Exclusive NGF Articles and Reports
Golf Course Closures Still Trending Downward
Member report: Closures on pace for lowest total in 17 years
The ongoing correction in the world's richest golf market began in 2006 after an unprecedented, and unsustainable, 20-year golf course building boom. The recent slowdown in closures may indicate the market is moving closer to equilibrium.
Topics: Closures, Economy, Facilities, Facility Supply, Golf Courses
A Longer Look at Short Course Supply
While new Par 3 courses grab attention, has overall supply been increasing?
Short courses have accounted for over 1/4 of new course development over the past decade – a number of highly-visible examples at resort properties – despite accounting for 10% of overall supply.
Topics: Engagement, Executive, Facilities, Facility Supply, Golf Courses
Golf Facilities Report Now Available
Annual Members-Only Report Provides Supply Overview
This comprehensive annual summary provides an overview of golf facility supply in the U.S., the world’s best-supplied golf market.
Topics: Facilities, Facility Supply, Golf Courses, Reports, Research
Military Golf in the U.S.
Golf is an important recreation and rehabilitation outlet for those who serve and protect our country.
Collectively, the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces operate more than 150 U.S. golf courses. If the individual branches were grouped together to form a single management company, it would rank among the top multi-course operators in the country.
Topics: Facilities, Facility Operations, Golf Courses, Management, Management Company
Green Fee Changes and the Cost of Golf
NGF operator surveys and database dive into whether the pandemic has driven price increases
A recent survey of public golf course operators revealed fairly widespread pricing adjustments in 2021 that impacted average playing fees. Those increases varied from bumps in peak season and non-peak rates to limited discounting and a shifting of what courses consider their “peak season.”
Topics: Consumer Spending, Economy, Facilities, Facility Operations, Golf Courses
There have been far more golf course closures than openings in the U.S. over the past 15 years. But did you realize that almost 740 U.S. golf courses have had openings during that period? That total, during what’s looked at as a “down period” for the industry, is more than the entire golf course supply in nations such as Scotland, Ireland, Spain and South Africa.
Topics: Construction, Development, Economy, Facilities, Facility Supply
Not All Golf Course Closures Are Failures
Some owners plan exit strategies around high demand for real estate
The closing of a popular or once-popular golf course isn’t typically celebrated, but the reality is that not every golf course is destined to live forever. In some cases, a golf course served its purpose and its remnants will reward its users equally well, or even better. For some course owners, selling is a long-planned exit strategy.
Topics: Closures, Facilities, Facility Operations, Golf Courses, Golf Facilities
Course Supply Leveling Out
NGF's database team has seen a significant drop in a particular supply-based area during the first half of 2021. Could this be the year golf course supply in the U.S. levels out?
Topics: Closures, Facilities, Facility Supply, General Interest, Golf Courses
In Their Words
Topics: Course Management, Facility Management, Golf Courses, Golf Facilities, Interviews
In an era when golf course closures far outweigh new openings – a market correction that’s the result of oversupply in the industry coupled with a strong demand for real estate -- here's a look at facilities that have escaped the chopping block. From the posh Wynn Golf Club on the Las Vegas Strip to a 9-hole layout in Nebraska that costs just $9 to walk on weekdays.
Topics: Closures, Course Owners, Economy, Facilities, Facility Operations
NGF research shows that 50% of golfers express some interest in playing golf at night. Could a lighted course be an option for some operators?
Topics: Course Owners, Facilities, Facility Operations, Golf Courses, Management
