Ottenere il trattamento regale
Questa è la storia di come il Royal Drottningholm Golf Club ha collaborato con Trackman per migliorare il suo driving range e aumentare i guadagni.
A Busy Range.
A Bigger Opportunity.
Serving local golfers and visitors to the area, Fort Walton Beach Golf Club is one of the few public ranges in the area where customers can practice without booking a round. Its driving range was already popular when Golf Course Director Jacob Hill brought a proposal to the city: install Trackman Range across all 25 bays.
A Proposal That Needed to Deliver
Hill saw an opportunity to make that access more valuable — for regular players, beginners, and people who wanted to spend an evening at the range. So his proposal called for more than tracking shots. Each of the 25 outdoor bays would have its own 32-inch screen, giving golfers access to practice tools and games. Hill knew the investment needed a strong business case in a city budget where essential services naturally took priority over golf.
A Hit From the
First Shot
The response was immediate. The mayor hit a ceremonial first shot, and staff spent the first few weeks helping customers get started, download the app, and discover what was available in the bays. Hill has since noticed familiar weekend players stopping by during their lunch breaks to practice. In northwest Florida’s summer heat, a shorter range session can also appeal to someone who does not want to spend four hours on the course.
Proving Its Value... and then Some
The business results gave Hill a compelling case for further investment. The club is on pace to dramatically increase annual range ball income, memberships are up approximately 43%, something that Hill says will help pay for another planned improvement — renovating range tees for the first time in 30 years.
“Right now, we're on pace to do about $430,000-$440,000 for range balls annually. Three years ago, we made about $150,000. It’s been really good.”
Jacob Hill
Golf Course Director, Fort Walton Beach GC
Toward being a Self-Sustaining Public Golf Course
For Fort Walton Beach, increased revenue can change how the entire golf operation is funded. Today, its earnings go into the city's general fund, and the club must compete for funding alongside other municipal departments when it needs money for a project.
The club is working toward a city-run enterprise fund, covering its costs through its own operating revenue rather than taxpayer funding — with greater control over its budget and future investment.
inside The Next big Investment
The range performance has helped Hill make the case for a proposed indoor performance center in an available 3,000-square-foot space in the clubhouse. The plan calls for five Trackman simulator bays: four available to rent and one reserved for teaching and club fitting. Moving golf equipment into the new space would also give the club more room for merchandise.
“Being able to go to city council to show how outrageously successful it’s been gives us more opportunities to invest. We’ll have a lot more control of where it goes and what we do with it. And more control of our budget.”
Jacob Hill
Golf Course Director, Fort Walton Beach GC
A Range of Possibilities
Trackman Range has also given Fort Walton Beach more ways to teach. Assistant Golf Professional Madison Tenore works with many junior golfers and uses the games to make lessons engaging while still helping students work on their swings. The range serves golfers who want focused practice as well as those discovering the game. For Tenore, that flexibility matters when every student arrives with a different goal.
using Data for the day to day
Trackman Portal helps the Fort Walton Beach team manage the range day to day. Pro shop staff can see how busy it is, while the outside operations team uses bay utilization data to decide when to rotate hitting mats. Hill also changes the courses available on the range and uses the information screens to display promotions, contest results, and range records on a TV in the pro shop.
Becoming a Trackman 360 facility
Fort Walton Beach's setup is an example of Trackman 360 — the all-in-one solution that connects a golf club's range, coaching, indoor golf, app and business tools. Trackman Range is at the center, Trackman Portal gives the team visibility into how assets are performing, and the simulator center provides the indoor aspect. Trackman 360 is the single connected system that serves players, coaches and operators.
Behind the Scenes. Always in support.
For Hill, the value of Trackman Range also shows up when something goes wrong. One morning, he received a 2 a.m. email from Trackman Support alerting him that a radar on the range appeared to be down. His team sent a photo as requested, and Hill says the unit was replaced within days. The remaining radars kept the range running, with no interruption that staff or customers noticed.
Bringing The Courses to Trackman
Fort Walton Beach has also included course mapping for both The Oaks and The Pines in its plans. Once complete, the courses will be available on Trackman Range and in the indoor center. Hill sees great value for tourists and local golfers alike.
“What I tell my peers is: don't do half the range. Do it all in one go, because it's going to be busier than you think. It’s far exceeded our expectations. We were going to be happy if it paid for itself and made a little bit. And it's paid for the first three years of the lease in the first full year.”
Jacob Hill
Golf Course Director, Fort Walton Beach GC
What Public Golf Can Become
It’s all part of a wider vision that includes improvements to the courses themselves. For Hill, each successful project makes the next one easier to pursue. Hill’s original hope was that Trackman Range would pay for itself and earn a little more. Its first full year gave him a stronger result — and a stronger argument for what public golf at Fort Walton Beach could become.