Community
by Don Rea, PGA
Golf is Alive and Kicking I see Facebook posts about it, I hear about it, and the media loves to write about it. The game of golf apparently is dying, died a few years ago, or is facing certain death. I learned in my statistics class many years ago that numbers don’t lie, but people create lies with them. Some Facts are Incontrovertible Golf is nearly a 70-billion-dollar industry that gives back close to 4 billion to charity. That is more than all of the other sports combined, and yes, that includes the NFL, NHL, and MLB. Some other facts:
• Approximately 143,000 charity events are held annually, with 12 million participants.
time to play golf. However, 6.3 million golfers are between the ages of 18-34 and playing approximately 93 million rounds or 21% of the golf played. The children of millennials are playing golf also. Youth golf (ages 6 to 17) grew 25% in the last 5 years. This is the largest jump in total volume compared to other youth sports – including soccer, basketball, football and baseball. The LGPA-USGA Girls Golf program is up over 900% over the last 5 years. More than 50,000 girls are introduced to the game each year through this program.
Numbers Can Lie
Is Golf Being Watched on TV?
A number doesn’t mean much without context. If I tell you I shot 65, you might be impressed thinking that I played a par 72 golf course, but if that 65 was at Augusta Ranch in Mesa, AZ that would mean I was 4 over. You need to know the par before you determine how well I played. What is the par for the golf economy? Are national rounds of golf and the number of golfers down? Yes, since 2003, those numbers have decreased every year. Is golf on the rebound? Yes, rounds of golf in 2015 were up over 8 million compared to 2014 and have steadily increased each year. In addition, 37 million have said they are interested in playing, an all-time high. We can talk about where we have been or we can talk about where we are going. Please don’t proclaim the demise of the business I am in if you won’t define par.
Yes, 105 million people tuned in to watch golf in 2015. CBS’s ratings were up 20% and NBC’s were up 5%. Weekly minutes viewed were up 13% over 2014. PGA Tour Digital averages 8.3 million unique users a month with over 266 million visits YTD through June 2016, an increase of 22% over 2015. Golf Channel Millennial viewership in 2016 was up more than 60% for daily viewing and 20% during PGA Tour coverage.
• 24 million Americans play 455 million rounds annually at 15,200 facilities. • 76 percent of all golf facilities are public. • 90% of all golfers play on public golf courses.
Who is Playing Golf? The effect of Baby Boomers on the game of golf is well documented. With the youngest Baby Boomer now 55, this golfing generation is only mid-way through its golfing years. Many say the Millennials are not interested or don’t have the
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Golf Arizona www.GoGolfArizona.com
Can Anyone Play Golf? Adaptive golf is growing. Of the 57 million Americans with some form of disability, over 10% are now playing golf with 35% more interested in learning. The First Tee reached more than 15 million young people since its inception in 1997. It directly touches over 8,000 elementary schools and partnering with after school youth programs. 84% of the teens participating in those programs credited the First Tee with making them better students in school. Top Golf is making golf more fun as an indoor type of a family golf activity. With over 13 million guests annually and 65% of
