Golf

Books and taxes for indoor golf simulator venues.

Hourly bay bookings, a bar tab running next to it, unlimited membership plans, and a software license that renews every month. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
FebruaryExample month
$13,500
what you made

February came in at $13,500. Winter league sign-ups pushed bay bookings up, and I kept the bar tab money apart so you can see the two sides of the room.

  • Chronogolf bay booking payoutBay bookings
  • Unlimited membership renewalsMembership plans
  • Toast POS bar salesBar and lounge sales
  • Trackman software licenseSimulator software
  • Southern Glazer's beverage orderBar inventory
Money in$52,400
Money out$38,900
Set aside for taxes$3,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A simulator venue's books go wrong around the bar and the bays.

A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your venue runs two businesses at once, an hourly bay rental and a bar, both under one roof, with a software license that runs whether the bays are full or empty. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell which side of the room is actually carrying the month.

  1. 1

    Bar sales and bay bookings ring up as one number

    A group books a bay for two hours and runs a bar tab the whole time, and the point of sale system often totals both under one ticket. Left that way, you cannot tell whether bay time or drinks are driving revenue.

    What we doSplits bay booking revenue from bar and lounge sales, so each shows its own number even when they are sold together.
  2. 2

    Unlimited membership plans get counted the month they are sold

    A golfer pays for a six-month unlimited bay package in November. Booked as all income in November, the winter months look inflated and spring, when the plan is still being used, looks thin.

    What we doKeeps membership plan sales tagged against the months they cover, so income lands when the bay time is actually used.
  3. 3

    Simulator software fees run whether bays are booked or not

    A monthly Trackman or GSPro license is a fixed cost tied to each bay, and lumped into general expenses it is easy to lose track of whether a given bay earns more than its own license fee.

    What we doKeeps simulator software fees in their own line next to bay revenue, so you can see if each bay pays for its own technology.
  4. 4

    Leasehold improvements get filed as repairs

    Building out a leased commercial space with bay enclosures, screens, and sound dampening looks like a repair bill, but it is a capital buildout that should be depreciated over the life of the lease, not expensed all at once.

    What we doFlags buildout and renovation costs the month they happen and gets the accountant's read on how the improvement should be depreciated.
  5. 5

    League night fees blend into regular bay revenue

    A weekly league that rents multiple bays on the same night as walk-in customers can make it hard to tell whether league play or open bay time is the more reliable income.

    What we doKeeps league revenue in its own line so you can see league income apart from open bay bookings.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a simulator venue.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Bay bookingsHourly rentals booked through Chronogolf or a similar reservation system.
  • Membership plansPrepaid unlimited or discounted bay packages, tracked against the months they cover.
  • Bar and lounge salesDrinks and food sold at the bar, kept apart from bay time.
  • League and event feesWeekly leagues and corporate event bookings.
  • Lesson bay rentalsHourly bay rental to an independent teaching pro.

Money out

  • Simulator software licensingMonthly fees for Trackman, GSPro, or a similar system.
  • Bar and kitchen inventoryBeverage and food purchases from a distributor.
  • Rent and leasehold improvementsCommercial lease payments and buildout costs for the space.
  • Screen, projector, and sensor maintenanceRepairs and replacement parts for simulator hardware.
  • Payroll for bay attendants and bar staffKept apart so labor is clear against bay and bar revenue.
  • Liquor and liability insuranceCoverage for the bar and simulator equipment.
  • Booking software feesWhat the reservation system keeps on each booking.

What we watch for you

  • Bay utilization

    Hours booked against hours available, so you know if a slow week is pricing or demand.

  • Revenue per bay hour

    Bay and bar revenue together, averaged per hour, useful before changing rates.

  • Bar cost percentage

    Beverage and food cost against actual bar sales.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is not a surprise.

Ask Gus

Things simulator venue owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A group ran a big bar tab during their bay session. How do you split that from the booking fee?

I keep bay time and bar sales in separate categories even when they show up on the same ticket, so you can see what each side of the room actually earned.

We sold a bunch of six-month unlimited memberships last month. Does that all count as income now?

Only the months already covered count as earned. I keep the rest tagged against the months still owed, so income shows up as the bay time is actually used.

We just built out two new bays in our leased space. How does that get written off?

That is a leasehold improvement, not a repair. I flagged it and logged it as a capital cost so the accountant can set the right depreciation schedule against your lease.

The tax side

The tax side of a simulator venue.

Most of what trips up a simulator venue is a buildout filed the wrong way or membership money counted before it is earned. Gus keeps the timing straight so the return catches what it should.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Leasehold improvement depreciationBuildout costs for a leased commercial space, like bay enclosures and sound dampening, are usually depreciated over a set period rather than expensed all at once. Gus flags the project and the accountant sets the schedule.
  • Simulator hardware and Section 179Projectors, screens, and launch monitors bought for the business can usually be written off up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Self-employment taxAn owner-operator running the venue as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, on the Social Security wage base up to $184,500.
  • Contractor 1099sAn independent teaching pro or event staffer paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running.

Deductions indoor golf simulator venues miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Simulator software licensing
  • Bar and kitchen smallwares
  • Screen and projector bulb replacement
  • Sound dampening materials
  • Staff uniforms
  • Point-of-sale software fees
  • Liquor liability insurance
  • League and event marketing
  • Booking software fees
  • Credit card processing fees
  • Bay carpet and flooring upkeep
  • Wifi and network equipment

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A simulator venue year, kept every month.

Bay bookings run steady most of the year, with winter often the busiest stretch. Your taxes come on a fixed schedule regardless. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the contractor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed as winter league bookings wind down and outdoor golf season starts pulling some players away.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand as summer bay traffic runs quieter, and whether the bar side is carrying more of the month than usual.

  4. October

    Before winter league season

    Gus looks at any simulator upgrades worth doing before winter league sign-ups start filling the bays back up.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for indoor golf simulator venues. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions simulator venue owners ask first.

Can Gus separate bay revenue from bar tabs when they are billed together?

Yes. He splits the total into bay booking income and bar and lounge sales, even when a single ticket covers both, so each side of the business shows its real number.

We sell multi-month unlimited memberships. How does that get booked?

The money gets tagged against the months the plan actually covers, so a big membership sale month does not overstate income while later months look thin for time already paid for.

Do simulator software licenses count as a business expense?

Yes. Monthly fees for Trackman, GSPro, or similar systems are ordinary operating costs, kept in their own line so you can see them against bay revenue.

We just spent a lot building out our leased space. Does that all come off this year?

Usually a leasehold improvement gets spread over a number of years rather than written off at once, though it depends on the project. Gus flags it and the accountant sets the schedule.

Our books are behind since we opened. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements and point of sale reports you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in golf

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever