Okanagan Virtual Golf’s No-Membership Model Is Changing the Game
How Okanagan Virtual Golf Built a 3-Location Sim Empire — Without Memberships
Inside the community-first, league-driven model that keeps players coming back night after night
Andrew and his partners didn’t plan to launch a multi-location sim business. It started with a $1,000 inflatable simulator off Alibaba and a rain-soaked brewery launch event that almost blew the thing away.
But what came next was real demand: customers banging on the warehouse door to play, even on a janky setup with a Mevo+ and no putting. It was clear: people wanted this.
From there, they pivoted hard. Scrapped the mobile sim. Found a downtown space. Built a bar. And opened the doors to what is now one of the most impressive and community-driven indoor golf leagues in Canada.
From Warehouse Hack to Fully Booked Downtown Lounge
“That first warehouse league had 10 people and no putting. By year three, we had 24 teams with a waitlist and no empty time slots Sunday to Thursday.”
The first permanent Okanagan Virtual Golf location launched with 3 bays, no liquor license, and plenty of hustle. Within months, the space was packed.
Rather than chasing peak-hour walk-ins, Andrew leaned into a league-first strategy. The format? Simple and structured:
- Fixed day/time per team (not floating)
- 5-week seasons with a 2-week break
- Sunday to Thursday evenings only
Players loved it. The format built community and routine, and the structure made it easy to plan around.
“You show up at 5:30 on Tuesdays, and you’re playing with the same 12-16 people each week. It’s social. It's competitive. It becomes your night out.”
A League Model Worth Copying
Today, the league model runs at all 3 Okanagan Virtual Golf locations
- 24 to 30 teams per location
- Divisional splits mid-season (A/B/C)
- Courses selected based on quality, variety, and increasing difficulty
The team even customizes league handicaps based on observed play — no Golf Canada account required. It’s fully recreational but feels legit.
“We make our own standings, graphics, run them on the TVs and the website. Our staff update scores daily. It works.”
The results speak for themselves. League nights sell out. One-day tourneys fill in 30 minutes. And yes, people now book extra hours to practice the next week’s course.
3 Locations — and Still Scaling
After year one, expansion came quick. Family members got involved, and a second location opened in Kamloops. The third? In the heart of the brewery district of Kelowna.
And this time, they designed it with summer in mind.
“The new location has removable bay walls and bar tops. This spring, we’re flipping it into an adult mini-putt lounge with a huge patio.”
It's a year-round play. Golf sim in winter. Social putt + patio bar in summer. One system. One brand. One culture.
The Switch to Birrdi: “It Just Worked”
Before Birrdi, the team was constantly fighting their software.
“It crashed regularly. We couldn’t rely on it. There were nights where we had to take bookings on paper, and there was no support if something broke on a weekend.”
The old system was also clunky for staff and customers alike:
- No real-time calendar control
- Glitches in reservation times and payments
- A backend that was hard to train new staff on
“We were duct-taping things together just to stay open. That takes a toll when you're running leagues across multiple cities.”
Since switching to Birrdi, things changed fast:
- Overnight transition
- Fully integrated with Square
- Staff trained once and now train others
- Website, booking, POS all in one place
“We’ve never had the system go down in two years. And the Birrdi team jumps in fast. Even the AI support has been super helpful.”
Andrew also mentioned how Birrdi's ease of use helped simplify operations across multiple locations. New hires pick it up quickly, and the centralized dashboard makes it easy to manage schedules, pricing, and bay availability in real time.
“I’ve used a lot of systems in the past, and Birrdi is easily the most intuitive. I don’t have to chase bookings or worry about glitches anymore. That peace of mind matters.”
When asked if he felt Birrdi impacted growth:
“100%. When you remove friction from the booking experience, people come back. I’d rather spend time growing leagues and hosting events than fixing tech issues. Birrdi let us focus on the fun stuff again.”
No Memberships? No Problem.
While most sim businesses rely heavily on memberships, Andrew’s model doesn’t.
“Our league play takes up every evening. We can’t offer memberships that promise booking windows we can’t deliver on.”
Instead, they use gift cards as a punch-pass alternative:
- Guests preload $300 and receive a bonus $75
- Funds never expire
- It’s simple, easy to explain, and works with groups
“Four guys throw $75 on each, split the bonus, and play all winter. We look at the Square data — the usage rate is maybe 50%. The rest is just sitting there. It works.”
Advice to Other Owners: Be Present and Keep Evolving
“Be the face of your brand. Build the trust. Show up. And always improve the product.”
Andrew and the Okanagan team have done just that. They built a community-first brand, optimized their ops, and scaled with intention.