Golf Envy

Golf Envy was founded in 2023 by Ryan Wines and Cole Arranaga. The chain runs a 24/7 members-only model — closer in spirit to a private fitness club than a hospitality-driven simulator bar — with a focus on serious golfers, network-wide membership reciprocity, and minimal staffing per location.

Every Golf Envy location is built around Golfzon simulators through the company's Golfzon Leadbetter Academy partnership. The Golfzon system uses a moving floor plate that delivers varied hitting lies (uphill, downhill, sidehill) — a feature missing from most TrackMan and FullSwing setups. Members get advanced shot data, course play across hundreds of virtual courses, and around-the-clock access to private bays.

Headquartered in La Verne, California. The franchise sold 19 locations across the U.S. in 2025; build-outs are concentrated in Sun Belt and Southwest markets where Golf Envy's brand has gotten the most traction. Memberships at one location include reciprocal access across the entire network, which is a differentiator versus single-location competitors.

Founder Ryan Wines positioned Golf Envy as a passion project after watching his wife pick up the sport during the pandemic. Co-founder Cole Arranaga came from D1 Training, where he served as VP of Franchise — the franchise-operations DNA shows up in Golf Envy's reciprocity model and its 80+ module operations manual.