3-Minute Business Insights
Golfers aren’t just playing more, they’re also spending more time at golf facilities in general. As golf courses continue to position themselves as destinations beyond on-course golf – from practice and retail offerings to additional amenities and broader food & beverage offerings – the average length of stay has increased significantly compared to the pre-Covid era.
Member Presentation: Understanding Golf’s Hidden Phone Costs
NGF research shows the majority of golf course operators are aware of the opportunity cost of 6 million phone hours, but only a small percentage have actually implemented technology solutions to minimize waste, with a fraction more exploring their options. This gap points to a competitive advantage opportunity for operators willing to act.
Buoyed in part by play at private clubs, rounds jumped in July and put 2025 almost on the same pace as last year's record-setting trajectory. It bears noting that July is traditionally the highest-volume month of the year when it comes to rounds-played.
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
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.
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.
