Engagement with the Game
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We bring golf businesses together. Data sets them apart. Insight drives them forward.
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Our unique Board of Directors is comprised of leaders from various sectors of the industry, a diversity that brings broad perspective to our work.
Dig into trends impacting golf businesses.
As the industry’s leading independent and objective information resource, we provide our members with a wealth of golf research and insights on the game and business.
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.
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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 only publication for interested in the business of golf.
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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NGF Celebrates Annika Sorenstam’s Appointment as IGF President
The National Golf Foundation is proud to celebrate Annika Sorenstam’s appointment as new President of the International Golf Federation, which officially took effect on Jan. 1, 2021. Sorenstam, widely regarded…
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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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November 2020 National Rounds Played
November rounds were up almost 57% nationally over a year ago, according to Golf Datatech’s monthly report, extending an upward trend in the U.S. since coronavirus restrictions were lifted…
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Record-Setting Rounds for 2020? Not Quite
October rounds played came in 32% higher than last year, according to Golf Datatech, raising the national year-to-date figure to +10.8%. Several multi-course operators we checked with this week told…
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Better Weather Is Part of Golf’s Rebound
After two years of record-setting precipitation that hampered rounds played numbers, the weather has cooperated (for the most part) in 2020, another of the key transient factors that’s helped…
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NGF New Members – November 2020
The NGF is excited to welcome the newest members of our community, a diverse group that spans all sectors of the golf industry. These businesses and individuals share our common…
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October 2020 National Rounds Played
Play increases continued in October, with the national rounds total jumping by 32.2% over a year ago. The industry is now 10.8% ahead of last year’s pace despite losing 20…
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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..."
