(June 4, 2020) —It’s good news for golf courses across America, as a recent survey conducted by the National Golf Foundation reports that 98% of all U.S. golf courses are now open. The NGF weekly survey, ending May 30 on the current health of the U.S. golf industry, confirms the good news.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic most public and private golf courses were closed for the last several months. As a result, many ‘locked down’ and pent up players have been eager to get out for a round. With the increased demand for playing the sport has continued to build over the last few months, 86% of core golfers – defined as U.S. adults having played a minimum of eight rounds of golf in the past 12 months – it is reported that golfers have been teeing it up in the past few weeks as pandemic restrictions and public fears have somewhat dissipated.
Interesting is the fact that the report by the NGF shows a strong increase in the number of beginner golfers coming to the courses, along with a spike in Google searches for golf data during the month of May. This surge was compared to the last four years of related activity.
Revealed in the NGF report is that 84% of off-course retailers are open again and doing business. This increase is at 81% as of last week, a strong rebound to 61% of only three weeks prior. During the month of April, 96% of the 6.5 million square feet of total off-course golf specialty space had been closed for any in-store consumer shopping.
When it comes to independent and regional retailers, the NGF survey disclosed that this sector is opening at a little higher rate (86%) more than national stores, such as Golf Galaxy, Worldwide Golf Shops and PGA Tour Superstore. In addition, popular Golf entertainment venues are making a strong comeback with 28% opening their doors for business as of June 1.
The NGF Survey is good news for the industry, as these swelling numbers confirm that golf participation is on the uptick.
