JUPITER, Florida (June 28, 2021) – May rounds were up 18.1% month-over-month, and are now up 33.6% year-to-date, according to the latest National Rounds Played report by Golf Datatech, produced in cooperation with the National Golf Foundation.
Now, with summer upon us, is when it really starts getting interesting – in terms of comps – for the golf industry.
May’s year-over-year rise was anticipated, as 12 states lifted virus-related restrictions on golf during the first two weeks of the month in 2020. And even though most golf courses had reopened by mid-May of last year, many areas were still faced with operational limitations that included wider tee time intervals, walking-only provisions, one-rider carts, reduced guest rounds and groups of two players instead of foursomes.
One could argue that the surge really began last June, when monthly rounds played first began to significantly surpass historical averages. As such, this month and the months that follow will tell us if rounds are going to remain at last year’s elevated levels or ‘revert to the mean’, as the statisticians like to say.
