ST. GEORGE — This man swung into the unknown when he left his law career to pursue golf. And it’s teeing off to be something bigger than he ever imagined.
“I’ve always had a passion for golf,” Wil Bangerter, CEO and founder of The Back Nine Golf, told St. George News. “I literally just made the leap. I left the law firm in November. That’s all we do every day is talk to people about golf and making golf more accessible to everybody. It’s a dream come true.”
An athlete in high school, he went on to play football at Utah Tech University (formerly Dixie State University). After graduating, he said he turned to golf to release his competitive energy.
When he began law school in Northern Utah, he no longer had time to golf. He was busy with school and two kids, and the cold winters made golfing outside impossible most of the year.
But when a friend introduced him to a tiny warehouse in downtown Provo with a golf simulator and 24-hour access, everything changed.
“Midnight, after the kids were asleep and after I got my studying in, I’d run over and try to play 9 holes on the golf simulator,” he said. “And I did that for three years through law school. I skipped a lot of classes and found any time we could to play golf. And that’s where the idea was created.”
After graduation, he moved to St. George and began practicing law. As his family grew, he found himself even busier than he was in law school. Inspired by the golf simulator up north, he opened The Back Nine Golf in St. George in 2020.
Originally, it wasn’t supposed to be a business. The plan was to sign up 10 to 20 members to break even on the cost of the golf simulator, which would allow him to play golf anytime he wanted.
After about a year of operations, Brady Carlson stepped in. He saw the mission and business opportunity and helped catapult The Back Nine Golf into a thriving business.
“I think the story kind of resonates with business owners,” Bangerter said. “Nobody has time to golf. Married people don’t have time to golf. The daylight issues, the weather, it’s just tough to find four or five hours to play a round of golf. Back Nine is the answer to that issue.”
In 2022, inquiries about opening additional locations came flooding in. They took the year to automate the business, refine their system, trademark their name and logo and began working on their franchise paperwork. The biggest part? Creating their own proprietary booking and management software.
Ashley Harmon, director of marketing for the company, said she and her husband worked with a developer to build the software.
“It really is a complete made-from-scratch labor of love,” she said.
The facility also uses Trackman software, which pairs with a mobile app and exports each shot and score directly to the hands of the player. The metrics give instant feedback on golf swings and provide data not given on a golf course. Some metrics include whether your clubface is open or closed, how far the ball carries or how far it rolls, swing speed and spin rate.
Toward the end of 2022, they sold their very first franchise to Cedar City, which is where Harmon’s favorite story comes from. With the heavy snowfall last year, she said the girl’s golf team wasn’t able to practice on a course until a week before the regional competition. They were at a clear disadvantage against St. George golfers who were able to practice year-round.
“They went from being dead last to second in the region,” Harmon said. “Just from practicing at The Back Nine exclusively. They have such a knowledge base because of the Trackman data. They might take state this year – the same team that started dead last.”
Just over a year after they sold their first franchise location, there are now 21 locations in several states with many more coming in the pipeline.
In addition to the seven locations in Utah, Back Nine Golf also can be found in Mesquite, Nevada; Gilbert, Queen Creek and Chandler, Arizona; Franklin and Chattanooga, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Miramar Beach, Florida; and Omaha, Nebraska.
“I think we’re just kind of pinching ourselves, like, is this happening?” Bangerter said. “Even though it’s been a lot of hard work every single day.”
The Trackman software also includes over 350 golf courses to choose from, including the new Black Desert Resort golf course. World-famous courses include Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and more.
“It really is just getting people in the door, because once they use the Trackman and feel the environment here, it kind of just sells itself,” Bangerter said. “That’s the beauty of Back Nine. It’s a cool atmosphere where we get to provide the best of the best to everybody, to own it, to use it and to love it.”
Carlson said the entire idea behind Back Nine Golf is to have a place where people can refine their skills and enjoy the sport during a time that works for their schedule. Players can book a public tee time online and play for a few hours, or choose from several memberships including year contracts and month-to-month.
“Back Nine is for everybody or anybody,” Bangerter said. “It could be the PGA tour pro that’s the best on the planet. This is the software they use, the equipment they use. Or it could be somebody that’s just getting into golf. The system is so easy to use for everyone. Come on in and try it out.”
The Back Nine Golf is located at 2376 Red Cliffs Drive, Suite 315 in St. George. Visit their website for more information.
Photo Gallery
Back Nine Golf allows players to play golf indoors while improving their skills, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashley Harmon, St. George News
Back Nine Golf allows players to play golf indoors while improving their skills, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashley Harmon, St. George News
Back Nine Golf allows players to play golf indoors while improving their skills, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashley Harmon, St. George News
L-R: Brady Carlsen, Wil Bangerter and Ashley Harmon smile for the camera inside Back Nine Golf in St. George, Utah, Jan. 10, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
L-R: Brady Carlsen, Wil Bangerter and Ashley Harmon smile for the camera inside Back Nine Golf in St. George, Utah, Jan. 10, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The Trackman software allows players to play golf at the new Black Desert Resort golf course, St. George, Utah, Jan. 10, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Wil Bangerter, CEO and Founder of Back Nine Golf, practices his golf swing, St. George, Utah, Jan. 10, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Wil Bangerter, CEO and Founder of Back Nine Golf, practices his golf swing, St. George, Utah, Jan. 10, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
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