One of the biggest benefactors of the COVID-19 pandemic has been golf. Offering a socially distant outdoor activity with scenic views and fresh air as well as the opportunity for players to see friends and meet new ones, golf provided renewed value to first time players and veterans of the game. The pandemic has repositioned golf, and, as the country emerges from the crisis, golf stands to capitalize on the newfound attention.
PARTICIPATION
Golf rounds in 2020 dramatically increased over 2019, reports the National Golf Foundation (NGF), and that trend continued through the first six months of 2021 as rounds played increased by another 23% compared to the same timeframe in 2020. However, June rounds this year increased only by 0.4% compared to June 2020 and fell by 4% in July compared to July 2020, reports Golf Datatech. This data may serve as the first real barometer for whether the golf surge can continue to increase in the months ahead. Despite the drop, rounds are still up compared to prepandemic levels.
Other indicators suggest demand is still strong and potentially growing. According to NGF, two-thirds of private clubs said they were in good financial health in late 2020, and rounds at private clubs saw almost a 20% increase, greater than what was seen at public facilities, which were up 12%. Anecdotally, private club memberships are experiencing high demand, says Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer, and NGF reports that through June 2021, combined golf club and ball wholesale dollar sales are up 77% over last year and 35% over 2019. There are concerns, however, over COVID-19-caused supply chain issues that delay the delivery and availability of golf equipment during a time when demand, especially among new golfers and those looking to upgrade their golf gear, is high. As you’ll read more in “Golf Challenges” on page 16, golf products like grips and pushcarts are in short supply or have seen prices rise dramatically to meet demand. Custom clubs, which typically arrive in 10 days, now can take upwards of 12 weeks, reports Business Insider.
Women and New Golfers
Participation grew in part by an increase in rounds played by women. During the 2020 surge in play, women’s participation grew by 450,000 players or 8% year-over-year. In total, women made up nearly a quarter of all golfers last year, totaling 6 million—the highest number in the last five years.
A recent KemperSports Golfer Insight survey found that new golfers are younger, more social and increasingly female. More than a quarter (27%) of new golfers are ages 18-34, and of that group, 33% are women compared to the industry average of 25% referenced above. Almost half of new players said they are seeking comfortable, social environments instead of keeping and improving their scores.
The online brand ForeAll, founded by golf enthusiasts Jennifer Clyde and Michelle Money, launched this year and seeks to expose women to the game in a fun, low-pressure and stylish way. The self-named “club” connects women with golf tips, apparel and light-hearted content to get more women interested in the game.
DIVERSITY AND YOUTH DRIVEN
The golf industry has made significant efforts to increase the game’s diversity and reach. Golf participation is becoming increasingly diverse at the youth level, reports NGF. Roughly 3 million juniors played in 2020, and more than 25% of this group was non-Caucasian while only 6% was minority players two decades prior.
Industry leaders and influencers are active in reaching more diverse communities to expand the game. Greg McLaughlin, CEO of First Tee, points out that the youth golf program’s reach is now more than 50% non-Caucasian. The program is also actively engaging with Title I schools and underserved communities by recruiting diverse coaches and embracing an inclusive culture. Additionally, the youth program PGA Junior Golf Camps has worked to enroll nearly 10,000 juniors at more than 170 facilities nationwide in 2021, bringing in more than $2.5 million in revenue. Groups like the United Golfers Association (UGA) and Youth on Course have partnered to make the game more accessible by allowing UGA Juniors from ages 6 to 18 to play golf rounds for $5 or less at more than 1,400 courses nationwide. At the Jack Hoeven Wee Links Golf Course in Minot, N.D., rounds are as cheap as $1 for children 14 and under. The Myrtle Beach, S.C., area—with a high concentration of courses—offered a “Kids Play Free” or junior discount option this past summer at more than 50 of its facilities. Howard University, a prominent Historically Black College in Washington, D.C., raised more than $3 million for its new golf program endowment with backing from NBA Champion Steph Curry. The university hosted the Bison at the Beach Inaugural Golf Classic in the summer of 2021 at Pebble Beach for its fundraising event.
The club industry is also taking steps to becoming more inclusive. As written about in the spring 2021 Club Director, ClubCorp has developed the ClubLife Gateway Program to find talented and diverse youth from the First Tee program and introduce them to clubs. Each participating club annually gives two boys and two girls free memberships through college. The kids are also assigned a member who mentors them. As of the spring, 11 clubs participated in the program.
SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH
Golf has actively sought to increase its reach and engagement with current and new audiences through social media and online platforms. One initiative is through the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program, which recognizes and rewards players who perform on and off the course and boost the game’s popularity. The program will distribute a $40 million pool to 10 players who play well and whose popularity is high on Google searches, brand rates well, and social media receives high engagement.
Golf influencers are also becoming more popular, utilizing platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok to create content and share funny images and videos, their skills, their enthusiasm for the game and to engage with their audience. Former professional golfer Paige Spiranac offers her commentary, shares photos and hosts her own podcast reaching more than 7 million users on Facebook and Instagram alone. Other influencers like Garret Clark, a talented 21-year-old golfer, has been sharing his golf journey since the age of 13 and showcases trick shots and many of the country’s best courses and clubs to more than 2 million followers on Tik Tok and YouTube. The golf humor aggregator @ziregolf shares a collection of golfers’ bad shots, popular golfers, course antics and memes to its 1.2 million Instagram followers.
