Originally, Joel Warshaw didn’t set out to open an indoor golf business. After taking nearly a decade away from the game, however, a family vacation rekindled his love for golf in an unexpected way – through a video game. He saw how his families were having such a good time playing a golf video game, which sparked a business home.
Why not open an indoor golf simulator facility that anyone can enjoy?
Back home in Pittsburgh following his vacation, he explored how to bring that same competitive, social fun to real players.
After testing multiple systems, Warshaw chose GOLFZON simulators for its unmatched realism, thanks to the moving floor, auto-tee, and short game accuracy. That decision became 9Yards Golf, a year-round destination offering private simulator bays, winter leagues, a full bar, and two event spaces.
Located in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, 9Yards attracts everyone from teenagers on school teams to retirees staying sharp any time of the year. Designed for golfers of every skill level, whether you’re chasing a league title, fine-tuning your swing or planning a private event,
Here’s how Warshaw built 9Yards Golf and his advice for new golf business owners. You can watch the full customer spotlight interview and read the Q&A below. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
From Family Vacation Video Game to Indoor Golf Business Idea
Warshaw: “I actually took about ten years off from golf, and when I came back, I was frustrated with my game. Then on a family vacation, everyone got hooked on a golf video game. That trip planted the seed for what would become 9Yards, an indoor golf lounge where competition and social play meet.”
Choosing GOLFZON Simulators Over Other Brands
When I got back into golf I found out how drastically the technology had grown in the last 10 years. I did some research and tested out different indoor golf simulators, but none of them compared to GOLFZON’s indoor golf simulators. The moving floor, the automatic tee with adjustable height, the short game accuracy all felt so real. For the fourth year in a row, Golf Digest awarded GOLFZON’s Vision Premium the Editor’s Choice Award for Best Golf Simulator in the Premium category and after hitting on them myself, I knew this was the system I wanted. I was just blown away by this indoor golf simulator. The short game, chipping, and putting are unmatched by other golf simulator brands.
Building an Indoor Golf Bar
From the start, I didn’t just want bays. I wanted 9Yards Golf to be a place to play, practice, eat, and hang out. We’ve got a bar, shuffleboard, an outdoor patio, and two private event rooms that hold 60 to 70 people each. It’s become one of the go-to spots for Pittsburgh indoor golf with a social twist.
We run winter leagues, closest-to-the-pin contests, longest drive challenges, and trivia nights. We even built our own booking software so members can easily make reservations.”
The Players Who Make It Special
Our customers range from brand new golfers to teenagers training for school teams to retirees keeping their swings sharp year-round.
One regular, a ticket broker from Canonsburg, plays three days a week during the winter. He hasn’t hit this many balls since his twenties, and his game has never been better. He is also deeply involved in the GOLFZON Tour, which brings him back into the spirit of competitive golf.
Another customer, who works in the oil and gas industry, plays nearly every day throughout the winter. Through the leagues, he’s built lasting friendships and found a routine that offers far more than a driving range ever could.
GOLFZON Tour: Taking Indoor Golf Competition Global
The GOLFZON Tour has been a major attraction. It’s a global indoor golf competition with a $300,000 team prize purse and an extra $10,000 for top individual qualifiers. It gives players a reason to come back in the summer to work on their rankings.
Looking Ahead
We’re growing fast. In October, we’re opening a second location in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, near Ross Park Mall. It’ll have six TwoVisionNX simulators, and we’re building it with franchising in mind.