Rounds  in July stayed relatively stable for the third straight peak season month (and fourth straight month overall), with a moderate -1.4% year-over-year dip that’s within the typical weather-related variance.

On a national level, 2024 play remains ahead of last year’s record pace — at +1.3% entering August.

While play was generally flat in the more northern parts of the country, save for a lift of about 7% in the relatively low-volume New England region, there were slight YOY declines in the South Atlantic (-6%), South Central (-4%) and Pacific (-4%) regions.

Several of those regions have golf-rich states that sweltered through one of the three hottest July’s on record.

California, which has the second-most courses of any state, had the hottest July in the 130 years of tracking by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with rounds dipping by almost 4%. Palm Springs saw the hottest temperature ever recorded in its history during July and play was down about 22% in the area, which is part of the MSA with the sixth-most golf courses in the nation. Oregon (-6%) and Washington (-3%) each had the second-hottest July on record.

Play was down similarly in Florida (-6.5%), which has the most golf courses in the U.S., after the third-hottest July on record.

Other golf-rich states that saw declines were: Arizona (-2.5%), which had its second-hottest July ever, as well as Wisconsin (-6%), North Carolina (-9%) and Texas (-10%). The biggest July gainers were New York (+4.5%) and Ohio (+7%).

The typical weather-related variance is plus or minus 3% on a monthly basis.

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. 

Click image for full 3-page PDF of July rounds report

For an archive of rounds played data — or to learn more about how you or your facility can contribute to our vital research on behalf of the industry — click here.