A solar canopy typically elicits the image of a carport or EV charging station. But recently, companies have started to think outside the box, realizing that solar canopies or solar pavilions can provide a variety of benefits and business solutions. Golf courses and driving ranges are businesses than can reap multitude of benefits investing in solar powered canopies.
How Solar Canopies Work for Golf Courses & Driving Ranges
- If You Build It, Golfers Will Come – Who wants to practice their swing in bad weather? Very few die-hard golfers will head to the driving range in the rain or snow. Some even shy away on a hot day. Yet, with a solar canopy-covered tee box, the outdoor weather conditions become irrelevant. Instead of seeking an indoor activity, golfers will show up and practice. In fact, business may be booming on days when playing 18 isn’t appealing, but golfers still want to get out and hit a few.
- The Driving Range Can Stay Open Later – No need to close at dusk. The LED lights under a solar canopy can illuminate the tee box, allowing golfers to continue to practice. More hours means more revenue for your business. Keep selling those buckets of balls well into the evening. Supporting food and beverage revenues will increase too!
- Additional Sales with Additional Time – If golfers are coming in inclement weather and staying into the evening, this allows your business extra time for sales. When guests have more time to enjoy the facilities, they are more inclined to make purchases, boosting sales of everything from post-practice beverages to the latest in golf equipment.
- Advertising Creates a New Revenue Stream – Advertising on the sides of the canopy provides your driving range a new revenue stream option. Local businesses will gladly pay to promote themselves on your state-of-the art solar canopy installation.
- Power for the Clubhouse and Some Comforts – The biggest benefit of a solar canopy is the electricity generated by the panels, offsetting clubhouse utility costs. However, some of the power generated can be used to provide comfort for the golfers. Extend playing time by installing heaters to keep golfers warm on cold winter days, or fans that cool them off as they swing away in the summer heat.
- Promote a Family Experience – A solar canopy can help provide comfortable seating area behind the tee box and promote a family entertainment experience. Transform your basic driving range as an experience the whole family can enjoy together.
Installing a solar canopy at golf facilities makes sense: increasing golf course or range revenue, reducing costs via lower electricity bills, and improving customer experience. An aesthetically pleasing solar canopy will be the talk of the town, driving new customers to your location, while encouraging your regulars to come more often and stay longer.
The Financial Incentives
Golf courses often have electricity costs as well. It takes electricity to power irrigation pumps, outdoor lighting, clubhouses that feature food service have high refrigeration, cooking, and air conditioning needs and more. Installing solar at golf courses, and in particular solar canopies over driving range tee-boxes, can offer innovative ways to boost revenue while reducing electricity costs. For Illinois golf facilities, solar incentives such as the Illinois Shines, solar renewable energy credit (SREC), or smart inverter rebates (SIR) can help defray the cost of installing solar.
Work with Tick Tock Energy for Comprehensive Solutions
Tick Tock Energy installs solar canopies for a variety of businesses – including golf courses and driving ranges – and looks forward to working with your business. We pride ourselves on making quality personal and providing unique solar solutions to meet specific business goals.
Proud to be named 11-time Top Solar Contractor in the US, Tick Tock Energy offers commercial and industrial, farm/ag, and residential customers superior high-quality solar systems with long-lasting value. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and motivate individuals and businesses to pursue reduce energy use and costs.
See how solar canopies can work for your golf course or driving range. Take our free solar quiz or give us a call at (217) 994-9020 to get started.
