The Graffis Report
A year of resurgence for the U.S. golf industry
The outlook coming into 2020 was already bullish – stabilization and evolution were the pervading macro trends, with on-course golfers hovering around 24 million for a sixth consecutive year, and off-course participation continuing to grow by double digits each year, thanks to the increasing popularity of golf entertainment venues, indoor simulators and other off-course outlets. This, alongside a deeper-than-ever pool of interested on-course prospects, gave reason for optimism in 2020.
The novel coronavirus pandemic presented both obstacles and opportunity, with spring shutdowns giving way to an unprecedented summer and fall in terms of rounds, golfer introductions and reintroductions, and robust consumer spending.
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2020 Industry Facts
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.
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Special Thanks to Golf in 2020
As I considered this last industry message of 2020, I realized I really just wanted to say “Thank You” to everyone in and around golf who helped turn a terrible…
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Who Wants ‘In’?
A year ago today, the World Health Organization officially named the disease caused by the coronavirus, COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease-2019), and what a year followed. Last issue I shared the big picture…
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NGF’s State-of-Industry Graffis Report Now Available
The National Golf Foundation’s Graffis Report, a holistic overview of an unprecedented year in the golf industry, is now available for NGF members. The Graffis Report compiles many of the…
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January 2021 National Rounds Played
Golf’s on-course momentum from 2020 carried into 2021, with January rounds up 11.6% nationwide, according to Golf Datatech’s monthly report. The can be some inconsistency in comparing yearly results for…
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Golf Under the Lights
David Postlethwait always wanted to build a first-rate, lighted par-3 golf course. For 20 years, the course designer who got his start on the construction crew working under Pete Dye…
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Golf KPIs for 2020
I can’t think of a more appropriate description of the year 2020 and its effect on golf, can you? There hasn’t been this much optimism and new activity in the…
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December 2020 National Rounds Played
December rounds were up more than 37% nationwide, according to Golf Datatech’s monthly report, capping a resurgent year for the U.S. market. Overall, play during 2020 was up 13.9%…
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What’s Ahead for ‘Zealous’ Golfers?
As the broader U.S. economy limps into 2021 and stimulus measures work to stave off a double-dip recession, the sentiment in golf remains optimistic, although there are certainly questions about…
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NGF New Members – December 2020
The NGF is thrilled to welcome the newest members to our community, a group of diverse interests that spans all sectors of the golf industry. These businesses and individuals share…
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Amid Golf’s Surge, Play in Hawaii Has Dropped
Rounds of golf were up year-over-year in every single state in the continental U.S. for the months of June, July, August, September and October. That translates to over 50 million…
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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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"The National Golf Foundation's latest list of the Top 100 businesses in golf... is a deep dive into a diverse group of leading companies, organizations and associations that span a multitude of verticals within the $84 billion golf industry."
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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..."
