Golf Daze takes the game on the road with mobile simulator

For Clint Newton, golf has always been part of his well-known family. As the son of Australian golfing great Jack Newton OAM, he grew up immersed in a sport that had already become a defining part of his family’s life, watching his father win the Australian Open in 1979 and finish runner-up at both the 1975 British Open and 1980 Masters.

Jack’s influence, of course, extended well beyond his playing career, with his establishment of Jack Newton Junior Golf creating opportunities for generations of young Australians to discover the game.

Clint would go on to forge his own successful career in rugby league and sports administration, but his connection with golf has never diminished. Today, as Chairman of Jack Newton Junior Golf, he remains passionate about introducing more people to the sport. It was that same philosophy which drew him to Golf Daze, a Hunter-born business taking a different approach to getting people involved in golf.

“When I first saw Golf Daze, I immediately believed people would get excited about it, and imagined the significant impact it would have for engaging the next generation of golfers,” Newton says. “My father’s mission was always underpinned by the values he instilled in players – honesty, trust, integrity, respect, but just as important, he wanted as many kids and people of all ages to be provided with the opportunity to get a golf club in their hands and have fun. Golf Daze ticks those boxes and I’m thrilled to have joined two passionate Hunter entrepreneurs to make this possible.”

Those two entrepreneurs are General Manager and Co-Founder Mark Forster and entrepreneur Justin Hales, founder of Camplify. Their involvement in Golf Daze is built on a friendship stretching back almost four decades. Forster and Hales first met playing junior cricket in Kurri Kurri as children and have remained close ever since, while Forster and Newton first crossed paths through Jack Newton Junior Golf tournaments. Their shared passion for sport, business and community eventually provided the foundations for Golf Daze.

L-R: Mark Forster, Clint Newton and Justin Hales.

At its heart, the concept is simple: instead of asking people to travel to a golf simulator, Golf Daze brings the simulator to them. Housed inside a purpose-built caravan, the fully mobile unit can operate at weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, charity days, golf tournaments, sporting events, shows and community festivals. The idea is to put golf into environments where people who might never walk into a golf club can experience it for themselves.

“Golf Daze is all about making golf more accessible, social and flexible,” Forster says. “We want more people to feel the excitement of hitting a good shot that sparks their passion for golf and helps the game grow.”

The technology inside the caravan is a major part of that appeal. Golf Daze uses Full Swing KIT technology, the launch-monitor and simulator system developed with Tiger Woods, giving players access to more than 1000 courses in 4K resolution. Players can experience full rounds, use every club in the bag and putt, while the system provides detailed data on their shots.
Golf Daze has also developed competitions designed to make the simulator even more engaging. Nearest-the-pin and longest-drive contests provide familiar golfing challenges, while the popular Guess Your Drive competition asks participants to predict how far they will hit the ball. A live digital leaderboard outside the caravan shows results in real time, allowing players and spectators to follow the action.

For Hales, the combination of mobility, technology and entertainment is what makes the business particularly exciting. His experience in the RV industry proved invaluable when it came to turning the idea into a physical product capable of travelling around Australia. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in the sector, Hales worked with JB Caravans founders Alex Pi and Sharon Xue to design and deliver the custom-engineered build, along with a purpose-built marketing platform at the heart of the Golf Daze experience.

“I’m incredibly excited to help bring another Hunter-born business to life,” Hales says. “We’ve
taken world-class golf technology and combined it with the mobility and freedom of a caravan to
create something completely unique. What excites me most is the potential. This is a business that can go almost anywhere, introduce more people to the game and create opportunities for local operators right across Australia.”

That opportunity is now becoming a significant part of Golf Daze’s next phase. With demand beginning to outstrip capacity, the business is actively seeking franchise partners around Australia while also developing national partnerships. Golf Daze has developed the backend systems and support infrastructure franchisees need to operate the business and deliver a strong customer experience.

As Golf Daze's founders look to expand nationally, their goal remains straightforward: take the game to more people, give them a reason to pick up a club and create a few more golfers along the way.

For prospective franchisees, the opportunity is to operate a mobile entertainment business with a strong connection to golf, sport and events, while benefiting from an established concept and support system. The founders are being selective about who joins the network. Golf Daze wants franchisees who genuinely love golf, want to help grow participation and will represent the brand properly in their local market, with quality considered more important than rapid expansion.

That philosophy reflects the broader purpose behind the business. While the caravan, technology and competitions provide the immediate attraction, the founders believe the bigger opportunity is what happens after someone experiences Golf Daze for the first time. A child who discovers they enjoy hitting a golf ball, a parent who gets their first taste of the game or a complete beginner who becomes curious about golf could ultimately become a regular player. The simulator is not intended to replace the traditional golf experience, but to create another pathway into it.

For Newton, that potential is particularly meaningful given his family’s long association with growing the game. His father’s legacy was built not only on achievement at the highest level but on the belief that golf should be available to as many people as possible. Golf Daze takes that idea into a completely different setting, bringing the game directly to communities and events rather than waiting for people to find their way to a course.

It is a fitting collaboration. Forster brings the vision and energy of a Hunter entrepreneur, Hales brings extensive business and RV industry experience, while Newton brings a lifetime of sporting experience and a deep connection to Australian golf. Together, they have created a product that is as much about having fun as it is about technology.

You do not need to be an experienced golfer, know your handicap or commit to a four-hour round. Whether challenging friends to a longest-drive competition, testing your skills against the launch monitor or discovering golf for the first time, Golf Daze is designed to make the game more accessible, social and enjoyable.

With franchise opportunities now available around Australia, the next step is to take that experience even further. For operators who share the founders’ enthusiasm for golf, sport and community and want to play a role in growing participation, Golf Daze offers the chance to take a unique mobile golf experience into their own market. As the founders look to expand nationally, their goal remains straightforward: take the game to more people, give them a reason to pick up a club and create a few more golfers along the way.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GOLF DAZE, BOOK THE SIMULATOR FOR AN EVENT OR ENQUIRE ABOUT BECOMING A FRANCHISEE HERE