You're hiring before product-market fit; confirm the $35,000/month land lease, validate demand with HR and executive outreach, and recruit a Sales Director noww. Build a lean model using REVENUE 1Y $3,141,000 and REVENUE 2Y $4,314,000, protect runway to avoid the minimum cash month Sep-26, and phase $250,000 software capex through Dec 2026 while staging openings June-Sept 2026.
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Step Name
Description
1
Site and Lease Secured
Negotiate and lock lease terms, zoning, duration, and contingencies before construction.
2
Design and Permitting
Finalize 12-hole design, obtain coordinated permits, and budget for permit delays.
3
Construction and Fit-Out
Build course, clubhouse, pods, and install network/carts to scheduled completion dates.
4
Software and Scheduling Launch
Develop booking software, integrate with systems, and beta test with early members.
5
Hire Core Team
Recruit executive and operational hires phased to support membership growth and breakeven.
6
Launch Sales and Corporate Outreach
Initiate corporate outreach, promote trials, and convert event bookings to memberships.
7
Scale Operations and Optimize
Monitor churn, improve margins, expand offerings, and reforecast cash and ROI regularly.
Key Takeaways
Validate corporate demand via HR outreach before leasing
Confirm land lease availability and $35,000 monthly cost
Phase software development and prioritize scheduling and memberships
Recruit Sales Director now to target corporate memberships
How Do You Start Golf Club If You'Ve Never Done This Before?
You're hiring before product-market fit, so start by validating demand and locking runway-then move to a lean build. Do targeted HR outreach and executive surveys, build a lean golf club financial model from the provided revenue forecasts and capex totals, and secure a short-term land lease aligned with launch dates in the assumptions; see How to Write a Business Plan for a Golf Club? for plan structure. Prototype scheduling flow and membership tiers before full software spend, and recruit a Sales Director experienced in corporate memberships immediately to accelerate early conversion.
Immediate actions to start
Validate demand with executive surveys and HR outreach
Build a lean financial model from provided revenue forecasts
Secure short-term land lease matching launch assumptions
Prototype scheduling flow, tier pricing, and hire Sales Director
What Should You Do First Before Spending Any Money?
You're planning a golf club but haven't spent a dollar-confirm land lease terms and validate corporate demand before any commit. Check the $35,000 monthly land lease and run targeted HR outreach to corporate groups, and see the runway vs capex and the minimum cash month (Sep-26). Map membership tier pricing to the tiered subscription forecasts (launch Mar 1, 2026) and pilot meeting pods in a rented space. For revenue and owner paybenchmarks, see How Much Does a Golf Club Business Owner Earn?.
Give a header name
Confirm land lease availability and $35,000/month
Run targeted outreach to local HR groups for corporate demand
Calculate cash runway vs capex schedule and minimum cash month Sep-26
Pilot meeting pods in temporary rented space before full spend
How Long Does It Usually Take To Get Open?
You should plan for phased openings between June and September 2026 and align hiring and launch activities to those dates; read the schedule and financial implications and see How Profitable Golf Club Ownership Really Is? for related returns. Course construction runs through June 2026, clubhouse buildout completes by September 2026, pods, network, and carts are slated for completion by May 2026, and initial scheduling software development continues through December 2026.
Key opening milestones
Course construction: through June 2026
Pods, network, carts: compleets by May 2026
Clubhouse buildout: complete by September 2026
Scheduling software: initial development through Dec 2026
How Do You Create Strong Golf Club Business Plan?
You need a business plan that ties the six revenue streams and launch dates to capex timing and staffing, so investors can see cashflow to breakeven. Base the revenue model on the six revenue streams and launch dates provided and stress-test cashflow against the minimum cash month and breakeven in year 2. Include detailed capex timing for construction and software spend, and build the staffing plan from the wages_expenses FTE forecasts and salaries listed. Here's the quick math: map COGS and variable percentages from assumptions to forecast EBITDA and check runway versus the capex schedule; see How Much Does It Cost to Start a Golf Club?
