Written by Power Tee 2025-12-13
The golf industry continues to grow, and driving ranges have become one of the most
profitable segments in the game. With participation increasing and golfers spending more
on practice and entertainment-focused golf, 2026 presents a major opportunity for ranges
to boost revenue, improve customer experience, and streamline operations.
This report outlines seven proven strategies any driving range — standalone or course-attached — can implement to grow revenue in 2026.
1. Modernize with Ball-Tracking Technology
Ball-tracking technology used to be expensive and space-consuming. Not anymore.
Adding systems like Toptracer, Trackman Range, or Inrange transform your business from
a practice-only facility to an entertainment destination.
Benefits
- Longer visits
- Higher food & beverage spend
- Social group participation
- New leagues — including nighttime leagues
- Higher bay rental rates
- Ball-tracking dramatically widens your audience beyond golfers
2. Use the Power Of ‘Free’ to Your Advantage
To move the needle at your driving range, consider these free offerings that will help
generate greater revenue:
Open Day
Pick a day of the year where your business is historically slow and make it an Open Day
where the driving range is free for those 24 hours. Position it to your regular customers as a way to thank them for their patronage. For new customers, it’s a guaranteed way to bring in a lot of new faces who were on the fence about visiting previously. Furthermore, it’s an excellent opportunity for new golfers to experience your facility in person and to see any new upgrades that you’ve made.
It can also lead to free publicity. Send a brief press release to your local TV, radio and
newspapers to announce the free Open Day.
Kids Night Out
Similarly, make one of your slower nights a ‘Kids Hit Free’ Day when accompanied by a
paying adult. It can turn the quietest night of your week into a money maker, especially
when you consider increased food and beverage sales.
Free Lessons for Seniors
Consider offering free lessons for seniors at slower times of the week, such as Monday or
Tuesday mornings. The lessons are free, but the seniors pay for the buckets. By doing so,
it’s an excellent way to introduce new customers to your driving range who then become regular visitors.
Offering the free lessons during off-peak hours generates more revenue on slower days,
adds new customers, and builds goodwill within the local community.
If your range has auto-tee technology such as Power Tee, the seniors don’t have to bend
over to place the ball on the tee each time.
Golfers come for the free lessons, but they stay to buy buckets and hit balls.
3. Implement Automation to Increase Throughput and Reduce Labour Costs
Automation is now one of the fastest growing upgrades in the golf industry. Automated
teeing systems, self-adjusting hitting bays, and ball-delivery solutions create a smoother
customer experience and significantly reduce downtime between shots.
Benefits
- Golfers hit more shots per session
- Faster bay turnover equals more customers per day
- Less staff required for bay setup
- More consistent and enjoyable experience
Ranges using automated teeing typically report:
- 10–25% higher throughput
- Lower labour costs
- Improved customer satisfaction and repeat visits
Specifically, automated teeing machines such as Power Tee have a direct impact on
revenue:
- Increase shot volume
- Reduce golfer frustration
- Remove time-consuming manual adjustments
- Improve consistency for each golfer
- Reduce staff time needed to maintain bays
Most operators report:
- Higher customer retention
- Increased repeat visits
- Higher average spend per visit
Revenue Example
Many driving ranges see substantial financial gains after installing Power Tee. Even a
modest price adjustment for buckets—something golfers readily accept for the
convenience of automatic teeing—can create a meaningful boost in annual revenue. On
top of that, ranges often benefit from reduced mat-replacement costs and may qualify for
additional savings through ADA-compliant equipment incentives.
Because golfers enjoy the experience so much, ranges frequently see higher ball sales
driven by faster throughput and more balls hit per visit. Even a moderate increase in
volume can translate into a significant rise in net profit each year—often enough to cover
the cost of the system and generate positive returns immediately. Over multiple years, the
cumulative financial impact can be substantial.
For example, take a range that hits a total of 1.8 million balls per year. After installing 10
Power Tees and increasing the ball price by $2 per 100 balls, as well as other adjustments,
that range could see a net annual profit increase of $16,600 per year. By Power Tee
increasing the ball throughput by 25%, that annual net profit increases to $97,600.
Over five years, the total net profit climbs to $488,000.
As automated teeing becomes a competitive advantage in 2026, Power Tee stands out as a
proven way to elevate the customer experience while strengthening a range’s bottom line.
4. Create Premium Bay Experiences
Golfers are willing to pay more for a premium practice environment. Premium bay upgrades may include:
- Comfortable seating
- Shade or weather protection
- Ball-tracking screens
- Reserved premium bays
- Better lighting
- Charging outlets & phone holders
Revenue Example
If you add 6 premium bays and charge $10 more per hour, and each bay gets 4 hours of
daily use, that’s an extra:
6 × $10 × 4 = $240/day → $7,200/month → $86,400/year
Premium experiences continue to be one of the highest ROI improvements.
5. Extend Operating Hours with Enhanced Lighting
One of the simplest revenue builders is adding or upgrading lighting. Better lighting increases:
- Evening play
- Post-work traffic
- League and group availability
- Cooler practice times in hot climates
Revenue Example
If lighting adds 2 extra hours of bay time per day across 20 bays at $15/hour:
20 × $15 × 2 = $600/day → $18,000/month → $216,000/year
Lighting upgrades often provide the fastest ROI of any capital investment.
6. Offer New Memberships, Bundles, and Packages
Driving ranges can dramatically increase recurring revenue with:
- Monthly “Unlimited Range Access” memberships
- Off-peak hour unlimited bucket passes
- Lesson + practice bundles
- Family memberships
- Premium bay memberships
- Junior packages
Memberships create predictable cash flow — ideal for budgeting upgrades and equipment.
Buy the Bucket vs By The Hour
Depending on how busy your range is, it may make sense to use a split business model
where you offer “Buy the Bucket” during slower times and then charge “By the Hour”
during busy hours.
If your range is so busy that when people turn up, they have to wait two hours to hit a
bucket of balls — they’re going to leave disappointed. Instead, determine which times and
days are your busiest, add a scheduling system to allow golfers to book their slot on those
busier times, and charge by the hour to generate more revenue during these peak hours.
Vice versa, make sure your customers know that they can turn up to the range and get a
bay on those slower days/times that are clearly marked on your hours of operation.
Otherwise, if they think they always must book ahead of time to get a bay, the “hassle” can
be a big turn off for golfers who spontaneously like to hit the driving range during off peak hours.
You don’t want to freeze out your customers. The dynamic pricing model can work if you
find the balance between the two and communicate the changes to your customers.
7. Improve Operational Efficiency
Simple operational improvements can produce meaningful revenue gains. Examples:
- Replace manual processes with digital management software
- Use online scheduling for bay reservations if there are long waits
- Add POS systems that encourage upsells
- Offer pre-loaded range cards
- Implement dynamic pricing for busy hours
For pre-loaded range cards or packages where customers can buy a large number of balls
for a discount, make sure that the pre-purchased packages expire, ideally after two years.
Otherwise, you’ll need to keep them on your balance sheet, and you won’t have a function
to write them off.
The smoother your operation runs, the more golfers you can serve — and the more revenue you can earn per hour.
Conclusion
2026 is a unique opportunity for driving ranges to modernize and capture growing golfer
demand. By implementing even 2–3 of these strategies, many facilities see immediate
increases in revenue, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Click here to download this free report and to learn more about Power Tee!