The Golf Amenity That's Quietly Becoming the Highest-ROI Feature in Luxury Properties
There's a moment most property operators know well. You've invested in the space. The photos look good. The listing is live. And you're still watching properties with half your square footage outperform you on price.
The difference, almost every time, comes down to one thing: what the guest can do when they get there.
And right now, in luxury STRs, boutique hotels, resorts, and high-end multifamily properties, one amenity category is separating the properties that command premium rates from the ones still racing on price.
Golf.
Not a golf course. Not a simulator room that costs $80,000 to build. A thoughtfully designed golf experience — a hitting mat, a putting green, maybe both — that transforms dead square footage into a feature guests specifically search for, photograph, and talk about in reviews.
It's the amenity that keeps paying.
Why Golf Is Different From Every Other Amenity
Most amenities appeal to everyone in theory and no one in particular. A fire pit is nice. A pool table is fun. But neither one makes a guest choose your property over a competitor.
Golf amenities do something different. They attract a specific, high-value guest — and that guest self-selects hard.
Here's who books properties with golf features:
- Golf travelers — a $9+ billion market growing at nearly 10% annually. Sixty percent of golf travelers are high-income. They aren't looking for a golf-adjacent property. They're looking for a golf destination — one where they can practice before their tee time, wind down on the green after dinner, or keep their short game sharp on a trip that isn't specifically about golf.
- Corporate and group travelers — golf is the original business sport. A property with a hitting mat and putting green becomes the natural choice for executive retreats, client entertainment, and group trips where someone in the party plays.
- Families with a golfer — one golf-obsessed parent turns a property with a putting green from "nice" to "non-negotiable."
The pattern is consistent: when a golfer is in the booking decision, golf amenities don't just influence the choice — they close it.
The Problem With Thinking About This as a Single Product
Here's where most property owners get it wrong: they buy a hitting mat as a standalone item, place it somewhere on the property, and wonder why it doesn't move the needle the way they expected.
A hitting mat alone is a practice tool.
A hitting mat paired with a putting green is an experience.
That distinction matters more than it sounds, because guests don't write reviews about practice tools. They write reviews about experiences. They post photos of experiences. They search for experiences when they're choosing where to book next.
When you design a complete golf space — even a modest one — you give guests something they can engage with from arrival to checkout. Morning warm-up on the mat. Putting competition after dinner. Kids trying to sink a long putt before bed. That's the kind of content that fills a listing page with five-star reviews that mention golf specifically — and those reviews become your most powerful marketing asset.
The goal isn't to install a product. It's to create a moment guests want to talk about.
You don't need a lot of space. You need the right configuration.
The Hitting Mat + Putting Green
The hitting mat is the anchor. It's where the golfer warms up, works on ball striking, and gets reps in. For property use, what matters is:
- REALISTIC TURF FEEL — mats that allow real tee use are dramatically better than those that don't. Golfers can tell the difference immediately, and it matters to how they experience the property. Our Real Feel Golf Hitting Mats are what golf courses, country clubs and even the pros use, for a realistic turf feel.
- DURABILITY — this is not the place to cut costs. A hitting mat in an STR or hospitality setting will see heavy use from guests of varying skill levels. Commercial-grade construction isn't optional.
- CLEAN AESTHETICS — the mat needs to look intentional in the space, not like an afterthought dragged out of a garage.
The putting green is the showpiece. It's what photographs. It's what guests mention. It's what makes the backyard or rooftop or courtyard look like it belongs in a magazine.
For property installations, synthetic putting greens are the standard — low maintenance, year-round usability, consistent performance regardless of climate. Options range from outdoor putting green kit systems ideal for backyards and rooftops to full custom installations built into a backyard landscape. Our DIY Outdoor Putting Green Kits can be installed in a single weekend for an easy upgrade to your space.
