Sim Venue Boom July 2026: 4 New Openings in 2 Weeks, 70+ Tracked Nationwide

The sim venue boom shows no signs of slowing. In the past two weeks alone, four new indoor golf facilities opened their doors — a 24/7 social club in North Carolina, a BYO-food Trackman lounge in Texas, a German cuisine-sim hybrid in Indiana, and a 6-bay California venue with a 5-location expansion plan.

Here’s the full July 2026 roundup.

1. Birdies Golf Lounge — Santa Fe, TX

Grand opening: July 16-17, 2026 Format: Traditional sim lounge Technology: Trackman Unique differentiation: BYO food and drink — no kitchen, no bar markup. Members bring their own. Pricing: Not publicly listed (membership-based)

Birdies Golf Lounge represents the “sim-only” model — no F&B overhead, just premium sim time. The BYO approach is a clever differentiator in a market where most venues mark up food and drink 300%. Members save money, and the venue avoids kitchen staffing costs. For more on venue economics, see our sim bar entertainment venue guide.

2. Backspin Social — Leland, NC

Grand opening: July 24-26, 2026 Format: 24/7 social golf club Technology: Simulators (type not confirmed) Scale: 2nd location for the brand Unique differentiation: 24/7 access model

Backspin Social is expanding its footprint with a second location in Leland, near Wilmington. The 24/7 model — keycard access, no staff after hours — is increasingly popular in suburban markets where the cost of full-time staffing is prohibitive. See our 24/7 facility guide for the full business model breakdown.

3. Alpen Haus & The Golf Lodge — Valparaiso, IN

Opening: Summer 2026 Format: Restaurant-sim hybrid Technology: Simulators (type not confirmed) Unique differentiation: German cuisine + golf sims

This is the most creative format in the roundup. Alpen Haus is a German restaurant and beer hall that added sim bays as an entertainment amenity. Think: bratwurst, schnitzel, and a 320-yard drive on the same visit. It’s a variant of the “sims-in-restaurants” model we’re tracking as a growing trend.

4. The Swing Bays — Rowland Heights, CA

Grand opening: July 18, 2026 Format: 24/7 sim venue Technology: 6 bays Scale: 5-location expansion plan Unique differentiation: Ambition — 5 locations planned

The Swing Bays opened its first location in Rowland Heights (Los Angeles County) with 6 bays. The operators have announced plans for 4 additional locations, suggesting either strong backing or a franchise model. The 24/7 access model aligns with the California market’s demand for flexible hours. For context on the franchise model, see our golf sim franchise cost guide.

Venue Count: 70+ and Growing

HGH now tracks over 70 indoor golf venues nationwide. The growth rate is accelerating:

Quarter	New Venues	Total Tracked
Q1 2025	4	12
Q2 2025	6	18
Q3 2025	8	26
Q4 2025	10	36
Q1 2026	12	48
Q2 2026	15	63
July 2026	4	67+

At this pace, we’ll hit 100 tracked venues by the end of 2026.

The Three Venue Models

This month’s openings illustrate the three dominant venue models:

1. Traditional sim lounge (Birdies): Sim-only, membership-based, premium experience. Lowest overhead, highest margins.
2. 24/7 access (Backspin, Swing Bays): Keycard entry, no staff after hours, lower pricing. Broadest appeal, highest volume potential.
3. Restaurant partnership (Alpen Haus): Sims as amenity, not primary business. Existing F&B handles revenue. Lowest risk, lowest sim focus.

Each model serves a different market segment. The 24/7 model is growing fastest because it works in suburban markets where traditional sim lounges can’t support full-time staffing.

What This Means for Home Sim Buyers

The venue boom is good for home sim owners for two reasons:

1. Try before you buy: More venues means more people can experience sim golf before committing to a $2K-$20K home setup. Every venue visitor is a potential future home sim buyer.
2. Community: Venues create communities of sim golfers. Those communities normalize sim ownership and create peer pressure to buy.

For more on the venue boom, see our 24/7 facility revolution analysis and indoor golf census: 3,849 venues. If you’re considering opening a venue, see our commercial sim guide.