Engagement with the Game
best-supplied golf market
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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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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Mike McCarley
President
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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
Q&A: Club Champion Co-Founder Nick Sherburne
Nick Sherburne has been in the golf club-fitting business for two decades and is one of the co-founders of Club Champion. The custom club-fitting company was born from his first…
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Mike McCarley Joins NGF’s Board of Directors
The National Golf Foundation added Mike McCarley, President, GOLF for NBC Sports Group, to its diverse board of directors that spans the spectrum of the golf business. McCarley oversees all…
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Golf’s Online Economy
Tom Cox doesn’t have to look far to see the influence that online retail giants are having on the way consumers buy (and sell) goods. All he has to do…
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NGF Research Snapshot: 9-Hole Golf
There are over 14,600 golf facilities in the U.S. and almost 27% of those are of the 9-hole variety. Given the abundance of 9-hole facilities (no other country in…
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Off-Course Specialty Retail Report Is Released
How and where many consumers are buying golf equipment is increasingly different than in years past. The most notable evolution in golf retail has been the shift toward more online…
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Golfer Dedication
If you were running a restaurant, you’d want to know whether customers were satisfied with their meal, if they would recommend your place to their friends, and if they planned…
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Course Openings That Bucked the Trend
Let’s not sugar-coat things: It’s undeniable there have been more golf course closures than openings in the U.S. over the past 13 years, a correction that has seen the overall…
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May 2019 National Rounds Played Report
Rounds of golf in May declined 5.4% from a year ago, affected in large part by increased precipitation in many regions of the U.S. The national, year-to-date total through…
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A Texas Muni Back from the Brink
In 2012, city leaders in Fort Worth, Texas, made the decision to close a historic 18-hole golf course, Z. Boaz, and convert it to a community park. Fortunately, the same…
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NGF’s 2019 Participation Report
The ways in which people are playing golf and engaging with the game continue to evolve. To reflect this, the NGF several years ago expanded its definition of participation, part…
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..."