How to Plug Golf’s “Leaky Bucket”

The U.S. golf industry has perhaps never been more focused than it is today on making the game approachable and available to a wider range of people.

In recent years, as golf’s popularity has surged – along with participation and play – the game has not had an attraction problem. But it has struggled with conversion, among adults especially. As noted in this accompanying Short Game piece, on-course participation levels have risen by about 2.3 million over the past four years, but 10 times as many people have picked up or returned to the game over that same period.

This inability to …

For the second straight month, play was relatively flat in May on a national level. Rounds continue to run slightly ahead of last year’s record pace heading into the peak months of the golf season.

NGF’s annual update on off-course golf retail store supply in the U.S. through 2023 tracks the changes in the number of doors and square footage of regional/independent and national retailers.

Female Participation & Engagement Report Now Available

The recent positive momentum in the world of female golf participation hasn't just been pandemic-fueled.

While the number of U.S. green grass golfers has climbed to near record highs, including a 25% increase since 2019, the overall participant pool — when factoring both on- and off-course forms of the game — has risen 85% over the past decade. Nearly 15 million women and girls are playing golf in one of its increasingly various forms, with more now engaging away from the course (a lift that in turn has fostered greater interest and more trials in the traditional game).

 
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After a significant increase in March rounds, April play was relatively flat on a national level compared to 2023 as several golf-rich regions of the country saw slight dips that are likely attributable to weather.

Golf Travel: A Growing Appetite and Impact

Golf travel is tied to approximately 40% of the game’s overall economic impact – over $40 billion annually – when accounting for the $31 billion in golf tourism-related expenditures in the U.S. as well as playing fees and associated costs at the nearly 1,200 golf resorts nationwide.

Destination golf, buddy trips, couples’ weekends, golf getaways; there are many names for it.

But suffice it to say, golf travel is big business.

Over two-thirds of the nearly 13 million Core golfers (8-or-more rounds a year) say they intend to take a golf-related trip in 2024, with increased expectations among younger cohorts.

As detailed in this related …