Golf Simulator Waivers: How to Set Up Online Waivers

A golf simulator waiver is one of those things you do not think about until you need it. Every player who swings a club in your bays should sign a liability waiver, and the easiest way to make that happen is an online waiver signed at booking, with every signature stored where you can find it in seconds. This article covers why waivers matter at an indoor golf venue, how to collect them without slowing down your front desk, and how to handle groups and minors.

A quick but important note: I run a golf simulator venue. I am not a lawyer, and nothing here is legal advice. Waiver rules vary by state and country. Have a local attorney write or review your waiver before you use it.

Why a liability waiver matters for indoor golf

Golf simulators feel safe, and mostly they are. But you are putting people with metal clubs in an enclosed space, and things happen.

• Clubs fly. A grip slips, a club leaves someone's hands and hits a screen, a wall or a person.
• Balls bounce back. A thin shot or a ball off the frame, the ceiling or a side wall can come back toward the hitter or someone sitting behind them.
• People stand in the wrong place. Friends wander into the hitting area to grab a drink or line up a selfie.
• Alcohol. If you serve drinks, judgment goes down as the night goes on.
• Slips and trips. Turf edges, spilled drinks and dim lighting.

A signed waiver will not prevent any of that. What it does, depending on where you are, is make clear that guests understand the risks and agree to follow your safety rules. It is also something your insurance provider will likely ask about. Waivers sit alongside good safety practices, not in place of them. If you are still in the planning stage, golf simulator bay space requirements covers the room dimensions that reduce a lot of this risk in the first place.

Signing at booking vs signing at the desk

When we opened, we used paper waivers at the front desk. It was a mess.

On a busy night, a group of six would walk in and every one of them had to fill out a form before they could start. The first group of the evening would lose 15 minutes of their bay time, and the desk would get backed up. Then we had to file the paper somewhere, and good luck finding one specific signature six months later.

Signing online at booking fixes most of that:

• The person booking signs as part of the booking flow, before they ever arrive.
• Guests can be sent the waiver ahead of time, so they sign from their phone in the car.
• The desk just checks who has signed and who has not.
• Every signature is stored digitally with a name and date.

You will still need a fallback at the desk, like a tablet, for walk-ins and the guest who shows up without signing. But your desk goes from collecting waivers to checking them, and that is a big difference on a Friday night.

Use one current waiver template

Keep one waiver template active at a time. It sounds obvious, but it is easy to end up with an old PDF on the website, a different paper version at the desk and a third version in your booking system.

One template means:

• Every guest signs the same terms.
• Your staff does not have to wonder which version is right.
• When you update it, you update it in one place.

Keep your waiver readable. Plain language, short sections and a clear list of your safety rules (stay behind the line, one hitter at a time, check behind you before swinging) do more to set expectations than three pages of dense text. Your lawyer can help you balance readability with what the waiver needs to say.

Keeping every signature on file

A waiver is only useful if you can find it. Make sure you can quickly answer:

• Has this person signed?
• When did they sign, and which version of the waiver did they sign?
• Can I pull up their signed copy if I need it?

Search by customer name should be instant. If someone has an incident in your venue, you do not want to be digging through a filing cabinet or a shared inbox while they are standing in front of you.

Also decide how long you keep signed waivers. Your lawyer or insurance provider can tell you what makes sense where you operate.

Guests in a group booking

This is where many waiver setups fall apart. One person books the bay, but four or six people play. Every person who hits a ball should sign, not just the person who paid.

Ways to handle it:

1. Collect signatures at booking from the person who booked, and ask them to share the waiver with their group.
2. Remind them in the confirmation. A short note like "everyone in your group needs to sign before you play" goes a long way.
3. Check at the desk. When the group arrives, your staff confirms everyone has signed and has anyone missing sign on the desk tablet.
4. Make it a habit, not a hassle. Returning guests who have already signed the current version should not need to sign again.

Train your front desk on this so it becomes routine. For more on setting up your team, see hiring and training front desk staff.

Minors and parent or guardian signatures

Kids love golf simulators, and birthday parties can be a nice source of weekend revenue. But minors generally cannot sign a waiver for themselves.

A few practical points (again, not legal advice):

• A parent or legal guardian should sign on behalf of any minor.
• Decide your minimum age for playing and whether minors need an adult in the bay.
• Collect the child's name along with the parent's signature, so you know who is covered.
• For birthday parties, have the host parent collect waivers from every family ahead of time. It is much easier than chasing parents at drop-off.

How enforceable a waiver is for a minor varies a lot by location. This is a specific thing to ask your lawyer about.

Updating your waiver template

You will update your waiver at some point. Maybe your lawyer suggests a change, maybe you add a bar, maybe your insurance provider asks for new language.

When you do:

• Replace the old template so new bookings get the new version.
• Decide whether returning guests need to re-sign. For significant changes, they usually should.
• Keep the old signed waivers. They still apply to the visits they covered.
• Brief your staff so they know what changed.

Getting your waivers sorted

Here is the short checklist:

1. Have a local lawyer write or review your waiver.
2. Keep one current template.
3. Collect signatures online at booking, with a desk tablet as a fallback.
4. Make sure every player in a group signs, not just the booker.
5. Get a parent or guardian signature for every minor.
6. Store every signature where you can search it instantly.
7. Update the template in one place when things change.

In SimBook, the waiver is part of the booking flow: guests pick a date and time, enter their details and sign the waiver in one go. You keep one current template and every signature stays on file. If you want to see how it looks for your guests, you can start a 14-day free trial. And if you are still putting your venue together, my guide on how to start an indoor golf simulator business covers the rest of the setup.

FAQ

Do I need a waiver for a golf simulator?

Most venues use one, and insurance providers often expect it. A waiver helps show guests understood the risks and agreed to your safety rules. Have a local lawyer advise you on what you need where you operate.

Can golf simulator waivers be signed online?

Yes. Many venues have guests sign an online waiver as part of booking, which saves time at the desk and keeps every signature stored digitally. Keep a tablet at the desk for walk-ins.

Does every player in a group need to sign the waiver?

Every person who will hit balls should sign, not only the person who booked. Remind the booker in the confirmation and check at the desk when the group arrives.

Can a minor sign a golf simulator waiver?

Generally no. A parent or legal guardian should sign on behalf of a minor. Rules vary by location, so ask a local lawyer how to handle minors in your waiver.