Exclusive NGF Articles and Reports
Full Shots
How 2021 Rounds Compare to 2020 Entering Q4
It's likely year-over-year play will continue to be down in the final months of the year, but it's important to keep these declines in proper perspective.
September 2021 rounds dipped after a 25% gain a year ago, as expected, but how much were they off the 2020 pace?
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.”
Among the developments in golf over the past year-and-a-half or so, the evolving narrative surrounding the game has been particularly interesting to follow. Especially when it comes to outlets that don't follow golf regularly. Perceptions of the game have also been improving.
August Rounds and Pre-Covid Comparisons
NGF Member Bulletin
Given the surge in rounds played in the second half of last year, our expectation has been that play this year in Q3 and Q4 would fall somewhere between 2020 and prior year averages. This was the case in July and now again in August.
Playing the Right Tees
Member-Only Core Golfer Survey Findings and Operator Feedback
Not only is a higher-than-expected percentage of golfers playing tees that are too long for them, many realize they should be playing up, but aren't. Here's what the latest findings say.
August rounds were slightly down nationwide compared to last year’s summer surges, as expected. See how much of a decline there was from 2020.
July Rounds Down Slightly, as Expected
NGF Member Bulletin
While July rounds were down year-over-year, play is still trending closer to 2020's 'surge' levels than prior, pre-pandemic years.
Rounds played continued to see strong momentum during July even though year-over-year play was actually down compared to last year’s pandemic-fueled summer surge.
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.
A Deeper Look Inside the Supply of Par 3 Layouts in the U.S.
Del Ratcliffe fully appreciates the benefits of a Par 3 golf course. He grew up playing one his father built in 1960 on a farm about 10 to 15 miles outside of downtown Charlotte. Today, Ratcliffe owns or operates five facilities in the Charlotte area – four of which feature a Par 3 layout of some fashion. Nationwide, all but one state in the U.S. has a par 3 golf course.
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.
