Jupiter, Fla. – Some unseasonably warm and dry weather along the northern tier had golfers on the links later in the year than usual in 2006. Television broadcasts showed players teeing it up over the holidays from New York to Michigan. As a result, there were some unusually high increases in the percentage change between 2006 and 2005 rounds in December, albeit on a low volume. For example, facilities in the Northeast averaged about 100 rounds in December 2005 and about 400 rounds in December 2006, for a 300% increase.
The 16.7% increase in rounds for December pushed up the year-to-date figure to 0.8%. So calendar year 2006 rounds were up nearly one percent from 2005. The Southeast finished the year with the largest increase (4.5%) followed by Central/South Florida (3.4%). The Southwest was down more than any other region (-1.1%).
Rounds Played, 2006 vs. 2005
Source: NGF/Allied Golf Associations
December
Year-to-date
Total U.S. facilities
16.7%
0.8%
Private Clubs
14.2%
1.0%
Total Public Courses
17.6%
0.7%
Public Courses:
Premium
3.3%
-0.2%
Standard
26.7%
1.5%
Value
16.7%
0.6%
1 Northeast
314.4%
1.5%
2 Mid-Atlantic
106.8%
1.1%
3 Southeast
17.4%
4.5%
4 Central/South Florida
-2.2%
3.4%
5 Gulf Coast
-6.1%
2.6%
6 South Central
-9.6%
0.3%
7 Lower Midwest
106.7%
-0.5%
8 Upper Midwest
296.2%
-0.3%
9 Mountain
-56.6%
-0.8%
10 Southwest
-1.4%
-1.1%
11 Northwest
0.3%
0.2%
Public facilities fall into one of three categories based on peak season weekend green fees with cart
Premium (High) – Above $70
Standard (Middle) – $40-$70
Value (Low) – Below $40
Region 10 includes Hawaii; Region 11 includes Alaska.
About the NGF
The National Golf Foundation, founded in 1936, is the industry leader in providing accurate information and insights on the business of golf. Based in Jupiter, Fla., the NGF serves many constituencies in the golf industry including equipment manufacturers; builders and developers; facilities and ranges; course architects; retailers; turf maintenance suppliers; golf associations and the media. For more information, visit www.ngf.org.
Visit NGF’s Press Release Archive for previous issues.
Contact:
Jim Kass, jkass@ngf.org
800-733-6006 ext. 1624
