3-Minute Business Insights
Short Game
Golf course living, in general, is enjoying a rebound like the game itself in the post-pandemic era. And golf-related real estate is a topic we’re asked about frequently and a subject our consulting team addresses regularly with developers and municipal planning boards or other authorities.
More golfers have played more rounds over the past several years and this means U.S. golf courses – broadly speaking — are busier than ever. So what are operators and golfers saying about current capacity, whether it's being able to run a facility efficiently given the manpower and course conditioning, or getting tee times at crowded public courses on the weekend?
Asking what an "average golfer" typically shoots isn't as straightforward a question as it might seem. The golfer-reported average -- among those who keep score -- hasn't changed very much in years. But if you account for some important caveats, the actual average likely skews upwards.
The U.S. golf industry is now in its 50th month since pandemic-related restrictions on golf were lifted in 2020. And the numbers continue to reinforce that we're enjoying a "new normal" when it comes to play.
There are hundreds of new golf courses in varying stages of development around the world, with over half of those in the pipeline within the U.S. So, which other countries are especially active in the world of golf course construction?
The past four years have been historically strong for the U.S. golf industry, with a net gain of more than 2.3 million on-course golfers since 2020. But what if we told you almost 10 times as many people turned or returned to golf over that time?
The midway point of the year -- on the heels of a dramatic U.S. Open and Father's Day holiday, and during the peak of the golf season -- is a good time to detail how golf equipment sales, retail and the broader appetite for golf goods is trending across the industry.
June is Women's Golf Month and an appropriate time to note that some of the most significant golfer gains in recent years have been among female participants. A near record number of women and girls played golf on a course in 2023, the highest participation levels in the U.S. since 2006.
The number of golfers traveling to play has been at or near record levels the past several years. And golfer surveys for 2024 show no sign of let-up when it comes to golf wanderlust.
It's long been assumed that the traditional, green-grass golfer is golf's best customer. But research shows it's actually the committed participants who engage with the game both on course and off who really move the needle for play and spend.
The money golfers pay to play benefits courses and companies throughout the industry. But for the first time in a generation, golf courses are perhaps the business segment enjoying the greatest benefit from the game's current surge.
As the unofficial kickoff for the golf season, Masters Tournament week is an ideal time to take (and report on) the pulse of the golf consumer. More than 123 million Americans consumed golf in some fashion in 2023, a reach that's up significantly in recent years.
