GOLFZON Strengthens Distribution Partnership with Side Sports to Expand Mexican Market

STERLING, Virginia, USA — In 2015, golf enthusiasts and businessmen Jose Vargas Sr. and Jose Vargas Jr. first experienced GOLFZON at a screen golf café in South Korea while visiting Asia. As they played, the two immediately recognized the business potential of bringing Korea’s virtual golf culture to Mexico, concluding that it was a fitting model for the growing Mexican golf market. That experience later became the catalyst for Side Sports, the company they operate, to build a partnership as GOLFZON’s distributor in Mexico.

During their 2015 visit to Seoul, the father and son were looking for an opportunity to play golf. Because real golf courses involved long travel distances and high costs, they searched online for other options and ended up visiting a GOLFZON café in Seoul. After experiencing an 18-hole round at Pebble Beach, they were deeply impressed by GOLFZON’s technology and business potential, and subsequently contacted GOLFZON directly to begin business discussions.

Two months after the Seoul visit, GOLFZON America CEO Tommy Lim traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, to launch a one-year pilot program. Based on the early results and the success of the first year, CEO Lim returned to Monterrey earlier this month to finalize a new long-term agreement. Under the agreement, Side Sports will sell a total of USD 6.5 million worth of GOLFZON simulators from 2018 to 2021.

Jose Vargas Sr. said, “We expect GOLFZON’s presence in Mexico to expand rapidly,” adding, “Golf in Mexico is relatively as expensive as in Korea, there are only about 200 golf courses, and most of them are private courses.” He continued, “In Mexico, golf is growing quickly and public interest is rising. There are two successful PGA TOUR events—the OHL Classic at Mayakoba and the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship—and new golf-related businesses are growing as well. Amid a trend of many Mexicans wanting to experience golf, the combination of golf and entertainment offered by GOLFZON simulators is riding the wave of success.”

CEO Tommy Lim said, “We have maintained a very strong partnership with Side Sports, and this agreement carries the meaning of further expanding one of the most successful operations we have experienced,” adding, “Monterrey is one of the most developed cities in Mexico, and the process of spreading golf culture across the region and throughout Mexico through GOLFZON simulators has been highly encouraging.” He continued, “Building on these achievements, I am confident that Side Sports will deliver results that exceed everyone’s expectations in the near future.”

Side Sports’ first location, Mulligan’s – Golf, Bar & Terrace, opened in 2016 with five simulators in one of Monterrey’s major commercial and residential complexes. The location recently expanded to seven simulators and significantly enhanced its food and beverage space. GOLFZON simulators are currently operating in six cities across Mexico, including in private homes, businesses, hotels, resorts, and condominiums. Side Sports plans further expansion centered on commercial facilities over the coming years.

Jose Vargas Jr. said, “At first it was not easy, because the quality of the other golf simulators available in Mexico before GOLFZON was not good,” adding, “When we told friends and family about the business ahead of opening, many thought we were being a bit reckless. They assumed we were investing in a showroom and bar with something like video games, and since other golf simulator businesses in Mexico had just failed at the time, there was significant concern.” He continued, “But once people visited Mulligan’s and experienced the full offering for themselves, their perception completely changed. It has been more than 15 months since we launched the business, and both the business and the customer experience keep getting better.”