EP 478: How A Mobile Golf Simulator Turns Any Space Into A Party

What makes Brandon Cooley with Pop-Up Fairway a good neighbor?

A mobile golf simulator that inflates on-site, stays comfortable inside, and runs almost anywhere sounds like something reserved for big events—but Brandon Cooley is bringing that experience right into local neighborhoods. We sit down with Brandon, founder of Pop-Up Fairway, to break down how he’s turning open spaces into interactive golf experiences that are both fun and surprisingly practical.

Brandon shares the story behind Pop-Up Fairway, from sitting on the idea for years to finally launching in North Texas. We walk through what the setup actually looks like, including the inflatable structure, climate-controlled environment, and generator-powered flexibility that allows it to work in backyards, parking lots, and community spaces. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to host something like this, you’ll leave with a clear understanding of how it all comes together.

We also dive into the business side, including who this experience is best suited for—corporate appreciation events, car dealerships looking to elevate customer wait time, and HOAs wanting something new for community gatherings. Brandon highlights what sets Pop-Up Fairway apart, from transparent pricing to an easy online booking system that keeps the process simple from start to finish.

If you’re planning an event in Frisco, Prosper, or anywhere in North Texas and want something interactive that people will actually remember, this conversation offers fresh ideas and practical insight. Subscribe, share it with someone planning an event, and leave a review—who should we feature next?

To learn more about Pop-Up Fairway go to:
 https://popupfairway.com/

 Pop-Up Fairway
📞 +1 (325) 212-7092

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor

SPEAKER_02 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Meet Pop-Up Fairway

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a mobile golf simulator company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Brandon Cooley, with Pop-Up Fairway. Brandon, so lovely to have you on this morning. Now we are all excited to learn about you and your new business. So start off and tell our listeners a little bit more about your company.

How The Inflatable Simulator Works

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Yeah, Sophia, thank you so much for having me. I'm I'm very grateful to be on the show today. Um yeah, so a little bit about me uh in the business is a, like you mentioned, a mobile golf simulator. Uh, it's fully inflatable and I can take it basically anywhere there's space to set it up. Um, I can either run it on generator power if there's no access to other power or plug it into the facility that I'm at. Um, it is quite large. It's 18 feet by 30 feet, it's 14 feet tall. So you can fit uh up to eight people inside while someone's golfing. It's uh essentially fully weatherproof and fully enclosed and uh climate controlled. And so it's a lot of fun. Um and uh I'm actually buying a second simulator in the next two weeks or so that'll be a little bit smaller that I can do for indoor events and have uh a smaller footprint for a little bit more accessibility.

The Leap From Idea To Launch

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Wow, Brandon. Now I, for one, am so curious to learn more about your story. Go ahead and share that with our audience today of how you came up with the idea for this business.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Yeah, so I almost two years ago bought this domain name. I've been I've been working on this idea for a while, and I've uh I saw another concept that was similar to this that was more of a trailer type a couple of years ago, and I started looking into that idea. Um, but at the time it didn't make sense to break off from what I was doing on my day-to-day and invest money into a new new business. So I tabled it. Um, and then I thought about it a little bit more probably a year later or so, uh, and looked at some different models, whether it be a mobile one like the trailer I just mentioned or more of a brick and mortar because those were coming into popularity. Um, and then I once again tabled it. I thought this isn't the right time. Uh, and then finally in February, um, I was talking to a buddy of mine who was with a turf company for a long time, and he broke off and started his own thing and started building indoor golf simulators and installing turf and putting greens and backyards. And he told me how successful he had been in his first eight months of business, and that basically gave me the fire to just jump off and do it. And so I uh filed for the LLC, I think on the 27th of February, had it fully uh formed and paperwork in my hand on the 2nd of March, uh, opened checking and credit accounts, bought everything, and first uh first couple events have already happened. And I officially launched on May 2nd at the Frisco Streets Food and Truck Music Festival.

The Biggest Misconception

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Wow. What a story. Now, today, what is that most common misconception that you come across when it comes to your specific industry?

SPEAKER_00 3:08

This is a relatively new industry, or at least a new wrinkle in the golf industry. And so a lot of people um don't understand how flexible this is with mobility being able to go wherever. Um, and so as long as there's a big enough footprint and uh, you know, relatively flat space, I can put it wherever. So I was in a backyard um, you know, two weeks ago for Master Saturday. I was in a backyard for a broker's open for a real estate agent uh on Thursday of last week. And so as long as there's the space to put it, I can go pretty much anywhere I need. And uh a lot of people don't understand how flexible that really can be.

