3-Minute Business Insights
Short Game
The past four years have been historically strong for the U.S. golf industry, with a net gain of more than 2.3 million on-course golfers since 2020. But what if we told you almost 10 times as many people turned or returned to golf over that time?
The midway point of the year -- on the heels of a dramatic U.S. Open and Father's Day holiday, and during the peak of the golf season -- is a good time to detail how golf equipment sales, retail and the broader appetite for golf goods is trending across the industry.
June is Women's Golf Month and an appropriate time to note that some of the most significant golfer gains in recent years have been among female participants. A near record number of women and girls played golf on a course in 2023, the highest participation levels in the U.S. since 2006.
The number of golfers traveling to play has been at or near record levels the past several years. And golfer surveys for 2024 show no sign of let-up when it comes to golf wanderlust.
It's long been assumed that the traditional, green-grass golfer is golf's best customer. But research shows it's actually the committed participants who engage with the game both on course and off who really move the needle for play and spend.
The money golfers pay to play benefits courses and companies throughout the industry. But for the first time in a generation, golf courses are perhaps the business segment enjoying the greatest benefit from the game's current surge.
As the unofficial kickoff for the golf season, Masters Tournament week is an ideal time to take (and report on) the pulse of the golf consumer. More than 123 million Americans consumed golf in some fashion in 2023, a reach that's up significantly in recent years.
Municipal golf is not facing an existential threat. In fact, it surprises some to learn that the number of municipal courses nationwide has actually increased over the last decade. This gain stands in contrast to broader U.S. supply reductions and the challenges 'muni golf' encounters in some areas.
Every U.S. state aside from Alaska has more than 40 golf courses, and almost two-thirds have at least 175. Florida has the most by a long shot; how many countries have more? Which well-supplied state has the highest proportion of public golf? Which state has the most golfers per public course -- and thus the fiercest competition for tee times?
Golf course closures last year came in at their lowest figure in almost two decades, resulting in less than a 1% reduction in overall U.S. supply. Here’s a bit more context, as the closure of golf courses is a topic of frequent interest… and frequent misinterpretation.
The number of on-course golfers has now increased for six straight years, but also notable is that the demographic makeup of the base is changing — albeit gradually in a sport with over 26 million Americans who play recreationally.
Thanks to one final late-season surge in December – which incidentally was the warmest ever in the U.S. – play levels at U.S. golf courses finished in uncharted territory in 2023.
