Running a 24/7 indoor golf facility is not as simple as installing a smart lock.
The door is only one part of the operating system.
A 24/7 facility needs:
- online booking
- payment before access
- digital waivers
- customer identity
- traceable access control
- camera coverage
- bay instructions
- simulator reset process
- cleaning schedule
- incident workflow
- support coverage
- insurance review
The safest way to design the model is to map the full customer journey.
- Customer books.
- Customer pays.
- Customer signs the waiver.
- Customer receives access instructions.
- Door access activates.
- Customer enters.
- Customer uses the bay.
- Customer gets help if something fails.
- Access expires.
- Facility is cleaned and reset.
Every step needs an owner.
If the customer cannot enter, who helps? If the launch monitor disconnects, what do they try first? If the screen is damaged, how is it reported? If the customer brings guests, are they covered?
24/7 can be a strong model because it expands access and reduces front-desk staffing. But unmanned does not mean unmanaged.
Start with the operating model
There are several versions of 24/7 or extended-access indoor golf.
The lowest-risk version is usually member-only extended access. Known members are easier to educate, easier to hold accountable, and easier to remove from the program if they misuse the facility.
Public 24/7 access is harder. A first-time customer may not know where to park, how to enter, how to start the simulator, what to do if the software freezes, or how to exit cleanly. That does not mean public 24/7 cannot work. It means the workflow has to be better.
A practical rollout sequence is:
- Launch with staffed or owner-supported hours.
- Add automated booking, payment, and waivers.
- Add member-only extended access.
- Give trusted members 24/7 access.
- Expand to public extended access only after insurance, support, access logs, cleaning, and reset workflows are ready.
This reduces the blast radius of early mistakes.
Get insurance review before selling access
Do not assume your policy covers unmanned access.
Ask the broker directly:
- Is unmanned operation covered?
- Are shared keypad codes allowed?
- Are cameras required?
- Are digital waivers required?
- Is public 24/7 treated differently than member-only access?
- Does alcohol or BYOB change coverage?
- Are there required access logs or footage-retention rules?
Alcohol deserves special caution. Most operators should assume unmanned alcohol service is not insurable until a broker says otherwise in writing. Many carriers will also scrutinize unmanned BYOB because the facility still controls the premises.
If alcohol is important to the model, keep it in staffed hours unless the broker, landlord, licensing authority, and counsel have reviewed the exact workflow.
Make entry traceable
A shared code is easy, but it is weak accountability.
Stronger access control ties entry to:
- customer account
- reservation
- payment status
- waiver status
- access window
- entry log
The operator should be able to answer who entered, when they entered, whether they had a reservation, and whether their access expired.
Also plan for failure:
- battery backup
- internet or cellular fallback
- manual key override
- emergency egress
- failed-entry alerts
- support process
The lock is not the model. The workflow is the model.
Build a bay reset process
The bay has to work when the customer arrives.
Document:
- what should be powered on
- what should be powered off
- where simulator software should start
- how a customer resets a frozen app
- how to reconnect the launch monitor
- how to handle projector/display issues
- when to contact support
- when the bay should be removed from inventory
The best reset process has layers:
- customer self-help for simple problems
- remote operator action for software/device issues
- credit or reschedule when the session cannot be saved quickly
- physical repair when the bay is actually down
Do not make every issue an owner drive-over. But do not pretend physical failures never happen.
Review weekly
Review 24/7 operations weekly:
- failed entry attempts
- support messages
- no-shows
- late cancels
- refund/credit requests
- camera incidents
- cleaning misses
- simulator resets
- customer confusion
- guest-policy issues
If the same problem repeats, do not just keep answering support messages. Fix the workflow, signage, automation, or policy that creates the problem.
For the full launch checklist, use The 24/7 Indoor Golf Operations Playbook.