Choosing the Best Golf Simulator for Your Indoor Business, ft. Walt Reilly’s

Walt Reillys Food and Drink Foreground, Golfer on Golfzon Golf Simulator Blurred in Background

In most parts of the country, golf is a seasonal game and if you want to keep up with your favorite hobby when the weather changes, you need to turn to playing on a virtual golf simulator. That’s exactly what Paul Gerber and Tim Kerns did when they first moved their families around the same time to Bend, Oregon, from California.

These two friends soon found an indoor golf league that allowed them to keep their love of golf going during the colder months. This led to them quickly hatching a business idea, and the duo opened their golf simulator bar and indoor mini golf course, Walt Reilly’s, in 2022 in a beautiful space on Century Drive. The same is derived from Gerber’s father, Walt Gerber, and Kern’s grandmother, Kathleen Reilly.

The location of the indoor golf business is in a prime spot in Bend in a gorgeous space that’s inviting and relaxing. This great atmosphere plays host to different kinds of entertainment, from live music and sports broadcasts to rounds of virtual and mini golf. Customers also love the food and drink options. All of this makes Walt Reilly’s a popular hangout spot year round, but what impresses their customers most of all is the Golfzon virtual golf simulators.

“We tried every single simulator. There was no competition for Golfzon,” Kern said of their process for determining the best indoor golf simulator for Walt Reilly’s. The differentiating factor was the technology and features Golfzon virtual golf simulators have to enhance the realism of the playing experience.

“The moveable swing plate to match your course lie, the auto tee. Everything that they do is breaking down those barriers because so many people have never experienced them,” explained Gerber. “They think it’s a video game, but it’s not, it’s an experience. It’s an amazing way to play golf, and we just thought Golfzon checked all the boxes for the best experience.”

Here are some of the ways Tim Kerns and Paul Gerber have made Walt Reilly’s a successful indoor golf business and why Golfzon emerged as the best indoor golf simulator to help them grow their customer base.

Host Events at Your Golf Simulator Bar

One of the ways the patrons of Walt Reilly’s enjoy playing on a virtual golf simulator is through tournaments and events. These are a great way to bring new customers in the door, encourage repeat visits and make your golf simulator bar known as a fun place to be.

Walt Reilly’s regularly holds events like a weekly couples indoor golf league and tournaments that coincide with majors on the PGA Tour. One example is a 3-on-3 scramble they hosted on a Saturday morning over the same weekend as The Masters.

Playing on a Golfzon virtual golf simulator allows multiple people to play on the same course and participate in tournaments together. Plus, with the variety of golf courses to choose from, every weekly event offers new course possibilities so customers will never get bored.

Plus, Walt Reilly’s kicks the entertainment up another level with other forms of entertainment like live bands. Creating the right ambiance for your events is key to bringing people together and giving them the best possible experience.

It’s easy to set the right tone of these events by having golf on the TV screens as customers play on the best golf simulator. Watch your patrons return again and again each time you host a golf tournament.

Offer Golf Instruction With the Best Golf Simulator for Lessons

Walt Reillys PGA Pro Working On Female Golfer's Swing

Not only are the commercial golf simulators at Walt Reilly’s used for casual play and fun events, but they’re also used by the Director of Instruction, Michael Lewis, for golf instruction. The PGA Pro has been teaching for 33 years and relies on the Golfzon technology to make the most out of his golf lessons.

For starters, clients can get through 18 holes in just a one-hour session on a virtual golf simulator unlike a green grass course. “The [auto-tee] mechanism is the coolest thing in that regard,” explains Michael. “You don’t have to be chasing golf tees down, chasing for golf balls. There’s a new golf ball on the tee ready to go and you can get twice as many swings done in that period of time.”

Another important feature is the moveable swing plate, which adds to the realistic golf experience by mimicking real course conditions and recreating uneven lies. Plus, with the data and feedback on every swing, Michael can help players get an even more in-depth understanding of their game.

“You can work on a certain club for a few minutes as you warm up, then you can actually play,” Gerber pointed out. “You’re doing all the strokes, you’re playing the hole. The pro is right there with you, so it’s a strategy lesson as well as a swing lesson.”

Allowing your customers to improve their game efficiently through features like the auto-tee helps them save on time and make the most out of the lesson with a golf instructor. And by playing on the best golf simulator for realistic playing conditions, they can take the experience of playing on uneven lies and apply it to their game on a green grass golf course right away.

Let Customers Play on a Virtual Golf Simulator Year Round

Walt Reillys - Yellow Tee Box, Blue Tee Box, Golfers Playing on Golfzon Golf Simulators

Golf is typically considered a seasonal sport, especially in a place like Bend, OR, which sees all seasons. Just like how the winter weather originally inspired Kern and Gerberl to seek out indoor golf, you can market your golf simulator bar as an escape from the cold weather.

When it’s snowing outside, invite customers to a beach day in January with a tournament playing on Kiawah Island with a Golfzon simulator. Chase away the winter blues when the sun sets with highly realistic views of some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, all virtually from your neighborhood sports bar.

“We’re playing at night and playing Pebble Beach when it’s 8 o’clock at night and you get sunny, light wind weather on the simulator,” shared Gerber, outlining one of the many benefits of hosting indoor golf tournaments all year-round in Bend.

Easily make your golf simulator bar a cold weather destination for customers who want to have fun, get back to the game they love and enjoy playing on the best indoor golf simulator technology available.

Weave Virtual Golf Simulator Technology into a Fun Atmosphere

Group of Golfers Celebrating After Good Shot, Walt Reillys

A core part of Walt Reilly’s success is they offer a premium indoor golf experience in a beautiful space with plenty of entertainment and great food and beverage. There’s no doubt that playing on a virtual golf simulator is fun, but it takes more than just providing a simulator to guarantee an experience that has customers wanting to come back for more.

“One of the things I personally love about Walt Reilly’s is I can come here and play 18 holes, watch my football or basketball game at the same time, have some cocktails, have some great food and just do it all in one place,” said Devon Sole, Walt Reilly’s resident Entertainment Guru.

Beyond having just any commercial golf simulator, it’s important to have one that offers an unparalleled experience. Golfzon isn’t just high-end technology, it’s fun to play on and gives players a different experience every time with the wide array of realistic courses and options for tournaments.

“It’s a new technology, there’s a lot of skeptical people coming in. Golfzon has those features that can really soften the skepticism,” explained Gerber.

At the end of the day, when you’re looking for the best golf simulator for your business, it’s important to think about the quality of the technology, the way the features lend themselves to the experience, and the potential for fun and events. With all of these in mind, Golfzon checks all the boxes, just as Kern and Gerber discovered.

Learn how Golfzon virtual golf simulators could help grow your golf simulator bar or virtual golf simulator business and make it a place everyone wants to be.