Indoors and thriving

After 20 years working as a golf course superintendent, two critical factors moved Jeremiah Ergen’s career indoors. Ergen’s outdoor to indoor transition was spurred by a major health setback, as well as his fascination with the burgeoning golf simulator industry.

In 2019, after two years of comparing simulator equipment, Ergen installed four Uneekor QED launch monitors at the Monticello Country Club in Monticello, Minnesota. This was on the heels of a summer season working as a superintendent at Como Golf Course in St. Paul, in which he experienced shortness of breath and chronic fatigue.

Ergen and Monticello Country Club approached their golf simulator partnership with a wait-and-see approach. Their thought was, “Let’s watch how the golfing public responds to playing indoors.” Timing is everything. COVID hit a few months later.

The pandemic proved to be a catalyst for skyrocketing golf industry participation and revenue in 2020. Just as the sport and Ergen’s simulator business prospects were taking off, the father of two boys landed in the hospital. “In May of 2020 I ended up at Mercy Hospital with a fever of 105,” he recalls. “My heart was also beating like crazy.”

While in the hospital, Ergen received an email from Jay Lasco, a YouTube entrepreneur with 29,000 followers. Ergen had contacted Lasco with the idea of creating an alliance in which he would reach out to golf simulator enthusiasts who had contacted Lasco’s Golf Simulator Videos YouTube channel. “I explained to Jay that I was pretty sick," Ergen says, "but that I would do everything I could to make our partnership work.”

The bedridden Ergen took action. Fever or not, he knew he needed to make a move. The now former superintendent grabbed his laptop and cell phone and started making calls.

“While in my hospital bed I made four Uneekor launch monitor sales from the leads Jay provided me,” Ergen says. “After researching a lot of launch monitor and golf simulation brands, I believed Uneekor delivered the best quality data and price points.”

Ergen’s hospital stay was a precursor to learning he had congestive heart failure. This diagnosis meant he could no longer continue with the physical demands of being a superintendent. Ergen decided there was no turning back on dedicating himself to full-time golf simulator sales.

After Ergen secured his initial commercial golf simulator partnership with Monticello Country Club, he made the purchase of a Uneekor Eye XO launch monitor with his credit card. Feedback at the course was positive from the outset and Ergen paid off his credit card bill within a year.

Since making the commitment to full time simulator sales, Ergen has continued battling the lingering effects of heart disease. As for business, his partnership with Lasco’s YouTube channel has proved lucrative. Ergen has also generated successful referrals from his own Green Pro Golf Simulator website. Gross annual sales have been in the seven-figure range.

The bulk of Ergen’s sales are with individual buyers looking to get setup with a simulator in their basement, garage or detached residential facility. “I really enjoy serving as a mentor with clients answering installation, technology, and best scenario situations,” Ergen says.

He has added partnerships with Breezy Point Resort and Phalen Park Golf Courses. Both commercial simulator clients have realized their initial investment in less than a year.

What are some common simulator threads for the 45-year-old Ergen’s residential clients?

“First, I ask about the dimensions of the space they’ll be utilizing,” he says. “Then we determine their budget. Once we come up with a budget, we talk about a launch monitor, software, computer needs, a custom enclosure, a landing turf, hitting mat, LCD projector, ceiling mount, and accessories. I also sell ala carte items like tees for using a driver. Each situation is unique.”

Ergen often reflects on his days as a superintendent.

“I miss being outside,” he says, “but I don’t miss getting up at the crack of dawn and rarely having a day off in the summer. I really love my new business. It allows me to spend more time with my eight- and nine-year-old sons. I still get up early, but now I work from home. My heart tells me that my life is a lot less stressful.”  

Tim Cotroneo is a freelance travel, golf and business writer. This is his first Golf Course Industry contribution.