Opening Modest Indoor facility?

[tominct]

I have what appears to be a unique opportunity. I have been in contact with a gentleman with an indoor golf facility who is willing to allow me to install a couple of pitching machines.

We haven't talked dollars and cents at all, and I don't think he is going to consider charging rent in a traditional sense, but I am not sure with how to proceed. I have access to some square footage,not a tone, but some, and some area in the facility that can be convertible....(driving range & infield area).

Where do I go from here? What questions do I need to ask? Who do I need to talk to? (construction updates would be required, new lighting for instance).

Help!

Tom

[songtitle]

You could buy the needed equipment (cages, pitching machines, etc.), then rent per sqft, then get insurance. I would make sure the rent is month to month, in case you need to bail out.

Or, you could have him pay for everything and just pay him a pct of what you make. You run the risk of him being able to replace you with someone else, though.

[Jake Patterson]

There are several ways to move forward.... One may be to offer him a percentage of the take. You put the machines in and fill the time.

Ebay and craigs list has a reasonable selection of machines.
Jake

[Ursa Major]

I have what appears to be a unique opportunity. I have been in contact with a gentleman with an indoor golf facility who is willing to allow me to install a couple of pitching machines.

We haven't talked dollars and cents at all, and I don't think he is going to consider charging rent in a traditional sense, but I am not sure with how to proceed. I have access to some square footage,not a tone, but some, and some area in the facility that can be convertible....(driving range & infield area).

Where do I go from here? What questions do I need to ask? Who do I need to talk to? (construction updates would be required, new lighting for instance).

Tom - it's not at all clear what you intend to construct and how you might operate it. For example, what do you mean to do with the "driving range" (a golf term) and "infield area" (a baseball term)? Were you thinking of giving fielding instruction? For the hitting area, would it strictlly be a "for rent" area or would you be offering instruction there as well?

Once you get this clear, you might PM Jim Booth, as he had a small indoor facility in Northern California that you ran for years before moving to Arizona. SSarge is also loosely connected with an indoor facility in our area, and might also have some ideas.

[Ifubuildit]

Be sure this guy is on solid financial footing before you commit to anything with him. I have seen no fewer than 5 of these kinds of places fold around me in the past 6 years because the owners couldnt do enough business to cover the overhead cost. Some were strickly baseball others multi sport but bottom line they all closed.

You go spending all that money on equipment then 6 months later the guy folds and your stuck.

Dana.

[bob_r]

Other than all of the financial watch outs and because of the limited space how about a niche batting cage like this:

http://www.poweralleyinteractive.com/power_alley.html

[Oilcanbland]

Be sure this guy is on solid financial footing before you commit to anything with him. I have seen no fewer than 5 of these kinds of places fold around me in the past 6 years because the owners couldnt do enough business to cover the overhead cost. Some were strickly baseball others multi sport but bottom line they all closed.

You go spending all that money on equipment then 6 months later the guy folds and your stuck.

Dana.

That was my first thought. First, I would make sure that there was even enough demand and those willing to pay a fee to use the facility and equipment, before doing anything else.

Brandon

[Ursa Major]

Other than all of the financial watch outs and because of the limited space how about a niche batting cage like this:

http://www.poweralleyinteractive.com/power_alley.html

Those things (hitting against a video screen depicting MLB pitching stars) are a hoot, though I suspect that the price would make them problematic. They had a few of them at the 2007 All-star FanFest in San Francisco, and UMinor will never forget getting a "hit" off of "Randy Johnson":

[Jake Patterson]

Those things (hitting against a video screen depicting MLB pitching stars) are a hoot, though I suspect that the price would make them problematic. They had a few of them at the 2007 All-star FanFest in San Francisco, and UMinor will never forget getting a "hit" off of "Randy Johnson":

The WBC has them every year. With a two wheel machine you can actually emulate the pitches of the guys throwing. So it really does give you a feel for how well they threw.

Standing in a cage with bat against someone like Johnson is pretty intimidating.

Jake

[Ursa Major]

The WBC has them every year. With a two wheel machine you can actually emulate the pitches of the guys throwing. So it really does give you a feel for how well they threw.

Standing in a cage with bat against someone like Johnson is pretty intimidating.

They're very realistic. The first pitch to UM went straight at the bill of his batting helmet, just look Johnson would do with a real rookie. It took about half a dozen pitches for UM to fully internalize the fact that it was nothing more than a pitching machine like he'd swung off several hundred times, and get his foot outa the bucket.

[bob_r]

I would like to give that machine a try, unfortunately the closest one is about a two hour drive.