OTHER TRENDS: WALKING THE COURSE
A growing number of golfers are opting to walk the course instead of using a golf cart. This is a result of a confluence of factors, including COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, new and lighter golf bags and more sophisticated pushcarts, increasingly health conscious and young players, as well as a renewal of enthusiasm for how the game was originally played.
Hancock Golf Course in Austin, Texas, attributes its sharp spike in rounds played (82% in 2020 and 18% in 2021) to ditching carts after the course became walking-only. Atlanta’s Bobby Jones Golf Course prohibited carts due to COVID-19, but now has made the course walking-only before noon. The course has increased revenue and walking golfers now represent 74% of rounds played. Other advantages to walking the course include better course conditions and a more even pace of place.
Particularly among new players, younger golfers are attracted to the fitness aspect of golf. Millennials and Gen Z are more willing to walk and carry their own clubs, which has been one of the reasons they’ve been playing more, says Steve Skinner, CEO of Kemper Sports. Older golfers are also walking more as they get to play more closely with younger players, enjoy the exercise and go back to golf’s roots. Lightweight, trendy golf bags and techy push carts have also encouraged golfers of all ages to walk.
MORE INDOOR GOLF FACILITIES
Indoor golf facilities are becoming more popular to help players get better and to entertain them. The Arboretum Club in Buffalo Grove, Ill., is converting banquet space to offer indoor golf activities like private lessons, golf simulators, dining and entertainment to pair with the club’s Dick Nugent-designed course in the hopes to make the club a more desirable destination. Cheekwood Golf Club, just south of Nashville, hopes to be more relevant to the next generation of golfers while honoring current players by developing a new flagship golf course and training center. The course will be designed by Jack Nicklaus, equipped with nine-hole, par-three, seven-hole and putting courses. Additionally, the facility will have a three-tier driving range with 74 bays equipped with state-of-the-art technology, an indoor training center, a restaurant, business and meeting spaces and more. Working with the Tennessee Golf Foundation, the club will host youth programs to introduce new players to the game and hopes to attract women golfers with these changes. Cheekwood has also worked with the National Audubon Society to preserve the local wildlife and will make the par-3 course walking-only so players can exercise and better enjoy the course. NCR Country Club near Dayton, Ohio, plans to build an indoor golf facility featuring virtual golf and practice activities to compliment the club’s outdoor range. It will host six indoor bays that will connect to the outdoor range and utilize TrackMan technology to help players improve.
In the Chicago area, golf is becoming a year-round sport despite harsh winters due to a growing number of golf simulator facilities. The Shack Indoor Golf Club offers simulators with championship courses alongside a full menu of beer, spirits and food. WJ Golf Buffalo Grove provides its simulators with swing analysis and changing turfs to simulate shots from bunkers and the rough. Five Iron Golf Chicago is a 10,000-square-foot facility with 12 simulators, a Trackman lesson studio, lessons from PGA pros, competitive leagues as well as other fun activities like Ping-Pong, pool and TV watching.
YOUTH MOVEMENT TO GOLF COMMUNITIES
The Sotheby’s International Realty’s recent Luxury Outlook found that golf communities have seen a resurgence since COVID-19 onset. The spike in interest has been driven by those planning to retire or were semi-retired as well as millennials seeking to align their surroundings with their activities—in this case, golf, dining, fitness and the outdoors.
In response, gated communities like The Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach, Fla., has added more amenities to appeal to younger members like outdoor seating for dining, an outdoor gym, summer kitchen for outdoor events and virtual fitness amenities. Its food truck, a pre-COVID-19 purchase, has been very popular as well. The club has seen impressive results with 197 home sales from July 2020 to July 2021 when it historically averages 110 sales per year. According to Golf Life Navigators, among the most popular golf community markets are Scottsdale, Ariz., Naples and Palm Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head, S.C. Emerging markets include Houston, Western North Carolina and Sarasota, Fla.
CLIMATE CHANGES
Golf course superintendents are increasingly preparing their golf courses for volatile weather patterns and events. At Aldarra Golf Club in King County, Wash., superintendent Sean Reehorn prepared for extreme heat with extra fungicides and fertilizers to protect plants. He also pointed out that during smoke warnings and smoke-covered days caused by wildfires, water does not evaporate, which creates other course maintenance changes. Tokatee Golf Club in McKenzie Bridge, Ore., connects its irrigation system to the golf course’s weather station and subscribes to the GreenKeeper app, which helps staff time spray applications, track product efficiency, monitor changes in soil- and tissue-test results, utilize hyper-local weather data to predict pest outbreaks and more. Silvermine Golf Club in Norwalk, Conn., focuses on keeping the course in its best condition to stand up to harsh weather when it arrives. While short-term forecasts can be unreliable, the club also utilizes long-range forecasts to determine when to administer more aggressive maintenance as to avoid excessive damage to the course if extreme weather were to arise.
EVER CHANGING
Despite being one of the oldest sports, golf continues to evolve. The COVID-19 crisis introduced many to the game and changed the way millions think about golf, creating a critical call to action for golf courses nationwide. Clubs should continue to uphold the game’s value while recognizing the changing environment surrounding the game in order to keep golf fun, competitive, social and increasingly inclusive of newcomers.