Matt WardA 20-year golf industry veteran, Trevor Faust knows every in-and-out of the Indoor Golf space and the golf simulator business. He has worked for several simulator companies including About Golf, Trackman, and Optishot, and he founded Mobile Golf Experience in 2004. He is now the president of Ace Indoor Golf. A Toledo, Ohio-based golf simulator retailer and installer.
THE FAUST STORY:
Ace Indoor Golf is a leading golf simulator retailer, designer, installer, and projection screen manufacturer in the United States. The company rents, sells, designs, installs, and provides maintenance for golf retailers like PGA Tour Superstore, Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, businesses, golf clubs, and individuals.
We offer turnkey custom-designed solutions and DYI off-the-shelf packages that fit customer needs at a competitive price.
What was the genesis for Ace Indoor Golf?
Ace Indoor Golf is a leading golf simulator retailer, designer, installer, and projection screen manufacturer in the United States. The company rents, sells, designs, installs, and provides maintenance for golf retailers like PGA Tour Superstore, Golf Galaxy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, businesses, golf clubs, and individuals.
The company was founded by Industry veterans Tom Dewire and Joe Neumeyer in 2012. After many years in the industry, they identified a need for custom and out-of-the-box indoor golf simulator solutions.
We have designed, sold, and installed more than 1,000 standard and custom simulators. We also bring that vast experience to the growing “Do-It-Yourself” market. As an authorized dealer, we work directly with leading manufacturers in the industry, including Foresight Sports, TruGolf, SkyTrak, Uneekor, and OptiShot. We even provide custom solutions and screens to each of these simulator manufacturers.
We manufacture screens and enclosures under the HiQ brand in our 10,000-square-foot facility in Toledo, OH. We only use the best materials in our fabricated components, specifically made with the DIY customer in mind.
How does Ace Indoor Golf differentiate itself from your competition?
The retail golf simulator space is very competitive, with golf simulator manufacturers, retailers, and e-commerce providers selling indoor golf solutions. Ace is unique because we offer custom solutions, on-site installation, and manufacture screens and enclosures.
How has the business fared – both pre and post pandemic?
Our business has grown substantially since the beginning of the pandemic. In many ways, Covid was a blessing in disguise for our industry. The lockdown powered significant sales increases as golfers looked for at-home solutions to practice and play golf.
However, this sales growth came with many challenges, including supply chain disruptions. Still, we stayed ahead of the curve by taking advantage of long-term relationships and buying a year’s worth of inventory at the onset of the pandemic.
How have simulators evolved over the last few years?
Like the computer industry, Golf simulator technology is rapidly evolving with faster, more accurate, and easier-to-use solutions for residential and commercial users.
Simulators are now becoming commonplace for personal home use, offices, sports bars, indoor Golf centers and golf courses. The technology has evolved so drastically that it can now accommodate any space as long as you can swing a club.
What is the approximate cost for the various models the company provides?
Ace offers a variety of solutions based on the customer’s desired cosmetics or desired budget. To hit balls at home, you’ll need a golf simulator, gaming software, a computer/tablet, a projector, a net/screen or enclosure, and a hitting mat.
A complete simulator in a box package usually starts around $7,500 and can run as high as $50,000+ based on technology and custom build-outs.
What percentage of your sales is tied to golf facilities of all types versus individuals?
We are a privately owned business, so I can’t give you an exact answer. However, we are seeing significant growth and demand for residential solutions, and we continue to see considerable YoY growth in this space.
Companies routinely tout the importance of customer service. Define the term and the approach you follow.
At Ace, we view customer service as the support we offer our customers — before and after they purchase solutions from us. Since a large portion of our business is offering custom simulator designs and installation, our goal is to help our customers have an easy, enjoyable experience and obtain precisely what they need for the solution they want.
Customer service is more than solving a customer’s problems; it means delivering proactive and immediate support to customers anytime they need assistance.
What specific role does customer feedback play in your design efforts?
Feedback is essential in identifying the right technology for our customers and designing and installing simulators. It is essential to understand our customers’ needs and requirements at the front end of the project to avoid potential problems on the back end.
Our customer service, sales, and installation teams prioritize obtaining feedback throughout the process.
Do you envision a day when golf simulators may actually replace traditional golf?
Screen golf will continue to grow in popularity as an anytime practice and play solution that fits easily into your schedule. In South Korea, golf is one of the most popular sports. Since golf courses are far away and many are pretty expensive, golfers like playing at indoor golf centers.
A survey by the Korea Herald showed that 59.1 percent of beginning golfers have never played on an actual golf range. As more companies like Top Golf expand into the indoor golf simulator space, it will continue to drive significant demand.
Where do you see the overall industry heading in the next 5 to 10 years?
Our team expects significant growth in the golf simulator space over the next 5 + years. Golfers of all levels now realize that simulator technology offers a legitimate, immersive way to practice, play and improve – with immediate and accurate swing data.
Additional integration features like AI and Video Analysis are expected on the horizon.
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