Hello golf stakeholders:
First, on behalf of the entire Perspective publishing staff (all 4 of us), we’d like to wish all our readers a joyful and not-too-hectic Christmas season that extends into a happy, fulfilling and prosperous New Year. As is our custom, December is generally reserved for both a look back at how the industry fared in the waning season as well as some things to look for in the upcoming year and as a preview of our initial thoughts preparing the annual State of the Industry presentation in Orlando. Stuart headlines this issue with suggestions on how to pack a parachute for a “soft landing” in ’23 as the golfer and demand base shifts beneath us (hopefully we’ll have better luck than the Fed’s odds right now…). Jim K. builds on that explaining why Utilization, not Rounds, is the metric to use in assessing whether ’22 was good, bad or indifferent to golf.
See below for the headlines for each of our recurring sections from By-the-Numbers to Comings & Goings (always entertaining commentary). We’ve already compiled the November rounds “preview”, courtesy of our Golf Market Research Center (GMRC) subscribers, and it suggests that we’ll again get a slight “up” on Utilization with rounds following weather’s double-digit down but not as much. If you want to know those numbers on a regular basis, you can either participate in GMRC (course operators) or sign up for a Publications Membership (everyone else).
THE YEAR AHEAD
2 Will you need a parachute in ’23? What color will it be?
By Stuart Lindsay
THE YEAR BEHIND
6 Is golf demand declining? Follow Utilization instead of rounds trends By Jim Koppenhaver
COMINGS & GOINGS
10 Winter lull sets in; 6 activities, all Transactions
WEATHER IMPACT
12 Nov GPH declines -19%, Year-to-Date slides to -6%
BY-THE-NUMBERS
14 Oct Utilization is stable as rounds follow weather down, Year-to-Date clings to ~60% level!
MARKET FOCUS
16 Pittsburgh holding at #24 but, like many markets, much healthier than previously
