October 2023 National Rounds Played

Rounds of golf in October were relatively flat on a national level compared to a year ago, down 1% as wetter weather in the upper Midwest precipitated a dip in play in several states at the tail-end of their golf seasons.

Year-to-date, play is trending just over 3% ahead of the pace in 2022 according to the monthly rounds report distributed by Golf Datatech. This keeps 2023 on track to be one of the top four years for rounds in U.S. history.

Public access courses remain the biggest contributor to this year’s momentum, with play up 3.7% at daily fee, resort and municipal courses compared to a 1.6% lift at private clubs. Typically, four out of every five rounds are played at public golf facilities.

The Mid Atlantic (+9%) and New England (+7%) regions saw rounds rise after generally more favorable October golf weather. Every state in those regions had average or below average rainfall totals in October, and all except Pennsylvania had an average temperature rank among the 10 highest in the 129 years of tracking by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Rounds in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which count over 970 golf courses between them, were up almost 12% in October.

Conversely, seasonality contributed to YOY rounds declines in golf-rich states such as Michigan (-14.5%), Minnesota (-14%), Illinois (-10%) and Wisconsin (-9%). Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin all saw statewide precipitation levels above or much above average in October, per the NOAA national maps database.

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 PDF of full three-page report