[tominct]

Be sure this guy is on solid financial footing before you commit to anything with him.

How do I do this? Where do I go, how do I get this information?

Tom

[tominct]

Tom - it's not at all clear what you intend to construct and how you might operate it.

There is an upstairs loft. It is there he would like to hitting machines to go. Not sure if there is room for one or two. If there's only room for one, I might just forget the whole idea.

For example, what do you mean to do with the "driving range" (a golf term) and "infield area" (a baseball term)? Were you thinking of giving fielding instruction? For the hitting area, would it strictly be a "for rent" area or would you be offering instruction there as well?

There are two fairly large, rectangular areas that are now used (sparingly it seems for the time being[he says it "gets busy" in January and February]) as driving ranges. Either, or both could be used for fielding and throwing work, or perhaps for indoor pitcher-catcher-infielder competitions. I would have to re-turf it though, the present rug is pretty beat up.

I would want to offer instruction. Understand that in my neck of the woods there's lots of opportunities like this. I would not be under pressure to feed my family from this enterprise. it would be strictly a part time gig for me.

Once you get this clear, you might PM Jim Booth, as he had a small indoor facility in Northern California that you ran for years before moving to Arizona. SSarge is also loosely connected with an indoor facility in our area, and might also have some ideas.

And I shall, thank you!

Tom

[Jake Patterson]

How do I do this? Where do I go, how do I get this information?

Tom

Tom, I believe Andy Walker has one at America's Game in Waterford.
jake

[tominct]

Tom, I believe Andy Walker has one at America's Game in Waterford.
jake

Thanks Jake, but I meatn, where do I get the guy's financial information?



Tom

[tominct]

Other than all of the financial watch outs and because of the limited space how about a niche batting cage like this:

http://www.poweralleyinteractive.com/power_alley.html

These look great, but I am sure they are top dollar. I was thinking about an Iron Mike or two.

[Jake Patterson]

Thanks Jake, but I meatn, where do I get the guy's financial information?



Tom

Ahhhh .... sorry

[Ursa Major]

There is an upstairs loft. It is there he would like to hitting machines to go. Not sure if there is room for one or two. If there's only room for one, I might just forget the whole idea.

Remember that you'll have to have an employee there the whole time the cages are open, and it's hard to see how you could amortize that expense across the revenues earned by only one cage. Two would seem to be a minimum. The smallest number of cages I've seen in any facility is three, and it's attached to a sporting goods store where they can run employees back and forth to cover the cages during low usage times.

There are two fairly large, rectangular areas that are now used (sparingly it seems for the time being[he says it "gets busy" in January and February]) as driving ranges. Either, or both could be used for fielding and throwing work, or perhaps for indoor pitcher-catcher-infielder competitions. I would have to re-turf it though, the present rug is pretty beat up.

I would want to offer instruction. Understand that in my neck of the woods there's lots of opportunities like this. I would not be under pressure to feed my family from this enterprise. it would be strictly a part time gig for me.

I see two problems with this area. First, the times he would want to use that area would seem to be the times when you folks in CT would most be in need of indoor facilities to get kids ready for Spring ball. Second, how do you charge for use of that space? With or without instruction? If you just let coaches use it on a per hour basis, whose liability insurance is at risk if someone gets hurt? Again, talk with Jim Booth about this.

Originally Posted by Ifubuildit
Be sure this guy is on solid financial footing before you commit to anything with him.

How do I do this? Where do I go, how do I get this information?

It depends on how you structure the relationship. I assume you'd both want to make it clear that neither are partners of the other, so you don't have to worry about him losing money in general. But you do need to make sure that he's paying the rent on time, so that he isn't booted out soon after you invest in the equipment you need to operate. Even then, it doesn't protect you from him suffering reversals even after maintaining a clean rent payment record in the past. I would think that spending on golf instruction and practice would be viewed by most folks as a luxury to forego during tough economic times, so he may be facing recent reductions in revenue. You can always make your involvement conditioned upon him showing you the current revenue and expense records (promising to keep them confidential), and see if he is willing to go along. (Tell him that your crack team of investment advisors at the firm of "B, B & F" told you it was the best way to proceed.)

[CoachL4]

Anyone wanna play the guessing game on cost of these items?

1. Lease for 4,000sq foot facility ? in my area its about $1-1.50 sq foot.
2. 4000 feet worth of turf?
3. 2 pitching machines. do you go with iron mikes? what else is out there?
4. 2 cages. Frames and nets
5. 2 indoor pitching mounds.

What else? desks? POS? computers? TV's ?

I'd be curious if anyone has an indoor business plan proposal with startup stuff in it.