GolfCave Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
GolfCave is a recreation franchise operating 24-hour indoor golf simulator studios for practice, play, and lessons. Franchisees run the facilities, managing simulators, bookings, and memberships.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A GolfCave franchise requires a total initial investment of $506K – $1.0M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.5% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $506K – $1.0M
- 35th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 8.5%
- 42nd pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 6
- 21st pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $506K – $1.0M including a $50K franchise fee, 8.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAudited statements of operations, FY ended Dec 31, 2024 ($124,200) vs 2023 ($38,253). Net loss $82,339; accumulated member's deficit $164,156. Auditor (Florham Park, NJ, dated April 10, 2025) noted going-concern evaluation; total liabilities of $241,632 (largely deferred revenue) exceed total assets of $77,476.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 49/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports company owned stores rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- GolfCave Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- GolfCave Franchising Holdings LLC
- CEO title
- LLC Manager
- Amy Wechsler
- Incorporated in
- NJ
- HQ
- 1 Clarkton Drive, Clark, NJ 07066
- Auditor
- Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $124K
- vs $38K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Amy Wechsler
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 43% below the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $35K | $65K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $421K | $888K |
| Total initial investment | $506K | $1.0M |
Source: GolfCave 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $506K – $1.0M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $65K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.5%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 11.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $13K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $4K |
| Total fee load | 11.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
GolfCave did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one GolfCave unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
10%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Audited statements of operations, FY ended Dec 31, 2024 ($124,200) vs 2023 ($38,253). Net loss $82,339; accumulated member's deficit $164,156. Auditor (Florham Park, NJ, dated April 10, 2025) noted going-concern evaluation; total liabilities of $241,632 (largely deferred revenue) exceed total assets of $77,476.
- Item 19 type
- company owned stores
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 5
- Range (low → high)
- $549K→$792K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 166 Recreation & Entertainment brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 11.5% — above the Recreation & Entertainment average of 8.8%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports company owned stores rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How GolfCave Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $2.9M
- Median loan
- $1.0M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (3 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
GolfCave presents meaningful caution-level risk due to minimal system size, zero territory protection, and unclear unit performance sustainability across a wide investment range.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 49 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 6 units in system with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or declining franchise
- 02MINORNo protected territory creates direct competition risk and cannibalization potential
- 03MINORHigh royalty rate (8.5%) combined with wide investment range ($505K-$1M) indicates unpredictable unit economics
- 04MINORGap between average net income ($445K) and royalties owed (~$68K annually at avg revenue) leaves thin margins for owner compensation and reinvestment
- 05MINORExtremely small franchise base limits franchisor support infrastructure and increases dependency on unproven business model scaling
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 11.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 30 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 13 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 18 hrs
- Training location
- Existing GolfCave Store in New Jersey (or virtually)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- USchedule
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: USchedule
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a GolfCave franchise?
The total investment to open a GolfCave franchise ranges from $506K – $1.0M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do GolfCave franchise owners earn?
GolfCave does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the GolfCave FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the GolfCave FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is GolfCave's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for GolfCave (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many GolfCave franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, GolfCave has 6 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is GolfCave a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates GolfCave as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 49 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.