Who Books Mobile Golf Events

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Now let's switch gears for a second and we're gonna dive into the marketing side of things. Now, we know marketing is the heart of every business. So ideally, I know you can help everyone, but what type of clients are you looking to attract and how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_00 4:02

That's a great question. Um, so yes, I can help everybody, but not everybody is a good fit for what this is based on a handful of factors. But the uh the I guess the top three clients that I go after are going to be corporations that have either client, staff, or vendor uh appreciation type events at their offices, whether it's at uh you know, at their physical office where they where they work, or if it's at a you know hotel with a you know conference and a lobby and all those things. Um that that's that's a very, very uh high-tier client for me. Uh number two would be car dealerships for Saturdays. Um I sold cars for a long time uh in my younger years, and I remember how annoyed clients would get when they're waiting for their vehicle to be fixed in service or while they're waiting to go through the finance office when they bought a new car. And um so going after dealerships and being set up for them, not only for foot traffic for new clients coming in, but also allowing their existing clients at the dealership to kill some time while they're waiting. Uh, that's another good option for me. And then third, um, is our HOAs. Um, you know, HOAs do a ton of monthly routine events in their neighborhoods, and this is a great addition uh to you know, if they're doing a food truck night or a fourth of July party or whatever type of event they're having to help get uh as many of their neighbors and people in the community engaged.

Transparent Pricing And Key Differentiators

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Wow, I love that. Now, Brandon, as you stated, you know, this is more of a new type of company. So, you know, what are the three biggest differentiators your company has?

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yeah, so I did a lot of market research prior to starting this up. And so the the biggest different differentiators for me right now as it sits on the website. I am the only company that I found, at least, that has a wide open calendar for clients not only to book, but also see transparent pricing. So you can go on the website and see a full list of what it costs per hour, how many hours are the minimum, all the FAQs, and then you can book based on what your schedule allows. And so you don't have to click the call for more information to book. I leave that to the to the end user to take care of that. Um, I mentioned it earlier, but my inflatable is significantly larger than what you're normally going to see on the regular every other day one. And to be fair, this one is more geared for longer use for days like festivals and and large full-day events, uh, but it is fully enclosed. Uh, and it's also very heavy, which helps uh for wind, so you don't feel as much wind and it can be climate controlled, which will allow it to be a little bit cooler inside uh so you're not sweating horribly while you're hitting the golf ball.

Why Golf Brings People Together

SPEAKER_01 6:43

Great. And now what is your personal belief when it comes to golf? You know, why should people connect or families connect with golf?

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Golf has really gotten popular since COVID. Um, it really took off to a different level in 2020 and it's kind of maintained that. Plus, also I live in Prosper. The PGA is five minutes from my house. Um, so this is golf central up here in North Texas. So uh, and then on top of everybody being in love with Top Golf and everything that comes along with just that, and I mentioned earlier that the other mobile or the other uh brick and mortar golf simulator buildings are becoming more and more popular. Uh, they're also being put in in some corporate corporate buildings. Um, but I think just the fact that it how do I say this? I've lost my train of thought actually. I got I got stuck on a tangent, now I got lost. Um, repeat that question one more time for me. So make sure I catch up to where I was. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Yes. Why golf? You know, people can meet in so many different places. Why golf?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

I get so excited I forget what I'm talking about. Why golf? It's just fun. It doesn't matter if you're good, if you're bad, if you've never done it before, if you want to go by yourself, if you want to have uh your family join, a group of friends, if you want to, you know, just do a thing where uh you do uh just just four guys hitting some golf balls or playing a map match play on an actual course. Um it's it's fun just to get together and you know participate in maybe some adult beverages while you play and just have a great time with friends and family. I I think I've really grown to love golf over the years personally, and I also love people. I love entertaining, I love putting smiles on faces, and I felt that this idea of being able to do this would combine those two in a way that would bring me joy. And ultimately, if I can do something in my day-to-day life for a living that puts food on my table and I love, why wouldn't I? So I'm really glad that in February I finally decided to take the jump and do this.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Final question today for you, Brandon, before we wrap up, where can our listeners go to schedule in an event with Pop-Up Fairway?

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah, thank you. Uh the website is popupfairway.com. Um, at the top of the page it says book a pop-up. There's also multiple places throughout the home page where you can click to get to the booking page. Um, and then it's a super straightforward process. You click the date that you want, how many hours you want, and then there's a few questions of how many golfers, um, if you need golf clubs, and then of course where it's going to be the contact information, and then you pay. Um, you you know, if it's within, if it's if it's more than 30 days out, you book 50% deposit and then pay the rest later on. Um, other than that, it's super easy to get there. Um, I also have, of course, my socials are connected to my website. So you've got Facebook uh and Instagram that are both pop-up fairway as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Well, Brandon, I really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Perfect. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you having me on. This was uh a wonderful experience to be able to talk to you and get my business out uh to a bigger and different audience.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco.com. That's gmpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four five.