Another Nine Adds 3 Cincinnati Locations, Swing Bays
Source briefs: BRIEF-2026-07-25-003 (Another Nine Cincinnati 3 locations, Sim Business beat) × BRIEF-2026-07-25-006 Part A (Swing Bays Calera franchise, Sim Business beat)
Synthesis note: Two franchise-expansion news items flagged independently by the Research Scout. Combined here as a facility market roundup.
The indoor golf facility boom entered a new phase in July 2026. Not just more locations, but more models. Two franchise expansions this week — at completely different scales, in completely different markets — show the growth trajectory is accelerating and diversifying.
Another Nine: Density Over Spread
Another Nine’s largest franchise owner is opening three Cincinnati locations simultaneously — two in Liberty Township and one in Maineville — bringing the brand to five locations in the Cincinnati metro by September 2026. That’s a density strategy in action.
Most sim franchise brands try to maximize geographic coverage: one location per metro, build brand awareness, then layer in density. Another Nine is compressing that timeline. By concentrating five locations in one metro, the brand creates a network effect — members can play at any location, competition thrives between venues, and the brand becomes the default indoor golf option for an entire region.
With 75+ franchise territories sold, Another Nine is one of the fastest-growing sim golf franchises in the US. The Cincinnati cluster is a test case for whether the density-first approach can accelerate the unit economics of each location through shared marketing and member cross-pollination.
Swing Bays: Instruction-First Franchise
The Swing Bays’ first franchise location in Calera, Alabama tells a different story. The former kickboxing gym was converted in under four months — a rapid buildout enabled by the shell already existing. But the model is what makes this notable.
The Swing Bays isn’t a pure 24/7 sim venue. It’s instruction-first: PGA Professional-led lessons, club repair and fitting services alongside traditional bay rentals. The membership model bundles sim access with coaching. It’s closer to a golf academy with sim bays than a standalone sim facility.
This is the opposite of the unsupervised 24/7 model that Back Nine and others have popularized. Swing Bays bet that the real revenue in sim golf isn’t in solo practice at 2 AM — it’s in the lesson ecosystem. If you book a bay, you’re likely booking a coach.
What This Tells Us
Two franchise systems, two strategies. One clustering for metro dominance, one differentiating on instruction. Both growing.
The sim facility boom isn’t a single wave — it’s multiple waves hitting at different angles. The 24/7 model, the instruction model, the entertainment model (Topgolf), the restaurant-amenity model (19th Greene), and the private-club model (Golf Crypt) are all expanding simultaneously. The market is big enough for all of them.
For the home sim buyer, this is good news. More facilities mean more people trying sim golf, which means more people who eventually want a home setup. The Starbucks-to-espresso-machine pipeline keeps growing.
This article synthesizes two independent beat briefs: Another Nine Cincinnati 3 locations (Sim Business beat, BRIEF-2026-07-25-003) and The Swing Bays Calera first franchise (Sim Business beat, BRIEF-2026-07-25-006, Part A).
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