Golftec Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
GOLFTEC is a golf-instruction franchise using motion-capture swing analysis and coaching technology to improve players. Franchisees run a coaching center staffing certified instructors and selling lessons and fitted equipment.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A GOLFTEC franchise requires a total initial investment of $177K – $479K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2022 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2022 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $177K – $479K
- 16th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 1st pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 183
- 48th 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 $177K – $479K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAudited consolidated financials are for parent GOLFTEC Enterprises LLC (GTE), covering company-owned and franchise operations, not the franchisor (GOLFTEC Franchising LLC) alone. Most recent audited year is FY2020 (yr1=FY2020, yr2=FY2019); audit opinion dated March 31, 2021. The FDD also includes unaudited Q3 2022 statements (total revenue 104,704,447; net income 10,817,047; total assets 159,265,740; members' deficit equity 6,134,238). Auditor/CPA firm name does not appear in the extracted text.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -32.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- GOLFTEC Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- GOLFTEC Enterprises LLC
- Predecessor
- GOLFTEC Franchising LP
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder, and Manager of GTE
- Joseph L. Assell
- Incorporated in
- Colorado
- HQ
- 67 Inverness Drive East, Suite A, Englewood, Colorado 80112
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $66.7M
- vs $69.8M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Joseph L. Assell
- Headquarters
- Colorado
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2022
- States available
- 17
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 75% below the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2022 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35K | $35K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $132K | $414K |
| Total initial investment | $177K | $479K |
Source: GOLFTEC 2022 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
- $177K – $479K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $6K |
| Training fee | $4K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Inventory (initial) | $8K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
GOLFTEC 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 GOLFTEC unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
30%
Within 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: 2022 FDD
Financial Performance
Audited consolidated financials are for parent GOLFTEC Enterprises LLC (GTE), covering company-owned and franchise operations, not the franchisor (GOLFTEC Franchising LLC) alone. Most recent audited year is FY2020 (yr1=FY2020, yr2=FY2019); audit opinion dated March 31, 2021. The FDD also includes unaudited Q3 2022 statements (total revenue 104,704,447; net income 10,817,047; total assets 159,265,740; members' deficit equity 6,134,238). Auditor/CPA firm name does not appear in the extracted text.
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 9.0% (near the Recreation & Entertainment average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -32.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Golftec Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2022 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 183
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 144
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 21%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -32.8%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -32.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 16
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 17 states 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.
17
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 7
- Loan volume
- $1.8M
- Median loan
- $275K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (7 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
- 7
- 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
GOLFTEC presents moderate-to-elevated risk due to opaque unit economics, anemic growth, and lack of financial performance disclosure typical of mature franchise systems.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 45 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average unit revenue and net income not disclosed) — inability to assess realistic ROI
- 02MINOR5% royalty on gross revenues (not net) erodes profitability, especially in seasonal golf instruction business
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2022 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 3 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Colorado |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Colorado |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 83 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 31 hrs
- Training location
- Englewood, Colorado (headquarters) and virtual
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Revel Systems
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Revel Systems
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
111 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
GOLFTEC · FDD (2022) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a GOLFTEC franchise?
The total investment to open a GOLFTEC franchise ranges from $177K – $479K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do GOLFTEC franchise owners earn?
GOLFTEC 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 GOLFTEC 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 GOLFTEC FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is GOLFTEC's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for GOLFTEC (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 GOLFTEC franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, GOLFTEC has 183 total units in the United States, including 39 franchised units and 144 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is GOLFTEC a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates GOLFTEC as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 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?
If you represent GOLFTEC, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Recreation & Entertainment franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Recreation & Entertainment category
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.