You Don’t Always Get What You Pay For—And That’s Exactly Why It Works
My grandma Bobbie always said, “You get what you pay for.”
Hilarious, because she was one of the cheapest people alive.
And it’s even more ironic now, because everything we’re building with Neighborhood National?
Flies completely in the face of that idea.
Unlimited use of a high-end golf simulator.
Unlimited guests.
No booking restrictions.
All for about $70 a month.
It doesn’t compute.
A startup flying in the face of all things golf.
Flying in the face of everything people assume is normal.
Not gonna lie—flying in the face of anything is hard.
Flying in the face of tradition? Harder.
The norm? You’re paying $50 an hour for a simulator.
Memberships running $200–$300 (and “membership” really belongs in air quotes given all the fine print).
What we’re doing? Doesn’t fit the mold. And because of that, our biggest hurdle isn’t price.
It’s credibility.
We literally sound too good to be true. And because of that, people assume we’re not true at all.
I can’t tell you how many people tell me, “Honestly? I thought this was a scam.”
Just last week, I signed up a new member who admitted he showed up expecting to hit into a net and maybe watch an iPad track his shots.
He walked in, looked around, and you could see it hit him:
“Oh. This is real.”
We could fix that perception easily.
We could raise our prices.
We could match what the market expects.
We could give people what they’re used to getting for that price.
But here’s the thing:
We’re not in the business of giving people what they expect.
We’re in the business of giving people more than they expect.
We’re not trying to be “as good as” the rest of the market.
We’re trying to be the golf dream people didn’t even think was possible.
That’s the point. That’s the mission.
That’s the recipe.
And if I had to break it down? Here it is:
1. Make it their dream come true
Make it their dream come true.
Not just cheaper. Accessible.
Accessibility nobody else in the industry can touch—because it’s not just price. It’s convenience. It’s proximity.
Unlimited use. Unlimited guests. No booking restrictions. For a price nobody else can match.
2. Manage it with two simple rules
→ Treat the club like it’s your own.
→ Don’t be an asshole.
And a one-strike-you’re-out policy, left intentionally subjective. I tell everyone—there’s a line of abuse out there somewhere. I don’t know exactly where it is. But if I even think your toe grazed it? You’re out. One strike. Done. Because that keeps people away from the line—not testing how close they can get.
3. Find club pros who like the approach
This is usually the hardest part.
Not because it’s complicated—but because it’s different.
We’re not looking for people chasing big profits.
And we’re definitely not against making money either.
We just know this model only works when the priority is something else first.
What we’ve found is that the best club pros are the ones who like the way we do things—
who believe in the simplicity,
see the logic in the approach,
and are willing to take a small swing at something that feels worth doing, even if it’s new.
That doesn’t mean there’s no risk.
It’s new. It’s different. You’re often the first in your area.
But the worst-case scenario?
You’ve got a great sim to use yourself.
We’re not outfitting high-rent commercial spaces.
Our approach is really only gonna work in places that come with no or very low costs.
So yes—it takes alignment.
The right mindset, and the right space.
That’s what gives it a real shot to work—
not just work, but work in a way that lets things pay for themselves, stay simple, and stay fun.
And when that foundation is in place?
It creates the environment that makes everything else possible—
especially the shared accountability that drives what comes next.
4. Empower every member by clearly communicating their role
This is one of the biggest reasons the whole thing works the way it does.
We don’t just hand people a key and cross our fingers.
We give them context.
We explain the why behind what we’re doing, and how we’re doing it.
And most importantly—what’s expected of them.
That clarity is what creates accountability.
And that accountability is what allows these clubs to run so smoothly—often with very little oversight.
Other models might promise “passive” too.
But passive only works when there’s real trust.
And trust only works when there’s a real relationship.
That’s what our whole approach is built to create.
No one’s in this to get monetarily rich.
We’re all in it to get rich with access—
access to golf that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
And our members?
They’re the first to get it—
and the ones who get the most out of it.
We make sure they understand:
if you want to keep that level of access,
you’ve got to hold up your end of the deal.
Not a long list of rules.
Just a shared understanding that if we all care a little,
we all get a lot.
Everyone knows the deal:
→ Everyone looks out for the club.
→ Everyone looks out for each other.
That’s how these spaces stay clean, respected, and cared for.
It’s not luck.
It’s not magic.
It’s culture—by design.
Our Members Take Out the Gargage
This isn’t the only way to build something that runs without constant management.
But it’s our way.
And so far, it’s working.
That’s why our members take out the garbage without being asked.
Why they call to apologize for putting a plastic wrapper in the recycling.
Why they text when they accidentally ding a wall, offering to fix it.
Because once people realize they’re part of something rare?
They want to keep it that way.
And that’s why we’re working.
That’s why we’re growing.
10 clubs. Nearly 200 members. 92% retention. 97.8% would recommend us to others.
It’s not just a business model.
It’s a culture.
A culture you don’t get with a price tag.
Grandma Bobbie wasn’t wrong.
You do get what you pay for.
Unless you’re lucky enough to belong to a club that’s trying to give you way more than that.
Not just people looking to squeeze every dollar.
People who believe in it. People who love what we’re building, how we’re building it, and why we’re doing it this way.
If this sounds different to you—if it sounds like what golf could be.
You sound like our kind of neighbor.
Reach out below—let’s talk about moving in.
- 🔵 Become a member at a nearby club
Get Started → - 🟢 Join when a club opens near you
Let Us Know → - 🟡 Start your own club
Reach Out → - ⚪️ Anything else
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