At first glance, giving away free simulator time might seem like a smart move to get people through the door. After all, who doesn’t love free golf? But if your goal is to build a sustainable, profitable indoor golf business with loyal customers who keep coming back, here’s why that “1-hour free” approach is doing more harm than good.
1. You Attract the Wrong Crowd
Free time attracts free seekers. These are the people who jump from promo to promo and have no intention of paying full price, ever. They’re not interested in becoming members, joining leagues, or supporting your business — they just want a free hour and are gone the next day.
You don’t build loyalty by catering to customers who were never going to stick around.
2. You Devalue Your Product from Day One
If your first message to the public is “our time is free,” you’ve instantly trained your customers to see your simulator as low-value. It’s hard to later justify charging $40 an hour when the intro was zero.
Perception is everything. Starting with deep discounts or freebies tells customers that your bay time isn’t worth paying for.
3. It Kills Word-of-Mouth Momentum
A customer who gets a free hour might tell their friends, but the story is about the deal — not the experience. Instead of “you have to check out this place, it’s amazing,” you get “go get your free hour before it ends.”
You’re not building brand loyalty. You’re building coupon culture.
4. No Skin in the Game = No Respect for the Experience
When customers pay for a bay, they show up on time, respect the space, and are more likely to follow your rules. When they don’t pay? They cancel last minute, show up late (or not at all), and treat the session casually. It wastes your time, your resources, and your opportunity to serve serious golfers who would have paid.
5. Better Alternatives Exist
If you want new customers to try your sim without giving away the farm, here’s what does work:
Players Pass Membership: Offer a low-cost membership (e.g., $10/month) that gives golfers $5 off every hour they book. This builds habits. Instead of a one-and-done freebie, you’re encouraging repeat visits and creating real customer loyalty from day one. They save more by coming more.
Square Loyalty + Birrdi Integration: With Birrdi, you can activate Square Loyalty to automatically reward customers based on their activity — no extra work needed. You can offer loyalty points for every dollar spent, then let customers redeem points for free time once they’ve earned it. This turns every visit into progress toward a reward, which keeps them coming back. Best of all, it’s fully tracked inside Birrdi.
This approach rewards commitment, not opportunism. It builds loyalty the right way — through value, consistency, and a system designed to scale with your business.
6. Use Ads That Actually Work — and Track Them
Birrdi comes with built-in Meta marketing integration, so you can launch Facebook and Instagram ads to reach new, paying customers right in your area — and actually see what’s working. With Birrdi’s Meta Pixel tracking, you’ll know exactly how much you spent, how many people clicked, and who booked. It’s powerful marketing with real ROI, not guesswork.
Instead of giving away time hoping people return, you’re investing in precision marketing that brings in real customers — and tracks their full journey from ad click to booking.
Final Word
Free hours don’t build loyalty. Value does. Focus on delivering a great experience, creating real savings through smart membership programs, and using tools like Square Loyalty and Meta marketing to reward and attract the right customers.
With Birrdi, your business doesn’t just start strong.
It grows smarter.