3-Minute Business Insights
Course Operations
Women and girls have outpaced their male counterparts and accounted for a greater share of growth when it comes to post-pandemic participation gains in recreational golf. The recent momentum has more than reversed the declines seen in the female participation ranks following the Great Recession.
Female Participation & Engagement Report Now Available
See the highlights from the new member report
Women and girls have been major contributors to the recent participation surges within the recreational game, as the number of U.S. golfers continues to climb toward record territory.
Topics: Course Operations, Facility Management, Green-Grass Facility, Instruction, Media & Marketing, Off-course Facility, Specialized Services
April play was up year-over-year, helping keep 2026 ahead of last year's record-setting pace for rounds heading into the peak months of the golf season.
Jodi Reilly has been promoted to Senior Manager of NGF's Consulting Services, recognizing her longstanding impact on the organization’s advisory work and her growing role in leading client-facing engagements across the golf industry.
Topics: Course Operations, Facility Management
Hollywood Beach GC Welcomes Public Back After Two-Year Restoration Project
For the National Golf Foundation’s consulting team, the recent reopening of Hollywood Beach Golf Club in South Florida represents the successful culmination of a years-long collaboration on the restoration of a century-old Golden Age public course – an extensive effort driven by city officials and supported by residents.
Amid increases in U.S. golfers and rounds-played over the past six years, the number of people participating in leagues – whether run internally by golf facilities or externally by national organizations – has jumped dramatically. This engagement is outpacing broader on-course participation changes in the post-pandemic era.
Rounds of golf for March remained relatively stable at a national level, with declines on the East Coast offset by West Coast gains driven by warm, dry weather.
This Age Cohort With the Most Golf Travelers Might Surprise
2026 is shaping up to be another record-setting year for golf travel. Among adult golfers, one age group is leading the way (by a slight margin), accounting for almost one-third of destination-motivated golf trips.
Travel’s Expanding Golf Economy Impact
Each of the past four years have seen record or near record levels of Americans hitting the road to play golf and 2026 is poised to reach a new high in golf travel. Golf trips, whether with friends, family, significant others, colleagues or clients, are a vital part of the industry because they concentrate spend, time and engagement in ways everyday play doesn’t. And this elevated demand is impacting U.S. supply.
20+ Million Golfers On-Deck
Interest in golf among non-golfers is close to record levels, even as the number of on-course participants has jumped by 20% over the past six years (with an even bigger increase in engagement among off-course formats). While maintaining high levels of attraction is important, converting that interest into sustainable participation is critical for the game’s future.
Topics: Associations, Course Operations, Facility Management, Green-Grass Facility, Off-course Facility
Assessing Golf’s Pricing Power – and Playing Fees
A deeper member look at golf's public pricing, including at the state level, the difference between municipal, daily fee and resort green fees, and the game's cost changes over the past six years.
The Truth About Golf’s Rising Green Fees
Following a decade of limited pricing power, peak green fees at public golf facilities in the U.S. have increased during the 'post-pandemic era." How closely do these increases mirror that of changes in inflation over that same period from 2019 to 2025?
