pivot while you are bringing a new idea to market.

Crushing IT - Gary Vaynerchuk
I went into this one knowing that I didn’t want to create a massive personal brand, but I was curious what I might learn from those who are building their personal brand. One key lesson was not overthinking content strategies. Even just documenting my journey (I.e. like what I read) was a great way to authentically connect in an interesting way. I also took away the focus on creating value and really helping others as a key to success.

Digital Body language - Erica Dhawan
Roughly half of all email is misunderstood. Over the last decade or so we’ve gone from communicating mostly face to face to mostly digitally. Lots of great lessons here on how to build strong teams across distance that I think can apply to things like customer relationships and more.

Happy reading.

What did I miss? I’d love some more great suggestions that you like so I can continue my reading journey. Comment with your favorite books.

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a Peloton-like model for indoor golf

7/28/2021

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Bruin Capital Acquires Full Swing Simulators And Envisions Peloton-Like Platform For Golf
It could be really interesting to see a Peloton-like model for indoor golf. I could see it changing both commercial and home business models for indoor golf. Whether it will be a positive change or not remains to be seen.

A Hopeful and Positive Take on the Full Swing Acquisition
Getting into indoor golf today often requires a large up front cost for golf simulators, projectors, course software, hitting cages and turf mats. If the acquisition changes the model to a lower up front cost and long term subscription it could make indoor golf approachable for a lot more folks.

Instead of paying tens of thousands on your home golf simulator setup, this might result in something that looks more like a down payment and ongoing monthly subscription.  Perhaps comparable to getting a golf membership.  Maybe the company retains ownership of the equipment and you can use it as long as you subscribe.  All positives if you are looking to expand indoor golf ownership.

A Pessimistic View
Perhaps the acquisition goes the other way and because of the Peloton-like business model, not only do you pay a subscription, but you also pay a premium on hardware for Full Swing systems.  Peloton charges $2,000+ for a bike when you can get comparable models from other manufacturers for a fraction of that price.  Perhaps Bruin Capital sees the Peloton-like model as a way to charge a premium for Full Swing simulators.

The Forbes article announcing the acquisition can be found here.

Lets hear from you - how do you think this will impact the business model for both home and commercial indoor golf?  What did I miss or get wrong?

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6 ways to finance your business

2/26/2021

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How to fund your indoor golf business

With your business plan in hand, it’s time to tap all your available resources to
find the best available financing at the lowest cost to you. As you enter this
phase of your indoor golf startup, keep in mind that there are lenders, accountants and attorneys who specialize in small business financing. In some cases, they represent your best chance of a smooth, successful financing experience.

Designing an affordable simulator package will also help you secure the financing you need.


We recommend starting your financing investigations by weighing your ability
and willingness to leverage your own assets and working your way from there
to conventional and other potential lending sources.

Home Equity: If you are a homeowner, you may be able to leverage your home
equity through a home equity line of credit (HELOC), or a home equity loan
(HEL). The biggest advantage to this is that leveraging your own existing equity
should be possible at a relatively low interest rate. The disadvantage is the
inherent risk involved in putting your home up as collateral for your business.
Always take care not to assume more risk than you could handle.

Retirement Funds: You can leverage retirement funds for your business
investment and avoid penalties by working with a company that specializes
in helping investors take advantage of the Entrepreneur Rollover Stock
Ownership Plan (ERSOP) or Rollovers as Business Startups plan (ROBS) to fund
new businesses. In these scenarios, your retirement funds become an investor in your business instead of being invested in publicly traded equities or fixed-
income investments. Using this kind of account is quite complicated, so make
sure you work with a reputable investment professional to ensure your ERSOP
or ROBS is set up and executed correctly. As with the use of home equity
funds, use caution as you look at utilizing retirement dollars. Know the risks of
putting this money ear-marked for long-term security on the line for a business
venture.

Family and Friends: Gifts, loans, and investments from family members can
be a great source of capital for your business. If you do accept funds from people you have personal relationships with, make sure you have an agreement in writing,
with the terms and conditions of the gift, investment or loan clearly outlined--
including investment terms, payback terms, interest, and what happens if you
default. Having the details hammered out in an agreement may prevent a
misunderstanding down the line.

Traditional Loans: Another option is to leverage traditional business loans,
or commercial loans. There are many types of commercial lending, including
secured and unsecured loans, short- and long-term loans, equipment loans,
and business lines of credit. Expect to put up at least 20% of your investment
to be considered for these kinds of loans, and know that many traditional
lenders may not understand startup business models and that there are lenders
who specialize in this area. As with any financing source, it’s always in your best
interest to shop around, so make sure you check out business loans at multiple
financial institutions.

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans: The SBA offers loans through
participating banks and lenders, and since the SBA will guarantee up to 85% of
the loan, there is less risk for the lender—which can translate to a lower interest
rate for you. SBA financing is not really a government loan, but rather a private
loan backed by government funds. There are multiple types of SBA loans you
can investigate. Make sure you carefully evaluate the pros and cons associated
with taking out an SBA versus a traditional loan, i.e. the cost to establish the
loan, the length of the loan, and the interest rates of the loan. Also worth noting is the fact that individuals with high net worth may not qualify for this type of loan.

Online Financing Centers are online companies that serve as clearinghouses
for financing. These companies have multiple financial institutions
in their systems to review your financial information and evaluate your request
for financing. They host the equivalent of speed dating for the loan industry--
you provide all of your information, then lenders review it and decide if they’d
like to initiate a relationship with you.

We'd love to hear from you. Is there another source of financing we missed?  Do you have advice on how to think about any of these? Leave us a comment and share.

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