4 ms·

Growing a Golf Simulator Business to $50k/month

102 points by patwalls 8y ago

kaycebasques 8y ago
Is this image from the article a simulation of the golf simulator? https://images.ctfassets.net/t0pm5m7uku03/6f5J0wJUtikAU4yoqgeGok/69bb04a9fe38e537134af58128d143c2/20_Foot_Trailer.png https://images.ctfassets.net/t0pm5m7uku03/6f5J0wJUtikAU4yoqg... Simulations all the way down...
shawn 8y ago
VR pool and VR golf seem worth making for the Vive. Also swordfighting. In fact, all three of those have something in common: You want to hold an object (cue, club, sword), not just a controller. I know there are vive trackers that you can put onto objects, but it seems like the next step in VR is generalized object tracking with generalized full body tracking. Hopefully the next gen tech can solve some of these problems natively.
- theNJR 8y ago
  Golf and Pool already exist. In fact VR mini golf does very well (top 10) in VR arcades.
- ivl 8y ago
  I think you'd get a fundamentally different market segment, though. The pros of virtual golf are for swing analysis. I definitely wouldn't call it 'fun'. It's just that you can get the numbers and better understand your swing, and what the outcomes of the changes you're making to it are. Of course, because you're hitting on a mat it's hard to translate, but that's just golf. I still think the most useful aspects are the numbers. Clubhead speed, angle, where you struck on the head, ball spin, difference between clubhead speed and ball speed (which gives a sense of how well the ball was struck). I can imagine those things being able to be handled with a headset, but not particularly well. The ball needs to be starting at a point the sensors/camera can pick up, and that camera has to be static to get the more useful bits of info, which makes me think if someone makes it it'll be sold to a very different crowd.
- throwaway2016a 8y ago
  I can't imagine VR golf working well for this use case. This is a serious simulator. $3000 before the projector and mat. 1. The VR headset would probably have a negative effect on swing or at the very least cause it to not translate well to real life 2. A short virtual club won't have the same weight and feel as a real club. 3. A real club while wearing a VR headset makes being a house cat suddenly very dangerous. Maybe AR?
  - Doxin 8y ago
    Allow me to address these one by one: 1. Have you worn a vr headset for any amount of time? They aren't nearly as cumbersome as you'd think. I've been playing plenty of VR games involving a lot of movement -- frisbee, paintball, etc -- never have I felt like the headset was impeding me in any way, aside from the odd stumble across the cable every now and then. 2. This is easily solved. HTC sells separate tracking dots you could very well stick on an actual golf club. 3. Close the door and move your breakables somewhere else ;) AR doesn't really address any of these issues more or less than VR.
- fortythirteen 8y ago
  https://store.steampowered.com/app/489600/The_Golf_Club_VR/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/489600/The_Golf_Club_VR/
- BrazeBeefNoodle 8y ago
  VR pool is pretty terrible if you've played much pool - resting a hand on the table is fundamental and doesn't work in VR.
supercanuck 8y ago
I’m genuinly curious how he got his SAP Business from $280k to $4m in 4 years. That seems like an accomplishment in and of itself, nevermind the online store
- 77pt77 8y ago
  I'm more curious how he started at the 280K mark.
  - hkmurakami 8y ago
    It’s pretty well known that SAP consultants make a high hourly rate.
    - amenod 8y ago
      Still... that's a pretty high number. I doubt 4M is true, it seems a bit exaggerated. Good for him if it's true though.
      - nigifabio 8y ago
        Considering he was working in hr, he was probably doing body rental of sap consultant and make the margin on top, if you are good in headhunting is a really scalable business
      - gazarsgo 8y ago
        No, it's really not a high number. It's right on the money for 3 years in-the-trenches experience making the move into consultancy -- around $130-140/hr billable, which is what I was billed out at in the mid 2000s as a .NET consultant.
        kolbe 8y ago
        Getting high hourly rates isn't the hard part. It's maintaining consistent work across multiple clients while taking the time to market yourself and negotiate contracts. That's not an easy task for someone who has never worked on their own before. Unless it's an unusual circumstance (like he had one client the whole time), I think averaging 20 billables a week in the first year is pretty impressive for someone to do.
charlesdm 8y ago
Not much to add, aside from: this is a cool business
ataturk 8y ago
I don't doubt that these people make lots of money, but sites like starterstory are promoting their site/brand through these posts on HN.