Give a header name
Base model on six revenue streams and launch dates
Stress-test cash vs minimum cash month; target breakeven in year 2
Include capex timing: course, clubhouse, pods, software
Build staffing from FTE wages_expenses and model COGS to forecast EBITDA
What Mistake Delays Most First-Time Owners?
You're most likely to stall by underestimating capex timing and hitting the minimum cash month, so fix cash timing first and read on. Also avoid launching full software before prototyping scheduling workflows and overhiring before breakeven in year 2; check fixed costs like the $35,000 land lease and $12,000 marketing retainer at What Operating Costs Golf Clubs Incur?.
Main delays to fix
Underestimating capex timing and hitting minimum cash shortfalls
Launching full software before validating scheduling workflows
Overhiring before membership revenue reaches breakeven in year 2
Ignoring corporate sales/HR outreach and skipping staged pod/cart tests
What Are 7 Steps To Open Golf Club?
Site And Lease Secured
Secure a land lease that matches the project's monthly cost and start date so the site is ready for construction and 'done' means a signed lease covering the ramp period with contingency clauses.
What to Do
Compare available parcels to zoning for a 12-hole course
Call the landowner and confirm lease start date aligns with construction
Draft lease with contingency for construction schedule slippage
Price monthly rent to match the model's $35,000 land lease
Negotiate lease duration to cover the projected ramp period
What You Should Have
Signed lease with start date and contingency clauses
Zoning confirmation or permit-ready letter
Lease cost schedule matching the capex cashflow
What It Depends On
Local zoning and permitting for a 12-hole course
Landowner willingness to align lease start with construction
Funding availability tied to the capex schedule
Common Pitfall
Signing a lease before zoning confirmed --> permit denial or rework
Lease start that precedes funding drawdates --> early cash shortfall
Quick Win
Request a zoning letter from the local planning office to prevent permit surprises
Get a 30-day draft lease with contingency clauses to speed negotiations
Design And Permitting
Goal: Finalize the 12-hole course design and secure permits so construction can start on January 2026 and 'done' is permits approved for course, clubhouse, and pods.
What to Do
Engage a golf course architect to finalize the 12-hole layout
Apply for course and clubhouse permits timed for Jan 2026 start
Order civil and utility plans showing network and cart connectivity
Compare permit checklists with local planning and zoning requirements
Negotiate permit contingency clauses into the land lease
What You Should Have
Approved permit applications for course and clubhouse
Site civil plans with high-speed network and cart routes
Vendor shortlist for course contractor and permit expeditor
What It Depends On
Local permitting timelines and inspection schedules
Zoning approvals for a 12-hole short course
Availability of civil engineers for utility and network plans
Common Pitfall
Delaying network and cart infrastructure in plans --> change orders and schedule slippage
Assuming fast permit approvals --> cash runway hits the minimum cash month and construction pauses
Quick Win
Create a one-page permit checklist to speed up applications / prevent missing documents
Request a formal zoning pre-check from the planning office this week to defintely catch showstoppers
Construction And Fit-Out
Goal: Finish the 12-hole course, clubhouse, pods, carts, and network so the golf club is operational in phased openings and 'done' means playable course by June 2026 and clubhouse fit-out by September 2026.
