February 2021 National Rounds Played

February rounds were down 4.7% nationwide compared to a year ago, when play for the month had been up 19% before the pandemic hit the U.S.

Like January, February is a low-volume month for rounds, accounting for only about 5% of the average annual total. Because of that, weather can have a significant impact on play and this February was the coldest since 1989, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In the Mid-Atlantic Region, play was down 90% year-over-year thanks to a nor’easter that dumped between 10 and 30 inches of snow across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York at the start of the month. It was the region’s largest snowstorm in five years, according to the NOAA, and with the cold temperatures, many courses in the area remained snow-covered throughout February.

Rounds in New England were down almost 64% while play in the East North Central (Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio) was down over 53% from 2020.

Entering March, rounds are up 7.8% nationally compared to a year ago.