102 points by patwalls 8y ago

Is this image from the article a simulation of the golf simulator? https://images.ctfassets.net/t0pm5m7uku03/6f5J0wJUtikAU4yoqgeGok/69bb04a9fe38e537134af58128d143c2/20_Foot_Trailer.png https://images.ctfassets.net/t0pm5m7uku03/6f5J0wJUtikAU4yoqg... Simulations all the way down...

shawn 8y ago

VR pool and VR golf seem worth making for the Vive. Also swordfighting. In fact, all three of those have something in common: You want to hold an object (cue, club, sword), not just a controller. I know there are vive trackers that you can put onto objects, but it seems like the next step in VR is generalized object tracking with generalized full body tracking. Hopefully the next gen tech can solve some of these problems natively.

theNJR 8y ago
Golf and Pool already exist. In fact VR mini golf does very well (top 10) in VR arcades.
ivl 8y ago
I think you'd get a fundamentally different market segment, though. The pros of virtual golf are for swing analysis. I definitely wouldn't call it 'fun'. It's just that you can get the numbers and better understand your swing, and what the outcomes of the changes you're making to it are. Of course, because you're hitting on a mat it's hard to translate, but that's just golf. I still think the most useful aspects are the numbers. Clubhead speed, angle, where you struck on the head, ball spin, difference between clubhead speed and ball speed (which gives a sense of how well the ball was struck). I can imagine those things being able to be handled with a headset, but not particularly well. The ball needs to be starting at a point the sensors/camera can pick up, and that camera has to be static to get the more useful bits of info, which makes me think if someone makes it it'll be sold to a very different crowd.
throwaway2016a 8y ago
I can't imagine VR golf working well for this use case. This is a serious simulator. $3000 before the projector and mat. 1. The VR headset would probably have a negative effect on swing or at the very least cause it to not translate well to real life 2. A short virtual club won't have the same weight and feel as a real club. 3. A real club while wearing a VR headset makes being a house cat suddenly very dangerous. Maybe AR?
- Doxin 8y ago
  Allow me to address these one by one: 1. Have you worn a vr headset for any amount of time? They aren't nearly as cumbersome as you'd think. I've been playing plenty of VR games involving a lot of movement -- frisbee, paintball, etc -- never have I felt like the headset was impeding me in any way, aside from the odd stumble across the cable every now and then. 2. This is easily solved. HTC sells separate tracking dots you could very well stick on an actual golf club. 3. Close the door and move your breakables somewhere else ;) AR doesn't really address any of these issues more or less than VR.
fortythirteen 8y ago
https://store.steampowered.com/app/489600/The_Golf_Club_VR/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/489600/The_Golf_Club_VR/
BrazeBeefNoodle 8y ago
VR pool is pretty terrible if you've played much pool - resting a hand on the table is fundamental and doesn't work in VR.

supercanuck 8y ago

I’m genuinly curious how he got his SAP Business from $280k to $4m in 4 years. That seems like an accomplishment in and of itself, nevermind the online store

77pt77 8y ago
I'm more curious how he started at the 280K mark.
- hkmurakami 8y ago
  It’s pretty well known that SAP consultants make a high hourly rate.
  - amenod 8y ago
    Still... that's a pretty high number. I doubt 4M is true, it seems a bit exaggerated. Good for him if it's true though.
    - nigifabio 8y ago
      Considering he was working in hr, he was probably doing body rental of sap consultant and make the margin on top, if you are good in headhunting is a really scalable business
    - gazarsgo 8y ago
      No, it's really not a high number. It's right on the money for 3 years in-the-trenches experience making the move into consultancy -- around $130-140/hr billable, which is what I was billed out at in the mid 2000s as a .NET consultant.
      - kolbe 8y ago
        Getting high hourly rates isn't the hard part. It's maintaining consistent work across multiple clients while taking the time to market yourself and negotiate contracts. That's not an easy task for someone who has never worked on their own before. Unless it's an unusual circumstance (like he had one client the whole time), I think averaging 20 billables a week in the first year is pretty impressive for someone to do.

charlesdm 8y ago

Not much to add, aside from: this is a cool business

ataturk 8y ago

I don't doubt that these people make lots of money, but sites like starterstory are promoting their site/brand through these posts on HN.