Paying for unlimited simulator golf is a simple bet. A golf simulator membership charges you a flat fee, and in exchange you stop watching the clock every time you step into a bay. Whether that bet pays off comes down to one number: how many hours you’ll actually play.
So let’s do the math out loud, using our own prices at Summit Golf Lab in Elizabeth, Colorado. We’re a private, members-only indoor golf club at 631 Beverly Street, open now, with three bays running Uneekor EYE XO launch monitors and GSPro software. Membership is $180 a month on the monthly plan, or $1,800 prepaid for the year. We also sell prepaid hours through a Flex Pass. We have a stake in both answers, and we’d rather you pick the right one than the expensive one.
Some golfers will save real money with a membership. Others would be paying $180 a month for a habit they don’t have.
How does a golf simulator membership work?
A golf simulator membership gives you recurring access to simulator bays for a flat fee instead of paying by the hour or by the session. Summit Golf Lab offers two plans: $180 a month on a month-to-month plan, or $1,800 prepaid for the year, which works out to $150 a month and saves $360 versus 12 monthly payments. Both include unlimited bay time with no hourly bay fees and no per-session charges.
“Unlimited” always comes with booking rules, and you should read those before you read the price. Ours are:
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Book up to 14 days out
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Hold up to 2 active reservations at a time
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Reserve up to 3 hours per booking
Once you play a session, you can book the next one. The limit isn’t on how much you play. It’s on how far ahead you can stack the calendar.
Access is 24/7 for active members. You book, the automated entry system sends your visit details, and you let yourself in with your own personal credentials. Book. Unlock. Play. Staff won’t always be on site, and that’s by design. A 5 a.m. session before the drive west on Highway 86, or a 10 p.m. session after the kids are finally asleep, shouldn’t depend on someone being there to open the door.
Joining happens online through Golf918. You create your account, add your payment information and confirm your preferred start date. Summit then applies and activates your membership. Before a paid membership activates, members accept the Membership Agreement, billing and cancellation terms, Facility Rules and a liability waiver. In-person orientation is optional and doesn’t delay your access. You can read the full step-by-step on our how it works page.
One thing membership does not do is guarantee a specific bay, day or time. You get access to open reservations, same as every other member. That sounds scarier than it is, and we’ll get to why.
How many hours a month make a golf simulator membership pay off?
A golf simulator membership at Summit Golf Lab pays for itself at roughly 4.5 to 5 hours of play a month on the $180 monthly plan, or about 4 hours a month on the $1,800 annual plan, compared with buying the same time on a Flex Pass.
Those numbers come straight from our own pricing. The Flex Pass is prepaid bay time: 10 hours for $399 ($39.90 an hour) or 20 hours for $749 ($37.45 an hour), good for 24 months from the purchase date. Divide the monthly cost by those rates and you get the break-even point.
| Plan | Cost per month | Break-even vs. 10-hour pass ($39.90/hr) | Break-even vs. 20-hour pass ($37.45/hr) |
| Monthly plan | $180 | 4.5 hours | 4.8 hours |
| Annual plan (prepaid) | $150 effective | 3.8 hours | 4.0 hours |
In plain terms: play more than about 5 hours a month and membership wins. Play under about 4 hours a month and the Flex Pass wins. Between 4 and 5, it depends on your plan and how much you value booking two weeks out instead of three days out.
Five hours a month is about 75 minutes a week. A weeknight nine holes in GSPro plus a Sunday afternoon of wedges, and you’re past it.
Prices at other places swing too much by city, day and time to quote one honest number. The best broad figure we found comes from Golf Digest’s reporting on how indoor golf clubs make money, which cited National Golf Foundation data putting the average simulator session at $55 for the simulator alone. That’s per session, not per hour, so treat it as a reference point, not a rate card.
What does a golf simulator membership cost per hour if you play a lot?
The more you play, the lower your real cost per hour gets. For a regular player, a $180 golf simulator membership at Summit Golf Lab can work out to roughly $10 to $28 an hour, and less than that on the annual plan.