The right choice depends on:
- AVAILABLE SPACE — indoor greens work well in game rooms, office spaces, and apartment amenity floors; outdoor greens range from small practice setups to multi-hole installations
- PROPERTY TYPE — an STR backyard calls for a different scale than a resort courtyard or a multifamily rooftop
- GUEST PROFILE — serious golfers want real roll and contour; casual players want fun and photo opportunities
Golf amenities work across property types because the guest logic is the same regardless of who owns the building.
SHORT TERM RENTAL OPERATORS
Golf travelers book STRs with dedicated golf features at a measurable premium over comparable properties without them. Beyond rate, the SEO and review impact compounds quickly — Airbnb and VRBO searches increasingly filter by specific amenity keywords, and "putting green" is one of them. A golf amenity doesn't just earn its square footage; it earns visibility.
BOUTIQUE HOTELS AND RESORTS
Golf travelers prefer properties where practice is part of the stay. A boutique hotel with a putting green and hitting mat area becomes, for a certain guest, the default choice over a larger property that doesn't offer it. This is especially true in golf-heavy markets like Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Hilton Head, and coastal Florida — where the amenity signals to a specific, high-spending guest that you understand them.
MULTI-FAMILY & LUXURY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPERS
Golf simulator lounges and putting green courtyards are showing up in luxury apartment and condo amenity packages as a direct response to what high-income renters and buyers want. These amenities command premium lease rates and generate the kind of lifestyle content that fills a property's social media and leasing marketing. One well-designed golf space photographs better than a thousand words of copy.
LUXURY RESIDENTIAL
For the high-net-worth homeowner, a backyard putting green is an entertainment platform. It's where guests gather after dinner. It's where kids learn a sport. It's where the host becomes the host at a higher level. It is, in every sense, the living room moved outside.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
The ROI case for golf amenities is straightforward once you run it:
- Golf tourism is a $9+ billion market growing at approximately 9.5% annually
- Properties with differentiated, experience-driven amenities consistently command higher average daily rates than comparable properties without them
- Golf amenities generate disproportionate social media content from guests — real, organic posts that function as listing marketing you didn't have to pay for
- Putting greens and hitting mats are among the amenities most likely to be specifically mentioned by name in guest reviews, which reinforces your listing's search visibility over time
And for STR investors specifically — golf amenities may qualify for accelerated depreciation under current tax law, just like any other personal property. A $15,000–$25,000 golf setup that increases your ADR and reduces your taxable income is a different financial decision than one that only does the former.
Consult your CPA or tax strategist for guidance on how depreciation applies to your specific property and situation.
How to Choose the Right Setup for Your Property
Not every property needs the same configuration. Here's a simple framework:
If you have a small backyard or patio (under 500 sq ft of open space): A putting green system is a great move. You get the golf experience without a major footprint.
If you have a medium to large outdoor space: This is where a permanent or semi-permanent putting green installation with hitting mat becomes compelling. Outdoor greens can be built into existing landscaping, leveled into patios, or designed as a standalone backyard feature. Pair with a hitting mat station and you have a full practice experience.
If you're working with an indoor or rooftop space (multifamily, hotel, corporate): Indoor and outdoor putting greens designed for high-traffic environments are the right choice — durable, low-maintenance, and built to perform on any flat surface. Our outdoor putting green kits feature Ultra Base which contours to any area you are covering.
If you're building or repositioning a resort or boutique hotel: Scale matters here. Multi-hole outdoor putting courses, permanent green installations with multiple cups, and hitting areas with covered stations are the standard for properties competing at the top of their market. The investment is higher, but so is the guest profile it attracts.
Ready to Design Your Golf Space?
At The Tournament House, we've built out golf amenity setups for STR operators, hotel properties, and residential buyers who wanted something that felt like it belonged — not something that looked like it was purchased and installed without a plan.
Our Concierge team can help you select the right hitting mat and putting green configuration for your space, your budget, and the guest you're trying to attract. We'll tell you what works, what doesn't, and what will have guests mentioning golf in their reviews six months from now.
Shop Golf Amenities → | Contact Our Concierge →
The Tournament House was built on the insight that the right amenities change what a property can charge — and what guests remember. Golf is one of the clearest examples of that principle in action.
