I had the pleasure of attending the NGF Symposium with Director of Sales, Knight Schwandt, where we were in the company of Annika Sorenstam, Iso Aoki, George Bodenheimer (past president of ESPN) and many other industry leaders. The NGF team led by Joe Beditz and Greg Nathan presented their summary of the yearly Golf Industry Report.
I am proud to see how our portfolio of Teesnap software users and our Golf Marketing Services clients performed last year against the national averages.
Even with last year being the wettest on record, our clients outperformed the national average. Teesnap users on average were up 3% in rounds played. Teesnap Managed Marketing Services clients were up on average 7% in rounds played. What might these numbers have been with some cooperation from mother nature?
National rounds played dipped 4.8% in 2018 to 434M, a decline driven by heavier precipitation levels than normal across the country during the busiest months for golf. The reduction in rounds was more due to a lack of playable days than a lack of interest. In fact, participation increased incrementally for the first time in 14 years, with an estimated 24.2 million people playing on a golf course. (Source, NGF)
Here are a few other key findings:
Rounds Played
2017
469M Rounds played*
3
2018
456M Rounds played*
5
2018
Teesnap MMS Clients
7
*National rounds played report from NGF, March 2019.
Levels of Commitment
3.2M
NUTS
I’m a golf nut, I love the game and it’s my favorite activity
4.9M
HOOKED
I guess you could say I’m hooked, it’s certainly one of my favorite things to do
12.2M
CASUAL
It’s fun – one of several ways I like to spend my recreational time
3.9M
FRINGE
Golf is OK, but I often choose to do something else with my time