Cost Research

Golf Simulator Statistics 2026: Users, Market Size and Cost

NGF reports 48.1 million US golf participants in 2025 and 8.1 million simulator and screen golf users in 2024. Research firms' global market estimates differ, so each is listed with its own year and scope.

This guide is part of Golf Simulator Budget Breakdown: Parts, Room Prep and Five-Year Costs.

Sections17

• Golf simulator data desk
• 2026 golf simulator statistics at a glance
• Golf participation statistics
• Golf simulator and screen golf statistics
• Golf simulator market size estimates
• Venues and companies
• Golf economy
• Outdated figures still in circulation
• Launch-monitor price table
• Package and installation costs
• Indoor, outdoor and portable
• Published space requirements
• Recurring software costs
• Reproducible package comparisons
• What this dataset refuses to claim
• Downloads and methodology
• Primary sources

Last updated October 15, 2026.

These golf simulator statistics for 2026 cover users, market size, venues and costs. Each figure has a source and data year. Some counts are older than this page. Where no newer count is public, that gap is stated.

• 48.1 million
  US golf participants, on- or off-course. 2025, NGF.
• 19 million
  US off-course-only participants, including ranges and entertainment venues. 2025, NGF.
• 8.1 million
  US simulator and screen golf users. 2024, NGF white paper, April 2025.
• 6.5%
  US golf facilities with simulators. November-December 2024 survey, NGF.
• $45K per bay
  Average investment reported by golf facility operators. November-December 2024 survey, NGF.
• More than 1,450 sites
  Toptracer sites worldwide, not bays. July 30, 2026, Toptracer.
• 12,697 sites
  Golfzon commercial sites worldwide. March 31, 2025, Golfzon company release.
• $599.99
  Lowest launch-monitor price in this dataset, Rapsodo MLM2PRO sale display. September 12, 2026, Rapsodo. Not a complete room.

Download: golf simulator statistics and cost CSV | Apply the numbers: build calculator

Golf simulator data desk

2026 golf simulator statistics at a glance

Sources: NGF participation, Rapsodo, Bushnell bundles, Foresight packages and GSPro. Price dates remain September 2026.

Golf participation statistics

The National Golf Foundation reports that 48.1 million Americans age 6 and older played golf on-course or off-course in 2025. It separates that total into 29.1 million on-course players and 19 million people who participated only in off-course golf.

The 19 million figure is useful context for golf technology, but it is not a count of simulator users. NGF says off-course participation includes traditional and technology-enabled driving ranges, indoor simulators and entertainment venues such as Topgolf. Any article that turns 19 million into "golf simulator users" changes the definition.

Other NGF context for 2025:

NGF says off-course formats can introduce people to golf, but these figures do not prove that a simulator caused later on-course participation.

US golf participation over time

These NGF figures count Americans age 6 and older. The total includes on-course and off-course play. Each person is counted once.

Off-course history uses a different definition. NGF reported just over 24 million off-course participants in 2020 (NGF, May 2021). That includes people who also played on-course. In 2022, total off-course play reached 27.9 million, above 25.6 million on-course players (NGF, January 2023).

NGF's February 2024 post lists 18.5 million off-course-only players alongside its 2023 figures. The split's year is not labelled. The date is inferred from the rest of the post (NGF, February 15, 2024). Its current 2025 count is 19 million.

There is no full public annual series of off-course-only counts. The missing years are in NGF's members-only report. They have not been filled in here.

Golf simulator and screen golf statistics

The NGF white paper, The Golf Simulator Opportunity, April 2025 gives US user counts. It also reports on golf facility operators. The operator survey ran in November-December 2024, with 354 operators. That sample applies to the operator findings below. It is not the sample for all US golf counts.

NGF has not published a newer simulator-user count as of October 15, 2026. 8.1 million is the 2024 figure, not a 2026 count. No newer public facility share was found either. NGF does not give a public count of all commercial simulator venues.

The $45K operator average is not a home-build average or a quote for your room. A positive financial impact does not mean the full cost has been paid back.

Golf simulator market size estimates

These firms each estimate the global golf simulator market. They disagree on its size, and their reports differ in scope and dates. Each estimate is shown on its own so the gaps stay clear.

CAGR means compound annual growth rate. It is the yearly rate used in a forecast. These are estimates, not audited sales totals. Global Market Insights also gives a US estimate of USD 771.8 million for 2024. That is for the US alone. No newer base-year edition of that firm's report was found.