What to Do
Sign construction contract for course with June 2026 completion target
Order clubhouse long-lead items and schedule fit-out to finish by September 2026
Place cart fleet order and confirm delivery for May 2026 network integration
Install meeting pods and AV per capex: pods by May and AV by August 2026
Approve a strict change-order policy to protect the minimum cash month (Sep-26)
What You Should Have
Signed construction and fit-out contracts with milestone schedule
Vendor delivery schedule for carts and network tied to May 2026
Approved change-order threshold and contingency drawdown plan
What It Depends On
Permits and inspections aligned to start construction in January 2026
Vendor lead times for carts and AV to meet May-August 2026 windows
Available cash to cover capex drawdowns and avoid hitting Sep-26 minimum cash month
Common Pitfall
Underestimating change orders --> delay to June/September 2026 targets and extra spend
Ordering carts or network late --> missed May 2026 integration and beta scheduling failures
Quick Win
Create a one-page vendor timeline to force May-Sept 2026 alignment / prevents schedule drift
Get three cart/network quotes this week and lock lead times / speeds procurement
Software And Scheduling Launch
Goal: Build the golf club scheduling system so members reliably book guaranteed tee times and subscriptions; done looks like a beta live with early-members and core booking workflows validated.
What to Do
Define booking workflows for guaranteed tee times
Prioritize subscription management and payment flows
Integrate booking API with carts and network endpoints
Run closed beta with early-members and capture UX issues
Allocate iterative capex for post-launch fixes
What You Should Have
Beta build with tee-time and subscription modules
Integration spec and test logs for carts/network
Capex signoff showing $250,000 allocated
What It Depends On
Availability of network and cart connectivity per capex timeline
Vendor lead times for booking platform and API access
Funding to cover software spend through December 2026
Common Pitfall
Launching full software before beta testing --> wasted dev spend and rework
Skipping integration tests with carts/network --> booking failures and member churn
Quick Win
Create a one-page booking flow map to prevent scope creep / speeds dev handoff
Invite 10 early-members to a 2-week beta to catch UX blockers / reduces launch risk
Hire Core Team
Goal: Build the operations and sales leadership for the golf club so "done" means a General Manager, Sales Director, and Operations Manager hired and the Membership Manager in place to start outreach.
What to Do
Draft role specs for General Manager, Sales Director, Operations Manager
Call three executive recruiters for Sales Director with corporate-membership track record
Interview and offer Membership Manager to start by Feb-2026
Hire part-time accountant and schedule handover to full-time per FTE forecast
Phase Front Desk hires to match membership ramp and breakeven timeline
What You Should Have
Signed offer letters for GM, Sales Director, Operations Manager
Membership Manager start-date confirmed for Feb-2026
Hiring timeline tied to breakeven and revenue ramp forecasts
What It Depends On
Availability of candidates with corporate membership sales experience
Funding runway vs. minimum cash month (Sep-2026)
Construction and phased opening dates that drive staffing needs
Common Pitfall
Overhiring early --> depletes runway and forces layoffs
Delaying Sales Director hire --> missed corporate-membership revenue
Quick Win
Create one-page role brief for Sales Director to speed recruiter outreach / shortlists candidates this week
Run targeted outreach message to five local HR groups to validate corporate demand / capture first leads (produces list of interested companies)
You need to cover the capex totals plus initial operating runway Use the listed capex items totaling several million including course construction and clubhouse buildout, and plan for monthly fixed expenses such as a land lease of $35,000 and other retainers Model runway to avoid hitting the minimum cash month in Sep-26
Expect breakeven in the second operating year per the plan The financials show breakeven in year 2 and project REVENUE 2Y at $4,314,000 with EBITDA 2Y of $1,059,000 Use these milestones to time hiring and marketing spend conservatively
You should invest in scheduling software but phase features over time The plan budgets an initial software capex through December 2026 and lists it at $250,000 while scheduling and membership features should be prioritized before full feature rollout Align development with launch dates to avoid delays
Major fixed costs include land lease and retainers listed in assumptions Plan for a land lease of $35,000 monthly, marketing retainer of $12,000 monthly, and other items like facility maintenance and software fees to preserve runway Compare these to projected revenue in year 1 and year 2
Use tiered monthly subscriptions aligned to forecasted tiered revenues The model expects Tiered Subscriptions revenue starting March 1, 2026 and projects REVENUE 1Y at $3,141,000 and REVENUE 2Y at $4,314,000 set introductory pricing to hit those targets while protecting long-term retention
