Complimentary Benchmarking Program Delivers Peer-Driven Performance Data to Help NGCOA Members Strengthen Operations, Profitability, and Long-Term Strategy
CHARLESTON, SC — The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), today announced the launch of a powerful new exclusive member benefit: the 2026 NGCOA Member Golf Study, a comprehensive financial and operational benchmark report available at no cost to participating NGCOA members. The study is developed in collaboration with Greenlight Advisors and powered by the GolfClubBenchmarks.com platform.
Among the most valued benefits a trade association can offer is an annual benchmark report — a tool that empowers members to measure their own performance against aggregated data from peers across the industry. Whether evaluating operational efficiency, labor costs, revenue per customer, food and beverage margins, or capital expenditures, benchmarking gives owners and operators a clear-eyed view of where they stand and where opportunities for growth or improvement may exist.
With this new member benefit, the NGCOA equips members to move from instinct and tradition to reliable, peer-driven data — helping owners and operators make more informed choices about staffing, pricing, investment, and long-term planning.
As part of this initiative, all participating NGCOA member golf courses will receive complimentary access to two powerful deliverables powered by Greenlight Advisors through its GolfClubBenchmarks.com platform:
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Best-in-Class Report Card™, highlighting performance across key metrics using a Top / Median / Bottom quartile framework
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The NGCOA Golf Study Benchmark Report, featuring aggregated NGCOA member averages and industry comparisons
The GolfClubBenchmarks.com platform is built on four core performance pillars that define successful golf course operations:
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Financial Performance: Measures revenue generation, cost structure, profitability, and financial efficiency across key operating areas
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Operational Performance: Evaluates rounds played, utilization, staffing efficiency, and day-to-day operational effectiveness
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Capital Asset Stewardship: Assesses investment levels, maintenance practices, and long-term sustainability of course infrastructure and assets
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Player Experience: Captures customer satisfaction, loyalty, recommendation strength, and overall engagement to gain insights into demand and retention factors
“Delivering this expanded benchmarking resource is another way the NGCOA invests in the success of our members,” said Rachel Carter, Senior Director of Membership for the NGCOA. “We already know NGCOA members outperform their non-NGCOA peers — our prior benchmark studies have shown it — and this study will further illustrate that fact. Just as importantly, it gives members a dashboard with warning lights for their own operation. You can’t focus on everything, so this study lets members feel confident in what’s going well and home in on the areas that need attention. It’s a tool built specifically to help our members run more successful businesses.”
“The launch of the 2026 NGCOA Member Golf Study represents an important step toward establishing a consistent, data-driven performance standard across the golf industry,” said Michael Suglich, CPA, Founder and CEO of Greenlight Advisors. “Through our GolfClubBenchmarks.com platform, we are helping operators benchmark performance and identify clear opportunities to improve profitability, efficiency, and player experience.”
NGCOA members who participate in the study will benefit from:
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Confidential and secure data aggregation
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Benchmark report comparisons at the state, regional, national, and segment levels (Municipal, Public-Daily Fee, Resort)
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Actionable insights to improve profitability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction
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Early positioning and participation in the full 2026 U.S. Golf Study rollout later this year
Participation in the 2026 NGCOA Member Golf Study is open exclusively to NGCOA members, with data collection now underway. The deadline to submit information is Monday, June 15, 2026. NGCOA members can sign up at https://signup.golfclubbenchmarks.com and enter NGCOA in the discount code field to claim this complimentary member benefit.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION
The NGCOA is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The association represents and promotes the interests of golf courses as the principal businesses and economic assets of the game of golf. The not-for-profit organization is the only trade association dedicated exclusively to golf course owners and operators. Through advocacy, education and information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information or to join, visit ngcoa.org or call 800-933-4262.
ABOUT GREENLIGHT ADVISORS
Greenlight Advisors is a financial and technology advisory firm specializing in the golf industry. Through its GolfClubBenchmarks.com platform — an independent benchmarking system developed by Greenlight Advisors, designed to establish Best-in-Class performance standards across the golf industry — the firm delivers independent, data-driven benchmarking insights that empower golf course operators to improve performance across financial, operational, capital asset, and player experience dimensions. The platform supports national benchmarking initiatives, including the U.S. Golf Study. Learn more at https://golfclubbenchmarks.com/press.
Media Contact: Renée Flowers, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, NGCOA, rflowers@ngcoa.org.