A few honest scenarios, treating a month as about 4.3 weeks:
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One 90-minute session a week: about 6.5 hours a month, so roughly $28 an hour, or $23 on the annual plan.
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Two 90-minute sessions a week: about 13 hours a month, roughly $13.85 an hour, or $11.55 annual.
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Two 2-hour sessions a week: about 17 hours a month, roughly $10.50 an hour, or $8.70 annual.
For Elbert County golfers, those are the winter numbers that matter. Once the courses go dormant and the first real snow shows up, your practice habit either moves indoors or disappears until April. A membership makes the second and third session of the week cost nothing extra. That’s the real value. You stop rationing.
Guests don’t change the math right now. Summit Golf Lab members can currently bring guests free for a limited time during their reserved session. You need to be there with them, and guests may need to sign a liability waiver. Three buddies on a snowy Saturday cost the same as a solo session.
Why does Summit Golf Lab cap membership at 90 golfers?
Summit Golf Lab caps membership at 90 golfers, 30 per bay across three bays, so members can actually get a bay when they want one. It’s a hard cap, and it’s on purpose.
A bay that’s open 24/7 has 168 hours in a week. Spread across 30 members, that’s about 5.6 bay-hours per member per week if everybody played evenly. Nobody does. Weeknight evenings and blizzard Saturdays are busier than 3 a.m. on a Tuesday. But the cap keeps the numbers in members’ favor, and the booking rules keep any one person from hoarding prime time.
That’s also why no golf simulator membership here promises a standing slot. We can’t promise 6 p.m. every Thursday to 90 people, and any club that claims it can is either tiny or fibbing. What we can promise is a ceiling on how many people are competing for that slot. If you’re the kind of golfer who’s happy at 6 a.m. or 9 p.m., a capped club that’s open around the clock is about as good as access gets.
Founding memberships are open now. Once 90 golfers have joined, the cap is the cap.
Who should buy a Flex Pass instead of a membership?
Pick a Flex Pass instead of a golf simulator membership if you’ll play under about 4 hours a month, play in bursts, or just don’t want a recurring bill.
Good Flex Pass candidates:
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The summer golfer who wants a few winter sessions to stay loose before spring.
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Someone who travels for work and can’t count on being home most weeks.
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The parent whose weekends belong to the school sports calendar from August to March.
Ten hours for $399, good for 24 months, is a low-pressure way to play. Use two hours a month and a 10-hour pass lasts five months. Five months on the monthly plan would run $900.
The tradeoff is booking. A Flex Pass lets you book up to 72 hours out, with one active reservation and up to two hours per booking. That’s perfect for “the roads are bad, let’s go hit balls tonight.” It’s less perfect if you like locking in Saturday morning two weeks ahead.
If you’re unsure, start with a Flex Pass for prepaid simulator hours, count how often you actually show up, and look at membership when the hours tell you to. Real numbers beat New Year’s resolutions every single January.
What should you ask before joining any indoor golf club?
Before you join any indoor golf club, ask about the member cap, the booking rules, the contract, the real hours and the tech in the bay. Those five answers tell you more than the monthly price does.
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Is there a member cap? An uncapped “unlimited” plan can turn into unlimited waiting. Ours is 90 total, 30 per bay.
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How far out can you book, how many reservations can you hold, and how long can each one be? Ours are 14 days, 2 active reservations and 3 hours each.
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Is it month-to-month or an annual commitment, and how do you cancel? Here it depends on the plan. Our $180 monthly plan is month-to-month: cancel in the membership system, future monthly charges stop, and access runs through the period you paid for. Our $1,800 annual plan is prepaid, with cancellation terms set by the Membership Agreement, so review it before choosing annual.
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Does “24/7” really mean you can get in at 2 a.m. without a staff member? Here, active members have 24/7 access with automated electronic entry.
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What launch monitor and software are in the bay, and what data will you see? Ours run Uneekor EYE XO with GSPro, showing ball speed, spin rate, club path, face angle, carry distance, dispersion and shot history. GSPro also supports up to 8 players in local or online play, which matters if you want to play friends in other towns.
