The Back Nine franchise
2026 filing · March 6, 2026Shares sales figures
The Back Nine at a glance
An indoor golf simulator business serving members and the public.
The business
- Franchisor
- Back Nine Golf Group, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2022
- 4 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Washington, Utah
- Typical size
- 2,000–4,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $307K–$689K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of monthly gross revenues
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 4%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- Franchised, 2025
- 120
- As printed in the filing
Support and records
From Back Nine Golf Group, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 50; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
The Back Nine among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Back Nine | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $497,775 | Costs more than 64% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
How much a The Back Nine franchise costs
Opening one The Back Nine costs an estimated $307,050 to $688,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment ($156,050 to $251,000) and real estate improvements ($50,000 to $225,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Travel expenses while training | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Real Estate Improvements | $50,000 | $225,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Equipment | $156,050 | $251,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Supplies | $3,000 | ||
| Initial Supply of Advertising Materials | $3,000 | ||
| Marketing Launch Ad Spend | $6,000 | $10,000 | |
| Premises Deposit | $2,000 | $9,500 | |
| Rent (3 months) | $6,000 | $28,500 | |
| Internet/Utilities (3 months) | $1,800 | $2,500 | |
| Furniture | $5,000 | $25,000 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $200 | $1,000 | |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Security/Automation | $7,500 | $25,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $8,000 | $25,000 | |
| Total | $307,050 | $688,500 | |
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 15
The Back Nine franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 7
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of monthly gross revenues. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 4%. |
| Full Swing Simulator Software Annual Software & Maintenance Fee | $2,000 per simulator per year |
| Additional Training | $300 per person per day, not to exceed a 5% increase annually. |
| Local Advertising Requirement | Currently $0. Up to 1% of monthly Gross Revenues |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 8
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Back Nine publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 36
SBA loans to The Back Nine franchisees
Lenders approved 174 SBA 7(a) loans for The Back Nine franchisees from 2023 to 2026, $63.3M in all. All 7 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 167 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How The Back Nine compares
Of the 120 sports franchises on this site, The Back Nine is the 70th cheapest to open.
| Figure | The Back Nine | Typical sports brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $307K | $227K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $689K | $442K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 77 of 120 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 120 brands in sports franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2023 | 7 (+5) | 1 | – | – |
| 2024 | 25 (+16) | 2 | +16 | 0 |
| 2025 | 120 (+95) | 4 | +95 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Company-owned locations are run by affiliates.
These figures don't add up as printed: the 2023 counts come to 3, but the filing shows 1. Worth asking the franchisor.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: golf simulator franchises and franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 0 to 120 (+120). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 38
2021–2022: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2024 filing, page 36
Where The Back Nine locations are
At the end of 2025, The Back Nine had locations in 29 states. The most are in Utah, Texas and Arizona.
- Utah19
- Texas18
- Arizona9
- Florida9
- Michigan7
- Tennessee7
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| Texas | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Arizona | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Florida | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Michigan | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Georgia | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Ohio | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Nevada | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Oregon | 4 | 0 | 4 |
All 29 states
| Colorado | 3 |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | 3 |
| Nebraska | 3 |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| Alabama | 2 |
| Idaho | 2 |
| Indiana | 2 |
| Kansas | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 2 |
| Missouri | 2 |
| New York | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
| South Dakota | 1 |
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, page 38
Who owns The Back Nine?
The Back Nine franchises are sold by Back Nine Golf Group, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Back Nine Golf Group, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 6.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Back Nine Golf Group, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 7, bankruptcy on page 7
The Back Nine filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Back Nine Golf Group, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 6, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 6, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other sports franchises
All sports franchises
The Back Nine is also on these lists: entertainment franchises.