Golf Datatech, which has agreed to be acquired by Circana, reported that the national rounds of golf played were up 0.8 percent for April year-over-year and up 4.2 percent in the first four months of 2024.
Golf Datatech stated, “April weather wasn’t quite as conducive to playing golf in the Northern tier as it had been in the first three months. While temperatures did remain on the warm side, heavy precipitation wreaked havoc on tee times and held down play in the month that typically sees golf courses open across the north. The Southeast enjoyed an increase in play, as did the Northwest and Mountain regions.”
By region in April, the biggest gain was seen in West North Central, which saw an increase in rounds of 11.6 percent. Other gaining regions included Mountain, up 9.3 percent; Pacific, 3.4 percent; and South Atlantic, 1.7 percent.
The biggest decline was in New England, down 13.8 percent followed by Mid-Atlantic, off 10.2 percent; South Central, 3.0 percent; and East North Central, 1.1 percent.
April’s modest gain on a national basis followed a jump of 21.2 percent in March with the benefit of mild weather in many regions with a gain of 4.9 percent in February. Golf rounds declined 16.6 percent in January as rain impacted play in several regions.
According to the latest figures, Golf Datatech Co-founder John Krzynowek said, “Overall, April 2024 was an okay month for rounds played on a national basis, level with last year, and continuing on a positive overall trajectory year to date. While weather is always the wild card that can quickly turn positive momentum around on a dime, thus far, no significant large-scale natural weather disasters combined with the desire of golfers to continue to play the game has kept the golf courses busy.”
