Rounds of golf for October 2022 were relatively flat nationally compared to a year ago, with a 1.1% decline that’s within the range of typical weather-related fluctuation.
This year’s October rounds are still trending ahead of recent pre-pandemic years, as October 2021 rounds were just 1.8% shy of the trajectory from 2020. That October, as play surged nationally during the fall in the wake of post-Covid-lockdown re-openings, rounds were up a whopping 32%.
With only the lower-volume months of November and December still to be tallied, 2022 play is 2.4% off the record-setting pace of a year ago, when more rounds were played at U.S. courses than at any time in history.
October’s rounds data revealed a significant geographical divide, with play up year-over-year on the West Coast, thanks to warmer weather, and down on the East Coast as temperatures dropped.
Rounds were up just over 3% in the Pacific Region (which includes golf-rich California) as the states of Washington and Oregon had two of their warmest Octobers on record, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Play in Oregon was up almost 35% YOY for the month. Additionally, rounds in the Mountain Region were up nearly 12%, spurred by large gains in states like Utah and Montana.
On the East Coast, play was down YOY almost 11% as cooler temperatures moved into the Mid-Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), New England region (-10%), and South Atlantic (-7%).
NGF provides facility-level rounds data to Golf Datatech in helping compile the free, monthly play reports on behalf of the golf industry. Click the image below to see the full report. 
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