---
title: "Why South Carolina Restaurants Are Adding Golf Bays"
url: https://www.heremyrtlebeach.com/2026/05/09/south-carolina-restaurants-golf-bays-myrtle-beach/
date: 2026-05-09T09:00:00+00:00
modified: 2026-07-09T15:32:47+00:00
author: "Susana M. Fajardo"
categories: ["Business"]
site: "HERE Myrtle Beach"
attribution: "HERE Myrtle Beach"
---

# Why South Carolina Restaurants Are Adding Golf Bays

*Source: [HERE Myrtle Beach](https://www.heremyrtlebeach.com/2026/05/09/south-carolina-restaurants-golf-bays-myrtle-beach/) — May 9, 2026 by Susana M. Fajardo*

Editor’s Disclosure

HEREMyrtleBeach.com is published by HERECity Network, an independent local news organization. [Your Indoor Golf Solutions](/partners/your-indoor-golf-solutions/), the subject of this article, has a business relationship with HERECity Network as a technology and services partner. This article was reported, written, and edited by a HERE editor to HERECity Network’s editorial standards. Your Indoor Golf Solutions reviewed the article for factual accuracy regarding its own business operations only; editorial judgment and final publication decisions rest with HERECity Network. See our [Editorial Standards](/about/#commercial-relationships).

Picture a Myrtle Beach restaurant packed with tourists on a rain-soaked Tuesday, half of them golf trip regulars who booked their whole vacation around tee times that just got scrapped. That’s the exact scenario a growing number of South Carolina restaurant operators are trying to solve with a technology upgrade instead of a weather app.

The trend isn’t unique to the coast, but it fits especially well here. Nationally, commercial simulator venues have nearly tripled since 2022 to more than **1,500 locations**, according to the National Golf Foundation, and food-and-beverage attach rates are a major reason why. RG Golf’s 2026 analysis found that **30% to 40% of total revenue** at national chains like X-Golf and Five Iron Golf comes from food and beverage sales, with alcohol especially profitable — a formula that translates directly to a market built around dining, drinking, and golf tourism all at once.

30–40%
Of X-Golf/Five Iron total revenue from F&B
RG Golf, 2026

1,500+
US commercial simulator venues, nearly tripled since 2022
National Golf Foundation

3–8 mo.
Bar payback period with F&B uplift included
Golf Sim Masters

For operators across the state — not just in tourist-heavy Myrtle Beach but in college towns and mid-size cities alike — the appeal of a golf bay isn’t the novelty. It’s the ability to keep tee-time-driven customers spending money on a rain day instead of driving to another town’s arcade.

## Why South Carolina is a natural fit

South Carolina’s restaurant and hospitality economy already leans heavily on golf tourism, particularly along the coast, which means the customer base for a simulator bay essentially already exists — it just needs somewhere to go when the outdoor course closes for weather. Operators nationwide have found that pairing a bay with an existing kitchen and bar captures that demand without requiring a brand-new standalone business.

The economics support the bet. Golf O’Clock’s dataset across 200-plus venues shows a single bay at 60% utilization and a $50-per-hour rate producing **$4,000 to $5,500 a month** in simulator revenue alone, climbing to **$6,000 to $8,000** once food and beverage revenue attaches — money that shows up regardless of forecast.

## A faster payback than most renovations

What makes this pencil out for a restaurant owner, rather than just a standalone entertainment venue, is speed of return. Golf Sim Masters estimates payback for a bar-attached bay at **3 to 8 months** once F&B uplift is included — a return window most kitchen or dining-room renovations simply can’t match.

Startup costs remain the real gating factor for many operators. RG Golf puts an all-in single-bay build at **$50,000 to $150,000**, and Attractions Marketing Pros notes that equipment financing can reduce upfront capital needs by **40% to 50%** — a detail that matters for restaurant owners weighing a bay addition against other capital priorities.

## Getting the pitch right for a coastal market

Not every restaurant layout supports a bay the same way. Waterfront properties, tourist-heavy dining rooms, and space-constrained downtown spots each present different tradeoffs around ceiling height, sightlines, and how a bay affects existing seating capacity during peak season.

That’s a scoping conversation worth having before signing a contractor, not after — which is why operators considering the move are increasingly told to call a dedicated consultant first rather than a general contractor.

## A statewide opportunity, not just a coastal one

While the tourist-driven rain-day logic is easiest to see in a market like Myrtle Beach, the same math applies broadly across South Carolina. College towns with weeknight bar traffic, mid-size cities with underused restaurant square footage, and suburban dining corridors all share the same basic opportunity: an existing food and beverage business with room to add a revenue stream that doesn’t depend on the weather.

Nationally, well-run six-bay facilities post **15% to 25% profit margins** on $500,000 to $900,000 in revenue, according to Attractions Marketing Pros, and Golf O’Clock’s broader venue data shows a range of **15% to 35%** depending on the operating model — evidence that the format works across a range of business sizes, not just large-format flagship venues.

Local Sports Lens

[Your Indoor Golf Solutions](https://yourindoorgolfsolutions.com), PGA Pro-owned by Greg Sheffield, has spent 25 years installing indoor golf simulators for homes, businesses, restaurants, and bars. The company works with clients nationwide — including South Carolina — and provides consulting on which technology tier, space configuration, and F&B integration makes sense for a given venue. Businesses considering a simulator install can request a consultation at [(309) 826-0439](tel:3098260439) or via [the HERE partner page](/partners/your-indoor-golf-solutions/).

The rainy Tuesday that used to be a lost night for a Myrtle Beach restaurant doesn’t have to stay lost. Increasingly, it’s just a different kind of tee time.

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