How this figure changed: Grand View Research's March 2025 edition put the market at USD 1.74 billion in 2024, with USD 2.90 billion by 2030 and 9.4% CAGR for 2025-2030. Its current page, updated June 2026, says USD 2.1 billion in 2025 to USD 4.1 billion by 2033, with 8.7% CAGR. The March 2026 edition, archived April 23, 2026, used USD 2.12 billion and USD 4.12 billion for those same years. Those are that edition's exact figures; the current page uses rounded wording.

Venues and companies

These counts measure different businesses and dates. Some are ranges. Others are indoor sites or golf entertainment venues. They should not be added into one simulator-venue total.

The FY2025 Callaway SEC filing, filed February 27, 2026, gives no newer Topgolf venue count. It reports Topgolf and Toptracer as discontinued operations. Effective January 1, 2026, funds managed by Leonard Green & Partners bought 60% of the businesses. Callaway kept 40%. Use the Topgolf count as end-of-2024 data. No newer public count was found.

Golf economy

The latest public national study uses 2022 data, even though NGF discussed the reports again in March 2026.

NGF's May 18, 2023 explanation ties the study to its data year. No newer national golf economy study has been published as of October 15, 2026. These figures cover US golf as a whole, not simulator revenue.

Outdated figures still in circulation

Older figures can still describe their own period. Use the latest matching measure when a current count is needed.

Launch-monitor price table

These are dated US manufacturer-page observations, not a complete market census.

Sources: Rapsodo, SKYTRAK, Bushnell monitor listings, Bushnell Launch Pro, Foresight monitors and Trackman iO.

The $599.99 and $19,999 endpoints describe different products and buyers. They should not be averaged. Product availability, included software, measured data, required ball type and room geometry all change what the price buys.

Package and installation costs

Package listings are more useful than a bare monitor price because they capture more of the room, but they still are not a household-spending survey or a verified installed total.

Sources: Bushnell bundles and Foresight packages.

Foresight separately offers space survey, custom design, installation and onsite training. The public package page does not establish that every listed price includes construction, electrical work, climate control, tax, shipping or every installation service.

Commercial builds still require quotes. NGF's operator average above covers bay investment at surveyed golf facilities. It does not price a new venue's leasehold construction, fire and access work, staffing, rent or local installation.

Indoor, outdoor and portable

A launch monitor can serve more than one setting:

Sources: Foresight's monitor comparison and SKYTRAK ST+.

• Foresight describes its GC monitors as portable from a home simulator to the range.
• Foresight's comparison marks GC3, GCQuad and QuadMAX as indoor/outdoor products.
• SKYTRAK lists ST+ location as indoor and outdoor and says outdoor performance is intended on mats.
• A portable monitor can provide numbers on a phone or tablet without a screen, enclosure or projector.

Those statements apply to the tracking device. They do not prove that a projector can overcome daylight, that an impact screen is weatherproof, or that electronics can remain outdoors. A complete outdoor setup needs its own power, weather, anchoring, glare and safe-ball-containment plan.

Published space requirements

SKYTRAK's product page publishes these studio equipment dimensions:

These are manufacturer studio dimensions, not a universal safe-room minimum. SKYTRAK also says the player must be able to make a comfortable, unrestricted swing and that left- and right-handed players may need extra width. Mat thickness, club length, player height, projector position and monitor technology can all require more space.

Use the room-size guide before the cost calculator. A physically incompatible low-cost monitor is not a bargain.

Recurring software costs

Hardware price is only the first layer. Captured annual prices include:

Sources: Bushnell Launch Pro plans and GSPro.

Two transparent five-year calculations:

1. GSPro alone: $250 x 5 = $1,250.
2. Bushnell Gold plus GSPro: ($499 + $250) x 5 = $3,745.

The combined annual stack is $499 + $250 = $749. Adding the captured $2,999.99 Launch Pro hardware price gives a five-year monitor-and-software subtotal of $6,744.99 before a mat, screen, enclosure, projector, computer, floor or room work.

This is a fixed-price scenario, not a forecast. It assumes both annual prices and compatibility rules remain unchanged for five paid years and excludes tax.

Reproducible package comparisons

Bushnell's matching monitor and bundle listings support two narrow calculations:

Sources: Bushnell monitors and matching bundles.