Get those answers in writing before you hand over a card number. You can compare everything above against our membership pricing and booking rules.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a golf simulator membership at Summit Golf Lab?
A golf simulator membership at Summit Golf Lab costs $180 a month on the monthly plan, or $1,800 prepaid for the year, which works out to $150 a month and saves $360 versus 12 monthly payments. Both plans include unlimited simulator access with no hourly bay fees or per-session charges, subject to booking rules and availability.
Is an unlimited golf simulator membership really unlimited?
Yes, at Summit Golf Lab there are no hourly or per-session fees on top of your membership. Unlimited still runs on booking rules so everyone gets a turn. Members can book up to 14 days out, hold up to 2 active reservations and book up to 3 hours each. Once a session is played, you can book another, so there’s no monthly hour limit.
How many hours do I need to play for a membership to be worth it?
At Summit Golf Lab, membership beats the Flex Pass at roughly 4.5 to 5 hours a month on the $180 monthly plan, or about 4 hours a month on the $1,800 annual plan. That’s the monthly cost divided by the Flex Pass rates of $39.90 and $37.45 an hour. If you’ll realistically play under 3 hours a month, the Flex Pass is the smarter buy.
How much does a golf simulator cost per hour?
At Summit Golf Lab, a Flex Pass costs $39.90 an hour on the 10-hour pass ($399) or $37.45 an hour on the 20-hour pass ($749). For members, the cost per hour depends on use. Playing about 13 hours a month on the $180 monthly plan works out to roughly $13.85 an hour. Rates at other facilities vary widely by location and time of day.
Does a golf simulator membership guarantee a tee time?
No. A membership at Summit Golf Lab gives you access to available reservations, not a guaranteed bay, day or time. The 90-member cap and the booking rules exist to keep good times available. Golfers who can play early mornings, late nights or midweek will have the easiest time getting the slot they want, since the club is open 24/7 for members.
Is there a contract, and how do I cancel?
It depends on the plan. The $180 monthly plan is month-to-month: you cancel through the membership system, future monthly charges stop, and access continues through the period you’ve already paid for. The $1,800 annual plan is prepaid for the year, and its cancellation terms are set by the Membership Agreement. Review that agreement before you choose the annual plan.
Can I bring guests on a golf simulator membership?
Yes. Summit Golf Lab members can currently bring guests free for a limited time during their reserved session. You must be present, since guests can’t use the lab without a member there. Guests may need to sign a liability waiver. Check the memberships page before a big group visit, since the offer is limited.
Can kids use the simulators at Summit Golf Lab?
Yes. Children can use Summit Golf Lab when a responsible adult supervises them under the facility rules. A parent or guardian may need to sign a participation waiver, and kids can never be left unattended. It’s a good fit for families in Elizabeth, Kiowa and Parker who want a place for young golfers to swing through the winter.
Who should choose a Flex Pass over a membership?
Choose a Flex Pass if you’ll play under about 4 hours a month, travel often or only want occasional sessions. At Summit Golf Lab it’s 10 hours for $399 or 20 hours for $749, good for 24 months from purchase. Flex Pass holders book up to 72 hours out, with one active reservation of up to two hours.
When did Summit Golf Lab open, and how do I join?
Summit Golf Lab opened November 1, 2026, at 631 Beverly Street, Unit 101, in Elizabeth, Colorado. To join, create your account on Golf918, add your payment information and confirm your preferred start date. Summit then applies and activates your membership. In-person orientation is optional and doesn’t delay your access.
Grab a spot before the 90 fill up
If the math says you’ll play four or more hours a month, a golf simulator membership at Summit Golf Lab is the cheapest way to golf all winter in Elbert County. We’re open now, and spots are capped at 90.
Choose your membership on Golf918 and pick the monthly or annual plan that fits how you play. Want everything side by side first? Read the plan details on our memberships page.
Leaning toward hours instead? Buy a Flex Pass for 10 or 20 prepaid hours.
