For decades, the Driving Range was the forgotten child of the golf club: a purely functional strip of land where players spent 15 minutes warming up before their tee time. It was a service, not a business.
In 2026, that narrative has changed completely. Driven by the rise of entertainment golf, the Driving Range has become one of the club’s main revenue engines. It is the entry point for beginners and a social hub for groups.
However, attractive design is only half the battle. To truly elevate your club, you must combine strategic architecture with intelligent management software.
Architectural flow: optimising land to generate revenue
An effective design is not just about where targets are placed; it is about throughput capacity.
- The bottleneck problem: Legacy layouts force players to walk long distances to collect balls or find an available bay.
- The solution: Centralise “transaction zones”. By positioning ball dispensers and food & beverage outlets strategically close to the bays, friction is removed.
- The result: Faster rotation. The easier it is to access balls, the more balls are hit. A “path of least resistance” is created, leading directly to the payment terminal.
The key factor: infrastructure for technology
Managers must prioritise connectivity. If you are renovating a range today, you are effectively building a data centre.
- Power and data: Your bays must support launch monitors (Trackman, Toptracer) as well as charging stations.
- The software connection: Golfmanager allows you to control everything that happens in your driving range without losing sight of other areas of the club, all from a single platform.
Automating the “ball journey”
The goal is an unattended revenue flow. With Golfmanager, the need for tokens and dedicated cashier staff disappears.
- Contactless dispensing: Players pay by card or mobile directly through the Golfmanager app and can even dispense their own buckets of balls.
- QR code buckets: Players who book online receive a code; scanning it releases the balls instantly.
- Revenue impact: You can keep the range open 24/7 without paying a member of staff to be at reception or in the pro shop. Everything runs automatically.
Subscription models: the “Netflix” of practice
Why sell a bucket for €5 when you could sell a monthly subscription? Design defines capacity, but software defines performance.
- Strategy: Create a “Range Membership” with unlimited balls (subject to a daily cap to prevent abuse).
- Why it works: It guarantees recurring revenue regardless of the weather. Even if it rains, the subscription has already been paid.
Visual targets and gamification
To attract new golfer profiles, incorporate gamification elements. Younger players, in particular, respond far more positively.
- Design: Use illuminated target greens for night-time play.
- Management: Organise software-managed Long Drive events. By turning practice into competition, dwell time increases — and with it, spending on food and drink.
The new equation of a profitable driving range
The formula for maximising profits in 2026 is simple:
Smart Architecture + Smart Software = High Profit Margins
Don’t let your driving range sit idle. Automate its operations with Golfmanager.
FAQ: Driving range revenue and management
- How can I increase revenue?
Introduce dynamic pricing (off-peak and prime time) and charge a premium for bays equipped with ball-tracking technology. - What is the advantage of automation?
It drastically reduces labour costs. By removing staff from manual processes, you streamline the customer journey and extend opening hours. - Design vs profitability?
Designing “social bays” (with sofas and seating) encourages groups to stay longer and spend more on food and beverages.
