In 2020 through 2021 our nation was hit with a pandemic seen like no other. Covid literally shut down the entire sports world and impacted businesses more than one could ever imagine. There wasn’t much for people to do, with gyms closed; bars shut down; restaurants reverted to take out only and shopping was only done online. With all these changes thrown upon us there was basically two things to do outdoors; yardwork or play golf.
Everyone on your block had well-manicured lawns and almost everyone became an avid golfer. There was a throwback to butterfly collar shirts, sansa belt slacks, bunnets or in American slang, scally caps, metal spikes and anything from 1970 blade irons to Hickory sticks. People who haven’t played in a while or never have played, either picked up the game again or ventured to the links for the very first time. Although there were still some restrictions on the golf course during 2020, like no cups in the greens, pool noodles or no flags and some courses restricted carts to one rider unless there was a divider in between the seats.
This definitely made golf look different, but it certainly didn’t diminish the number of individuals slashing away as they went easter egg hunting trying to find their wayward shots. The numbers of rounds were astronomical and even spiked more in 2021 as golf proved to be more than a one hit wonder.
In 2021 the number of US citizens playing golf surpassed 25 million. Of the golfers playing golf on a golf course, 75% were composed of men and 25% women. This same year, 106 million (1 out of 3 Americans 6 years old & up) played golf, participated in golf activities (Driving Range, Putt Putt, Top Golf, Drive Shack etc.), followed golf on TV or online, read about it or listened to a golf podcast. There were 37.5 million playing golf on or off the course in some type of facet, with 25.1 million on the course and 12.4 million off.
These are mind blowing numbers in the terms of the growth of the game. A lot of this growth is attributed to Covid where more people took up the game and others came back from a leave of absence. We haven’t seen this kind of growth in the game since the Tiger Boom in the early 2000’s.
Of these numbers:
- 3.2 million played for the 1st time (a record for 1 year; previous record was 2.4 million in 2000 during the “Tiger Boom”)
- 6.1 million ages 18-34 were on course golfers
- 4.8 million ages 18-34 were off course golfers
- 3.1 million were junior golfers (17 & under) on the course
- 36% of the junior golfers on the course were female compared to 15% in 2000; that’s a tremendous surge
- 25% of junior golfers are minorities
- There were more golf courses nationwide than McDonald’s and Starbucks at the end of 2021
- 75% of the golf courses were open to the public
The impact of Covid on golf is immeasurable with the massive numbers of individuals who hit the links during and after this pandemic. Unfortunately, the golf industry suffered with production and distribution during the shutdowns where people were laid off and warehouses closed. The industry has since bounced back in production and distribution with products and goods while the number of new and comeback golfers has continued to grow.
Golf’s overall reach had surpassed 123 million in 2023 with more than one third of the U.S. population over the age of 5 participating or enjoying golf in some kind of way. This includes playing or participating in various forms of golf on and off the course, following or watching golf on TV or online, reading articles and blogs, playing fantasy golf or listening to podcasts about golf. This is up 30% since 2016.
With golf in its various forms, more people feel comfortable taking part in what the great game offers on every level. Some for leisure and others for competition, but the one thing we can all agree on, is that golf in its overall form, has something to offer for anyone who has interest in the sport regardless of age, gender or race; golf opens its doors to everyone.
