Five Iron Golf Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Five Iron Golf franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Five Iron Golf discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
18 company-owned centers (2025): avg gross sales $3.02M, avg adjusted EBITDA $742,669 (24.58%). Excludes NYC, high-simulator outliers, newer locations. 2 franchised centers avg $1.53M sales.
What a Five Iron Golf franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $1,963,500 – $4,655,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
7% royalty; 2% brand fund; 1% local ad minimum. Veterans/first responders: $45K initial fee. Development discounts: $40K (2-5 units), $30K (6+).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Five Iron Golf system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 37 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations/transfers 2023-2025; only 7 franchised outlets as of 2025 end; early-stage system.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Five Iron Golf worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | steeper than 60% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $1,963,500 | pricier than 93% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 1.5%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Five Iron Golf
The franchisor's framing: 18 company-owned centers (2025): avg gross sales $3.02M, avg adjusted EBITDA $742,669 (24.… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Five Iron Golf franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Five Iron Golf franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,963,500–$4,655,000, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Five Iron Golf franchise owners make?
- 18 company-owned centers (2025): avg gross sales $3.02M, avg adjusted EBITDA $742,669 (24.58%). Excludes NYC, high-simulator outliers, newer locations. 2 franchised centers avg $1.53M sales. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Five Iron Golf franchise fees?
- Five Iron Golf's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 7% royalty; 2% brand fund; 1% local ad minimum. Veterans/first responders: $45K initial fee. Development discounts: $40K (2-5 units), $30K (6+).
- What is the Five Iron Golf franchise profit margin?
- Five Iron Golf does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 18 company-owned centers (2025): avg gross sales $3.02M, avg adjusted EBITDA $742,669 (24.58%). Excludes NYC, high-simulator outliers, newer locations. 2 franchised centers avg $1.53M sales. Recurring fees alone take about 9% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Five Iron Golf franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations/transfers 2023-2025; only 7 franchised outlets as of 2025 end; early-stage system.
- How many Five Iron Golf locations are there?
- Five Iron Golf's FDD reports 37 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Five Iron Golf have complaints or lawsuits?
- Five Iron Golf discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Five Iron Golf franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Five Iron Golf scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Five Iron Golf to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36294-202604-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Five Iron Golf or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.