Michelle Edgar is a Class A PGA Professional and Director of Instruction at a Dallas club. She also owns The Golf Suite, an unmanned, 24/7 single-bay simulator facility inside a gym and physical therapy space, and she founded Indoor Golf Consulting. Her market went from one competitor to what she describes as one on every block. We asked how she built it, what changed, and what she would tell the next person starting out.
Background
What’s your background before The Golf Suite, as a professional and as a golfer?
I’ve played golf my whole life. I played in college at UT Dallas and became a Class A PGA Professional in 2021. Now I’m a Director of Instruction at a club here in Dallas.
What first put the idea of opening a golf center in your head?
I grew up practicing at Topgolf because it was the closest driving range to me, and I could practice there when it was cold. Even so, on the coldest days I wished there was somewhere indoors to go.
I started researching around 2021, and at the time there was maybe one other spot in Dallas.
Was the 24-hour club model always the plan?
Yes. I always wanted the 24-hour unmanned model so I could keep my day job at the golf course and not have to be at The Golf Suite all the time.
Had you run a business before?
This was my second LLC and about my third business operating.
The Decision
What moved you from thinking about it to actually doing it?
I got lucky. I had a commercial real estate connection, a friend who owned and operated a physical therapy gym that had some extra space.
What did the Dallas market look like when you started planning?
There was one other membership-only option, about 20 minutes away. The market has since become extremely saturated. There’s about one on every block now.
Planning the Business
Walk us through your planning process. Where did you start?
The Golf Suite is a one-bay facility because I didn’t have any investors and didn’t want a lot of overhead. So I started by calculating how much I would need to charge to cover my expenses and the initial investment in the simulator itself. I paid off the simulator in three months.
How did you land on your pricing model?
I did membership only for about two years. Then so many others started opening up and allowing walk-ins that I had to step back and re-evaluate.
I’ve since started allowing walk-ins, which brings in revenue I didn’t see before, but I’ve had fewer membership sign-ups. Before, people were forced into a membership if they wanted to use the suite. Now they can just walk in. There are pros and cons.
If someone is going to pay $70 to hit balls for an hour, I’d better have the most accurate, top-of-the-line technology.
Michelle Edgar, owner, The Golf SuiteWhy Foresight equipment?
I wanted the best I could get. If someone is going to pay $70 to hit balls for an hour, I’d better have the most accurate, top-of-the-line technology.
How did you approach the buildout?
I recently moved locations, and the second time around I knew what to expect. In the past year I also started doing consulting and installs for people who want to start their own simulator businesses, through Indoor Golf Consulting. That means I know what to plan for in the build: electric, equipment, labor and timeline.
Using the Yardstick Golf Materials
How did you first come across the Yardstick Golf startup model?
I found Yardstick only after I had opened my first location four years ago. I like seeing that the information is available for others who want to get started. When I began, there was nothing out there for me to research, so I’m glad these materials exist for inquiring minds.
What She Opened
Describe The Golf Suite as it exists today.
It’s unmanned with 24/7 access for members and walk-ins. The room is a 16′ x 30′ single bay.
What makes the setup different?
The Golf Suite sits inside a gym and therapy space. No one else in the area has that setup, and it’s one of the few things that makes us stand out.
How does the facility feed Indoor Golf Consulting?
Four years ago I didn’t know much about simulators. Then came daily use: simulators glitching, breaking, not working, getting sent back, and phone calls from customers at 10pm where I had to know how to fix everything under the sun. That’s how Indoor Golf Consulting started.
I know how long a mat should last, how long a screen should last, the ideal projector setup, and where to run electrical. I learned all of it along the way, and now I get to pass it on to clients buying simulators for their homes or commercial setups.
How It’s Going
What’s driving membership growth right now?
Lessons, at this point. I was recently named one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers and received the 2026 NTPGA Player Development Award. I enjoy teaching indoors, and students usually convert to members after they see how great the facility is.
What does your member mix look like?
A mix of everything, probably more beginners who like the privacy of practicing in their own room.
Surprises and Lessons
What surprised you most once you opened the doors?
How many shanks and mishits can happen. I’ve had to add a lot of extra padding over the years because of holes in the ceiling, the walls and so on. Be prepared for holes everywhere. Things will definitely get hit.
Edgar’s fix for stray shots was extra padding on the ceiling and walls, added over the years. Her warning to new owners: expect holes, and expect things to get hit.
Advice for Others
What would you tell someone who is where you were a year or two ago, just starting to plan?
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Why go into debt trying to buy six simulators when you can start with one? See how it goes, then use that profit to buy more.
A Few More
What does a typical week look like now?
I just opened my new location a few weeks ago. I was in a rush because I was moving spots. I had to close one location, transfer everything and build out the new one before I could open its doors. Some nights I was there until 1:30am cutting turf and nailing things up.
Now that it’s done, my day job is teaching outside at the golf course. When someone requests an indoor lesson, or the weather is bad, I go to The Golf Suite.
What’s next for The Golf Suite?
The Dallas market is extremely oversaturated. Some places that opened years ago, like me, have closed, because most commercial leases run five to ten years and once that first lease is up, they’re done. It will be interesting to see the turnover and whether the market becomes unsaturated again. Golf is huge here, so I’m sure it will never die down.
What should a reader know before visiting or joining that isn’t on the website?
Most people don’t realize we are truly a one-bay facility. It’s your own private room, all to yourself, with a seating area, a TV, putting turf and more. Enjoy the privacy of your own suite.
Edgar kept The Golf Suite to one bay, worked backward from her expenses to set pricing, and paid off the simulator in three months. When Dallas filled up with walk-in competitors, she moved from membership-only to walk-ins and accepted the trade-off in sign-ups.
Her advice to new owners is the same as her launch plan: start with one simulator, then let the profit pay for the next.
Want to connect with Michelle? Find her on Instagram at @michellegolfs.
