Get Golf’s Newest Economic Impact Reports

From play to purchases, tournaments to travel, and retail to real estate, golf is big business. Very big.

The first new report of its kind in six years reveals that golf now has a direct impact of almost $102 billion on the U.S. economy, a 20% increase over 2016 ($84 billion).

The Economic Impact Study was commissioned by the American Golf Industry Coalition and produced by our team of NGF researchers and consultants, which assessed the game’s economic, philanthropic, societal and environmental impacts. When accounting for indirect and induced effects, golf’s broader economic impact is $226.5 billion and enables over 1.65 million jobs.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FREE FULL NATIONAL REPORT

You’ll find more contextual comparisons of golf’s economic impact in this Fortnight piece from NGF Chief Research Officer David Lorentz.

In addition to the national size and scope, NGF has conducted recent state-level economic impact reports for Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts and Oregon. Click any of the state names below to access these reports.

COLORADO

INDIANA

MASSACHUSETTS

OREGON

These economic impact studies are a comprehensive census of “everything golf” in a given state, from golfers and courses to businesses, stores and organizations. They delve deeply into golf’s core industries: facility operations and investment, golf-related retail, supplies and manufacturers, as well as golf tournaments, associations and endorsements. They also capture enabled industries, from golf tourism to real estate.

The past few years have shined an even brighter light on golf as both an essential recreational activity and an engine that generates spending and jobs across multiple business sectors and up and down the economic value chain — the tourism golf brings in, the jobs it creates, the money it raises for charity, the homes it helps sell, and the taxes generated. There’s also the wealth of non-economic benefits: environmental, social, and physical and mental wellness among them.

As golf continues to enjoy a post-Covid renaissance, we’re excited to talk with more groups about possibly undertaking these state-level reports. Interested? We’re a click away.