Golf Datatech reported that U.S. golf rounds played were up 1.6 percent year-over-year in September and increased 3.8 percent year-to-date (YTD), according to the research firm’s latest National Rounds Played Report for September 2023. The gain for the month marked improvement over the 0.1 percent year-over-year gain in August.
The overall performance for golf rounds played in September was mixed across regions, with Mountain, up 8.7 percent, followed by East North Central, up 6.4 percent; Pacific, 5.0 percent; and South Atlantic, 3.7 Percent. New England had the biggest regional decline of 12.7 percent, followed by the Mid-Atlantic, off 4.4 percent; South Central, 2.2 percent; and West North Central, 0.4 percent.
Rounds played at public golf courses were up 2.1 percent for September, while private courses were down 0.6 percent.
For the YTD period, the largest gains in regional rounds played were led by East North Central, 8.2 percent, followed closely by the Mid-Atlantic, 8.0 percent. Other regions showing increases in the YTD period included West North Central, up 6.7 percent; South Central, 4.5 percent; South Atlantic, 3.2 percent; and Mountain, 0.4 percent. Only two regions showed declines in the YTD period with rounds played—New England down 6.7 percent and the Pacific region off 1.5 percent.
