Polf: How poker can turn your sim golf venue into a real community
November 8, 2025 – Erik Holm
Every great indoor golf venue has one thing in common: people don’t just come to play – they come to belong. Polf is one of the easiest ways to turn players into a community. It’s social, competitive, a little bit strategic, and addictive in all the right ways.
Polf nights are already popping up in simulator venues across Norway, and it’s easy to see why. They turn a normal round of simulator golf into an experience people actually talk about – and come back for.
How Polf works
Each player starts with 1500 chips and earns more based on performance:
- Every Stableford point = +500 chips
- Birdie = +500
- Eagle = +1000
- Hole in one = +5000
- Played with 50% handicap allowance (to keep it fair between players of different levels)
- 3.7m (12ft) gimme putt to keep play fast
When the golf round ends, players use their chips to play a short poker game — five-card or Texas Hold’em — right there in the lounge. The winner isn’t always the lowest handicapper. It’s the one who played both games right — on the screen and at the table.
Why venues should host Polf nights
Simulator golf already brings people together. Polf takes that one step further:
- Longer visits: A golf round turns into a full evening event.
- Higher spend per group: Drinks, food, and small bets make it lively.
- More community: The same faces return, form rivalries, and build loyalty.
Many venues now host Friday Polf Nights, where the whole center joins in.
Others simply make it easy for groups of friends to play Polf on their own — by keeping chips, cards, and a poker table available at all times. Both formats work. The point is to make it part of your culture.
What you need
You don’t need to overthink it.
Start small:
- A poker set with chips and cards in the lounge
- A foldable poker table or, even better, a dedicated poker corner
- Optionally, make a bookable poker room through Alba so groups can finish their Polf round in style
- Optionally, make a bookable poker room through Alba so groups can finish their Polf round in style
Keep it simple: Play maybe 9 holes instead of 18, limit the poker time to 1-2 hours, and give a small prize to the winner; a free hour, a drink, or leaderboard points if you’re running a Polf League.
Why this matters
Most venues focus on utilization and bookings. But the real growth comes from community — when players see your venue as their club.
Polf nights create those stories: the clutch chip-in that doubled someone’s stack, the bluff that went wrong, the laughter that filled the room. It’s not just golf anymore — it’s entertainment.
So maybe the next upgrade your simulator center needs isn’t another bay.
It’s a poker table.