These percentages apply only to the four captured prices. They do not establish that launch monitors represent 36% to 46% of every golf simulator budget. Bundle contents and prices can change.

For custom planning, use this formula instead of a universal average:

first-year cost = monitor + screen or net + enclosure + projector or display + computer or tablet + mat + first-year software + installation + room work + tax and shipping

recurring annual cost = software + course or content renewals + consumables + repairs + electricity

What this dataset refuses to claim

• It does not turn NGF's 19 million off-course-only participants into simulator users.
• It does not treat a research firm's market forecast as audited sales or average estimates from different firms.
• It does not call one retailer roundup a market average.
• It does not call a manufacturer package a fully installed room unless the source says so.
• It does not infer an outdoor projected simulator from an outdoor-capable monitor.
• It does not fill a missing price from memory or a reseller when the manufacturer page is unavailable.

Downloads and methodology

The downloadable CSV holds the figures on this page. It covers golf and simulator use, market size, venues, the golf economy and costs. Each row has a source, date and status. Limits and data years are kept with each figure.

The added figures were checked in October 2026. Each section links its sources. Estimates are listed per firm rather than averaged. This page is reviewed when NGF or the research firms publish new figures.

Status rules:

1. Observed reproduces a value visible on a named source on the capture date.
2. Derived is arithmetic from observed rows and includes the formula.
3. Planning input is a replaceable scenario value, never a measured average.
4. Quote required means no defensible public price was found.
5. Unavailable preserves a displayed historical price without presenting the product as current.

Prices were checked on September 12 or September 14, 2026. Re-check the manufacturer if a current purchase decision depends on the number.

Suggested citation:

Golf Simulator Cost, "Golf Simulator Statistics 2026: Users, Market Size and Cost," updated October 15, 2026, source page.

Primary sources

• National Golf Foundation: Golf Industry Facts, checked October 15, 2026. The simulator, market, company and economy sections link their own reports and filings.
• Rapsodo MLM2PRO, accessed September 12, 2026.
• SKYTRAK ST+, accessed September 14, 2026.
• Bushnell Launch Pro, accessed September 12, 2026.
• Bushnell launch monitors, accessed September 12, 2026.
• Bushnell simulator bundles, accessed September 12, 2026.
• Foresight launch monitors, accessed September 14, 2026.
• Foresight home and business simulators, accessed September 14, 2026.
• GSPro Version 3, accessed September 12, 2026.
• Trackman iO, accessed September 12, 2026.

Quick answers

How many people use golf simulators in the US?

NGF's April 2025 white paper reports 8.1 million US simulator and screen golf users in 2024, up from 3.8 million in 2015. NGF has not published a newer simulator-user count as of October 15, 2026. The figure is not a count of all off-course golfers.

How big is the golf simulator market?

For 2025, Fortune Business Insights estimates USD 1.92 billion, Mordor Intelligence USD 1.97 billion, Grand View Research USD 2.1 billion and Custom Market Insights USD 2.4 billion worldwide. These are separate estimates with different scopes. The market table links each firm's report and forecast.

How many US golf facilities have simulators?

NGF found that 6.5% of US golf facilities had simulators in its November-December 2024 survey of 354 operators. Another 13% planned to add them within 1-2 years. These are shares of golf facilities, not a count of all commercial simulator venues. No newer public share was found.

What has changed since older golf statistics?

NGF's total US participation count rose from 45 million in 2023 to 48.1 million in 2025. Grand View Research's current report uses a 2025 base year and a 2033 forecast. Its March 2025 edition used a 2024 base year and a 2030 forecast. The older figures remain dated history.

Are off-course golfers all simulator users?

No. NGF's 19 million off-course-only participants in 2025 include driving ranges and golf entertainment venues as well as simulators. Its simulator and screen golf count is a separate measure from 2024. Keep the year and definition attached when quoting either figure.

What is the average golf simulator cost in 2026?

There is no sourced average for all home builds here. NGF's operator survey reports $45K per commercial bay, which is not a home-build average. The manufacturer price tables cover monitors and packages, with room work, tax, shipping and installation often separate.

Can I download and cite the data?

Yes. The CSV records each price or specification with its status, source, capture date and limitation. Cite the original manufacturer for a product fact and this page for the compilation or calculations.