The largest expense that most golf coaches absorb in their businesses are revenue sharing or rent/lease payments. A coaches’ employment situation will likely determine if they pay one or the other (70 percent of our coaches reported paying one or the other this past year). Usually revenue sharing happens when the coach is an employee – often at a private club – and rent/lease payments are for independent contractors who use space at a public facility.
This year 60 percent of our coaches reported paying a revenue share with an average of 23 percent going back to the facility. This is a decrease from an average of 25 percent a year ago. The average revenue share back to private clubs was 19 percent and to public facilities 26 percent. For those who paid a revenue share the average was $32,166 with the median at $20,000.
The range of percentages for revenue sharing was dramatic going from 5 to 86 percent but that is indicative of the salary or guarantee structure included in that coaches’ compensation package. A lower guaranteed salary typically means a lower revenue share back to the employer while a higher salary often means a higher revenue share paid by the coach.
For coaches paying rent or leasing (10 percent of coaches surveyed), the average annual payments totaled $50,426 with the median at $30,000. This includes lease payments for academies with more than one coach.
For those who pay rent or lease, the top amenities included were:
- Student range balls 74 percent
- Private teaching tee area 69 percent
- Wi-fi 62 percent
- Private teaching short game area 41 percent
- Exterior signage 36 percent
- Permanent teaching building 36 percent
- Access to marketing to facility database 33 percent
- Inclusion in facility advertising 33 percent
- Launch monitors 33 percent
- Onsite marketing opportunities 33 percent
- Utilities 33 percent
Revenue sharing and/or rent lease payments were equivalent to 9 percent of our coaches’ overall gross revenues ($19,130 in payments versus $210,139 average gross revenues per coach). That percentage was up 1 percentage point from last year’s survey. Many factors could account for an individual coach keeping significantly more or less of their revenues such as facility type, guaranteed salary, teaching position type, business supports provided, etc.
Proponent Group is pleased to run a set of comps for any of our members to your current position if you are interested in seeing how your costs compare to other coaches in similar situations.
To view the entire summary report from the 2026 Proponent Group Operations and Compensation Survey Proponent Group member coaches may simply click on the Compensation Survey Results green button on our website homepage.
