3-Minute Business Insights
Coming into the year, only the most optimistic thought the industry could beat 2020 rounds. Here's how 2021 play shaped up.
October rounds-played almost matched the late-season surges seen in 2020, as total play remains up year-over-year.
How 2021 Rounds Compare to 2020 Entering Q4
It's likely year-over-year play will continue to be down in the final months of the year, but it's important to keep these declines in proper perspective.
September 2021 rounds dipped after a 25% gain a year ago, as expected, but how much were they off the 2020 pace?
August Rounds and Pre-Covid Comparisons
NGF Member Bulletin
Given the surge in rounds played in the second half of last year, our expectation has been that play this year in Q3 and Q4 would fall somewhere between 2020 and prior year averages. This was the case in July and now again in August.
August rounds were slightly down nationwide compared to last year’s summer surges, as expected. See how much of a decline there was from 2020.
July Rounds Down Slightly, as Expected
NGF Member Bulletin
While July rounds were down year-over-year, play is still trending closer to 2020's 'surge' levels than prior, pre-pandemic years.
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.
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.
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.
The question for April 2021 wasn’t whether rounds played would be up, it was how much they'd be up over a year ago.
