June 2021 National Rounds Played Report

Click image to view full June 2021 Rounds Played Report

Rounds of golf for June 2021 were essentially equal to June of last year, when the industry began to see nationwide surges in play throughout the summer months.

The year-over-year increases of +45% (March), +81% (April) and +18% (May) had been anticipated given the course shutdowns and operational restrictions in place during spring and early summer of 2020 due to the coronavirus. June was looked at as the first real test of the sustainability of the surge.

Rounds finished 0.4% up nationwide in June 2021, according to the monthly report produced by Golf Datatech, which incorporates facility data gathered by NGF. By comparison, play in June of 2020 had been up 13.9% over the previous year.

Through the first six months of 2021, play is now up 22.8% compared to the same stretch in 2020. The question is whether this year can match the momentum that extended throughout the second half of 2020, when golf held strong as a popular and safe outdoor activity as the pandemic wore on. From July through December, the YOY monthly gains in 2020 were as follows:

• July (+19.7%)
• August (+20.6%)
• September (+25.5%)
• October (+32.2%)
• November (+56.6%)
• December (+37.3%)

This June, most of the regional YOY changes were moderate.

The only double-digit change was an 11.5% increase in rounds for the Mid Atlantic region (New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania). The biggest regional declines were seen in the southern part of the country, with increased precipitation leading to an 8.1% drop in play throughout the South Central (extending from Texas to Kentucky), and a 4.8% dip in the South Atlantic, which stretches from Florida up to Maryland and Delaware.

Golf course operators are encouraged to submit their monthly rounds played data at: http://www.roundsplayed.com/cgi/home.asp