The National Golf Foundation exists to foster the growth and vitality of the game and business of golf.
Trusted by the most successful companies as the leading authority on the game and business of golf.
Our unique Board of Directors is comprised of leaders from various sectors of the industry, a diversity that brings broad perspective to our work.
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David Abeles
President & CEO
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Joe Louis Barrow Jr.
Former CEO
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Joe Beditz, PhD
President & CEO
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Chip Brewer
President & CEO
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Bill Golden
President
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Bradley A. Hamilton
Group VP, Commercial & International
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Tim Schantz
President & CEO
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John K. Solheim
President
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Annika Sorenstam
President & CEO
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Dick Sullivan
President & CEO
Learn more about the trends impacting golf businesses.
As the industry’s leading independent and objective information resource, we provide our members with a comprehensive library of golf research and insights on the state of the game.
Reports & Publications
The NGF’s reports and publications are free to members, providing information and intel to make better-informed decisions. Browse our catalog, from annual reports on participation and golf course supply to more focused reports on key golfer segments and business categories.
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Just ask. We’ve learned a lot in our 80-year history and chances are we have insights that will help.
Log in to access reports and publications.
Golf Industry Facts
Golf by State
Explore golf’s geographic footprint through our interactive map to learn how many courses and golf-related businesses are in each state.
Looking for a specific course or business? Search our database.
The Q – The only publication for everyone interested in the business of golf
Discovery Golf President Alex Kaplan
Discovery, Inc. has made a major splash in the golf media world in a relatively short time. Discovery teamed with the PGA TOUR to launch a new live and…
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Exploring ‘Latent Demand’
While golf industry leaders converged in sunny San Diego in April for the 2019 NGF Symposium at Rancho Bernardo Inn, Evan Malter waited in the school pickup line to take…
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NGF Releases 2018 Rounds-Played Summary
The weather picture for 2018 wasn’t a pretty one for golf, contributing to a 4.8 percent decline in rounds-played nationally. After hovering around 460 million for the previous five years,…
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NGF Research Snapshot: Mini-Golf
Miniature golf remains a popular pastime for family and friends, though its not as in demand as traditional golf, which was played by more than 24 million Americans last…
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NGF’s 2019 Golf Facilities Report
Market correction has been a familiar refrain in the golf course industry, but the big-picture reality is that it’s been more of a slow and steady trickle of closures than…
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Facilities vs Courses: What’s the Difference?
Since the early 1930’s, the NGF has kept the definitive database of U.S. golf facilities. The NGF’s facility count has historically looked at “doors” – a business location where golf…
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Not All Golf Course Closures Are Failures
“In a eulogy,” award-winning architect Tom Doak once stated, “there is always a tendency to dismiss the weaknesses of the departed and canonize him for the most basic of human…
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National Golf Day Celebrates $84 Billion Industry’s Impact
Golf industry leaders visited Washington on May 1 for National Golf Day, participating in a record 244 meetings with members of Congress representing 41 states to discuss the game’s…
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March 2019 National Rounds Played Report
Rounds-played for March were almost unchanged nationally from a year ago, improving the year-to-date total to -2.7% compared to the first quarter of 2018. Total rounds were up .1%…
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National Golf Day Set for May 1
More than 300 golf industry leaders will meet with members of Congress in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, May 1, seeking to bring more awareness of the economic, charitable, environmental, health…
Read MoreWe’re Not Only Golf’s Go-To Source for Data and Research
We Also Provide a Wide Variety of Specialized Services to Help Businesses Compete More Effectively
From e-mail and database marketing to custom research and course-operations consulting, businesses throughout the industry engage the NGF’s team of professional analysts and advisors for personalized solutions. Find out how we can help you.
Custom Research
The NGF custom research team designs and executes qualitative and quantitative research studies to answer specific client questions. How is my brand perceived vs. competition? What’s the appeal of a new product idea – and how can it be optimized? Who’s my best customer target?
Market & Account Analytics
With nearly 15,000 golf facilities in the US, no company has the staff or resources to chase every sales opportunity. And while it may be easy to identify the biggest green grass accounts and the iconic venues across the US, it becomes much more challenging to prioritize the next tiers – how to target and allocate limited business development resources.
Facility Consulting
NGF’s facility consulting division has been providing advisory services to golf course owners, prospective owners, lenders and a broad spectrum of other clients for over 30 years. The NGF Consulting practice covers all areas of golf facility businesses and we provide services to public and private golf facilities, driving ranges, alternative golf facilities and other “specialty” golf facilities.
Syndicated Services
Syndicated research may require cooperation among competitors, sharing sensitive company information with NGF which is aggregated and reported back – without compromising individual company data. NGF is a trusted partner with many of the leading brands in golf, enabling these syndicated solutions.
Email & Database Marketing
Expert direct marketing services to help companies acquire new customers, compete more effectively and generate more revenue.
The Most Reliable Source for Golf Industry Information
The NGF’s proprietary data and research is regularly cited by national news organizations in stories that highlight the health and vitality of the golf industry. See the latest buzz:
"Following the recent report that the golf industry drove $84.1 billion in economic activity in the United States in 2016, an increase of 22.1 percent since 2011, the National Golf Foundation offered more modestly encouraging numbers about the health of the game with Tuesday’s release of its annual Golf Industry Report..."
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"But the scope of the overall golf economy – a $70 billion business -- runs far deeper.
It’s why the National Golf Foundation has released its inaugural listcelebrating the top 100 businesses in golf, a platform that in some ways is the golf biz equivalent of the popular top 100 course rankings. The NGF GOLF 100 was created by the NGF to recognize the most successful, innovative and influential companies and organizations in the game, across a wide variety of categories..."
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"...According to a report from the National Golf Foundation, roughly 51% of Topgolf guests in 2017 were people who had never played traditional golf.
Of these non-golfers, 75% said they were interested in playing traditional golf after visiting a Topgolf location..."