Indoor golf simulators are multiplying across the Memphis suburbs, and The Back Nine Golf just staked its next claim in Lakeland. Founder Jeff Herman is preparing his second local facility at 4846 Village Market Lane in Lakeland Town Square, with a planned opening by December.
The Lakeland site is currently under construction, according to The Daily Memphian, which first reported on the expansion. It marks the brand's second Memphis-area outpost after Herman opened The Back Nine's first local location earlier this year at 3660 S. Houston Levee Road in Collierville.
Herman isn't stopping at two. He's already scouting sites in East Memphis for a third facility, which the paper's report notes he would like to open by next summer, as part of a broader plan to add multiple new Greater Memphis locations in that same timeframe.
What Golfers Actually Get Inside the Bays
The Back Nine's format centers on indoor, 24/7 simulator bays that let golfers of all skill levels play at their own pace, according to Community Impact. The bays track metrics like ball speed, launch angle and club path, giving users a way to dial in their swing between rounds on an actual course. Beyond straightforward play, the setup supports virtual courses, a driving range mode and simulator-based mini-games.
Access runs on a self-service model built around a mobile app, with private bays members can book and use without staff on hand, per whatnow.com. That 24/7, app-managed structure is part of what has fueled the concept's rapid multiplication, letting a single location serve members around the clock without the overhead of a traditional staffed pro shop.
A Simulator Boom Playing Out Nationwide
Memphis is hardly alone in this build-out. The National Golf Foundation counts at least 1,500 commercial golf simulator businesses operating nationwide across brands that include Topgolf Swing Suites, Five Iron Golf, GolfCave and The Back Nine, with the total nearly tripling since 2022, according to the National Golf Foundation. Typical locations run three to four hitting bays, with just over half offering food and just under half serving alcohol, and the foundation also found that players aged 50 and up have grown 184% over a recent four-year span.
The Back Nine's own national footprint reflects that same momentum. The chain has 245 open indoor locations and more than 600 total locations sold, whatnow.com reports, with Texas alone home to 35 locations, including 14 in the Houston region.
Other Markets Show the Franchise's Playbook
Recent openings elsewhere trace a similar pattern to what's unfolding in Lakeland. In Southlake, Texas, The Back Nine planned three private, sound-insulated bays with seating for four, open to members 24/7, with a grand opening scheduled for Aug. 29 at 500 W. Southlake Blvd., Suite 120, per Community Impact's earlier coverage. In Florida, the brand's Ponte Vedra location opened Nov. 13 at 10620 U.S. 1, Suite 308, and a second St. Johns County site was planned for a 2,099-square-foot space on Registry Boulevard in St. Augustine, with a build-out permit issued at a project cost of $250,000, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record.
Houston has seen some of the busiest activity, with locations in New Caney, Shenandoah and Kingwood opening in 2026 and franchise owners planning a second site inside Loop 610 following last year's debut of a Heights-area concept. A separate planned facility at 3800 Southwest Freeway involves a $350,000 renovation of a 2,953-square-foot space, with construction expected to begin in early November and wrap up by January 2027, Community Impact and whatnow.com both reported. Membership pricing across the brand's locations ranges from $219 to $499 per month.
Back in the Memphis area, the Lakeland buildout is the clearest sign yet of how fast the format is scaling locally. With Collierville already open and East Memphis under consideration for a possible third site by next summer, Herman's rollout mirrors the same aggressive, multi-market expansion pattern playing out from Texas to Florida.
