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Engagement, Facility Supply, General Interest, golfers, Participation, Research, Supply,

Number of Golfers per Public Course – by State

New Jersey is the most desnsely populated state in the nation and has the highest proportion of private golf, with almost half (48%) of its golf courses being private. As a result, New Jersey has more golfers per public course than any state in the nation. South and North Dakota, meanwhile, are at the other end of the supply/demand spectrum for public golf. Michigan has the most public golf courses of any state in the country (742) and California is third nationally (628), but Michigan's overall population is about one-third that of the Golden State.

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Construction, Course owners, Development, Golf Courses, Golf Facilities, Investment, New Courses, Research, Supply,

New U.S. Golf Course Projects – by State

There were 115 golf course projects under construction or in planning at the start of 2024, a total that doesn't include those that have been proposed and still being contemplated -- likely before the developer, architect, civil and construction engineers have been selected. Among current active U.S. projects, almost one-third are in the states of Florida and Texas, the majority of those in Florida. Utah, with a number of high-end private projects, is tied for third.

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Facilities, Facility Supply, General Interest, Golf Courses, Par 3, Par 3 Courses, Research, Short Courses, Supply,

Tracking Recent Par 3 Course Development

If it seems there's been a short course movement in recent years, that's primarily because Par 3 courses have accounted for a higher proportion of the limited new course construction than they represent in overall U.S. supply. While the 700+ Par 3 courses nationwide comprise just about 4% of the nearly 16,000 courses found in the U.S., these popular short courses account for more than one-third of development over the past five years (2019 to 2023).

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Facilities, Facility Supply, Golf Courses, Research, Supply,

U.S. Facility Supply – Number of Holes

Almost two-thirds of the nearly 14,000 U.S. golf facilities are of the 18-hole variety. A facility is defined as a business location where golf can be played on one or more golf courses. Nine out of 10 facilities have 9 or 18 holes, but a few -- like Bethpage State Park Golf Course in New York, can operate as many as 90 holes (five 18-hole courses) out of a single clubhouse. A property like Streamsong Resort in Florida has three 18-hole courses and a short course, but has two separate clubhouses that are therefore categorized as two facilities.

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Facilities, Facility Supply, General Interest, Golf Courses, Golf Facilities, Research, Supply,

U.S. Golf Supply Trend

There have been two significant periods of growth in U.S. golf supply since the Roaring Twenties: the democratization of golf in the 1960s and the 1990s Golf Boom fueled by real estate development and entrepreneurs trying to cash in on golf. There have also been two sustained contractions in supply, the first coinciding with The Great Depression, as the number of U.S. golf facilities declined by 15% between 1930 and 1946, and the second beginning in 2006, following the implosion of the real estate market and supercharged by The Great Recession. The number of U.S. golf facilities has declined by 13% over ...

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New Jersey is the most desnsely populated state in the nation and has the highest proportion of private golf, with almost half (48%) of its golf courses being private. As a result, New Jersey has more golfers per public course than any state in the nation. South and North Dakota, meanwhile, are at the other end of the supply/demand spectrum for public golf. Michigan has the most public golf courses of any state in the country (742) and California is third nationally (628), but Michigan's overall population is about one-third that of the Golden State.

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