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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.
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.
The most frequently asked question since the beginning of the year was whether the elevated level of golf activity would maintain in 2021. Well, we’ve had our first real test – comparing peak season months in 2020 and 2021.
Early summer play matches initial surge seen in 2020
In the first real test of the sustainability of the 2020 summer surge, June 2021 rounds were essentially equal to June of last year.
More than three-quarters of Core golfers have at least one golf-specific app on their phone, a figure that's risen steadily over the past decade. It speaks to the evolution of golf as well as the effort to enhance the golf experience for an ever-connected segment of consumers.
App use is becoming prevalent in all walks of life, including the golf world. There are now hundreds of golf-centric apps available and usage continues to climb.
May Rounds Climb as Summer Months Loom as Measuring Stick
May rounds were up year-over-year, as expected, given the operational restrictions that were still in place for the month in 2020. Now, with summer upon us, is when it really starts getting interesting – in terms of comps – for the golf industry.
National rounds played for May 2021 were up over a year ago, when golf operations were still limited due to the coronavirus in some parts of the country.
Just seven years ago, the proportion of all golf participants (on/off-course combined) who were women was 27%. Since then, the volume of female participants has grown by 43%, and there's even greater potential.
Pinehurst President Tom Pashley on golf travel's rebound, the opportunity that exists for golf, and positive change – both throughout the game and at Pinehurst.
The number of off-course golf participants and off-course venues continues to grow, from golf entertainment facilities like Topgolf, Drive Shack and BigShots to commercial simulator locations popping up around the country. So, how big can the off-course golf market get?
Golf’s overall participation base in the U.S. – combining on- and off-course players – rose 8% in 2020 to 36.9 million. This leaves us with three closely-sized and mutually-exclusive groups of Americans.
And it probably won’t be long before traditional, “green grass” participants are out-numbered. Perhaps as soon as this year.
