CARROLLWOOD — A new kind of golf has swung into the Tampa Bay area, and into the sport’s business.
Indoor golf simulator facilities — once a luxury reserved for tour pros and the wealthy — are popping up across Florida as membership-based franchises. The newest, Back Nine Carrollwood, opened May 2 under owner and operator Dave Snee. It’s the second Back Nine location in the Tampa Bay area, following one that opened in Oldsmar in 2024.
Back Nine now has more than a dozen Florida locations and a presence in 34 states and Canada.
“It’s kind of like a gym,” Snee said. “The rule of thumb for a franchise like this, or even a gym, is a 15-minute drive or within seven miles. If it’s not, people just aren’t going to go.”
That gym comparison is central to the pitch. Snee said two business models dominate the indoor simulator space: bar-and-grill operations like X-Golf, where wings and beer share the floor with the bays, and stripped-down membership clubs aimed at serious players.
“Those are great,” he said of the food-and-drink concepts. “But Back Nine is geared toward more of a gym experience for golfers. We don’t have food, we don’t have drinks besides water and coffee. It’s about playing a round, practicing or adjusting your game. Sure, you could host a group event here, but we’re focusing on members who are looking to just golf.”
The Carrollwood facility has three bays running Full Swing simulator software and uses Bridgestone as its exclusive ball. The franchise has marketing partnerships with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Tiger Woods. Memberships — Snee is capping his location at 120 — include 24/7 access to any Back Nine in the country and entry into Back Nine tournaments. Drop-in public play is also available.
The appeal, Snee said, is straightforward: a way to play in Florida heat, summer storms or before sunrise without booking a tee time.
Franchise owners aren’t specifically targeting golf-heavy communities — though the Tampa Bay area is dense with courses, even after several closures since 2020. Instead, they buy “territories,” small communities within a larger metro area, so locations don’t compete for the same members. Snee said he knows Korey Rogers, who owns the Oldsmar Back Nine, but their member pools don’t overlap.
Snee has already purchased a second territory in Odessa and is scouting a location, likely near State Road 54 and Gunn Highway or the Asturia community. Another franchisee has claimed Wesley Chapel and is looking at space near The Grove shopping plaza.
The Tampa Bay simulator market is filling in fast. X-Golf has a location in Trinity. The Clubhouse, an independent operator, recently opened at the Hub at Lexington in Wesley Chapel, and Good Vibes Golf opened in Lutz on State Road 54 just east of Livingston Avenue.
“We’re a growing brand,” Snee said. “This is the first Back Nine in Hillsborough County, and now two are coming to Pasco County. The territories here are practically all gone. You should have seen the Back Nine table at the PGA Tour trade show — everyone wanted to talk to them about the business model.”
The economics, he said, are not complicated. “It’s not rocket science. They lay out everything for you. The simulators are 50 grand apiece, and the overhead is, well, me. I don’t have any employees, except maybe my kids.”
He doesn’t see the independents or X-Golf as direct competition.
“Back Nine is about the golf and high-end simulators used by serious golfers,” he said. “We’re not coming in to take over anyone. We have a different concept. We’re here for the golfer who wants to play at 5 a.m. but not make a tee time. We’re like Anytime Fitness, but for golf.”