December rounds finished a modest 2% up over the same period a year ago, leaving the U.S. golf industry up 5.5% year-over-year at the end of 2021.

Approximately 25 million additional rounds were played in 2021 compared to 2020, when second-half play surges were celebrated after pandemic-related operational restrictions were lifted at more than half of golf courses nationwide.

December is a low-volume month for play, typically accounting for less than 5% of annual rounds. But weather was generally favorable for golf in the final month of 2021, helping contribute to the slight increase over December 2020, when play was up 37% over 2019.