3-Minute Business Insights
NGF research shows many golf facilities are hemorrhaging resources on avoidable (and often trivial) phone calls, diverting staff from higher-value touch points and revenue-generating activities. Consider that two-thirds of golf course calls are about reservations and pricing, and only 40% of golfers are booking tee times exclusively or mostly online – compared to 80-90% for flights, hotels, and rental cars.
Greg joins Syngenta's Changing the Business of Golf podcast to discuss the critical changes golf clubs and courses can make to boost customer retention and reposition the game as a more accessible, growth-oriented sport.
When it comes to indicators of golf’s sustained play levels -- at least nationally -- consider this: all 26 peak-season months dating back to 2020 have seen rounds trend at least 10% higher than recent pre-Covid comparisons. And based on mid-year play data, it’s quite possible 2025 could hit record levels yet again.
Midyear Update: Golf Supply and Development
The U.S. golf market continued its march toward equilibrium at the midway point of 2025, with supply and development patterns reinforcing trends that emerged in 2024 and previous years.
Topic: Facility Management
The ‘Not Real’ Advantage
For decades, many short course operators have marketed themselves with a "championship-lite" promise to deliver all the hallmarks of the "real thing," but with the added benefits of speed and accessibility. While a sensible strategy for some, the pursuit of legitimacy through scaled-down emulation appears to have created a perception trap for many short courses.
Topic: Course Operations
Rounds of golf for June -- one of the most high-volume months for play -- were virtually unchanged from a year ago, as the U.S. market remained within striking distance of the record-setting rounds pace of 2024.
Topic: Course Operations
Golfers’ perceptions of Short Courses are crucial to understanding their place – and untapped opportunity – within the golf landscape, particularly when considering 'transitional' golf facilities that can convert beginners to lifelong golf consumers. Our recent survey on the perceptions of Core golfers revealed some stark contradictions.
Topic: Green-Grass Facility
Assessing the Trajectory of U.S. Municipal Golf
Numbers to know - from openings and closings to conversions and resurrections
Municipal golf is in a unique place. On one hand, there are high-profile examples of popular muni facilities on the proverbial chopping block due to land values. On the other, there are well-backed efforts to preserve and restore some of the game's most historic properties. Municipal facilities are typically where golf is most affordable and accessible to people of all demographics, and there's greater attention on their impact today given the sport's renaissance.
Short Course Supply Update
Member update on Par 3 supply and development in the U.S.
Over the past 5 1/2 years, “short courses” – Par 3 courses, in particular -- have accounted for over one-third of new openings. While overall U.S. golf development remains relatively limited despite a recent uptick, this trend is more than just a blip on the radar.
Golf’s ‘Real’ Short Course Movement Awaits
The perceived "Short Course movement" in golf, and engaging players with less time-consuming options, conceals a disconnect in the market over the past two decades. While millions of dollars are being actively invested in extraordinary par-3 experiences, the more “local” short courses that could serve as everyday developmental pathways have closed at disproportionate rates.
Cooler, weather May weather in parts of the East coast contribute to a slight national dip in year-over-year play.
Moderate rise in April pulls 2025 YTD even with last year's record play
After a solid April, U.S. play through the first four months is even with the record-setting rounds levels in 2024.
