An unseasonably-cold December resulted in a 14.7% decline in monthly golf rounds played compared to the same year-ago period, according the latest figures from Golf Datatech. For the year, rounds remained relatively stable, falling only 0.6% in 2009 from 2008 totals.
Based on data from the 3,150 courses included in the report, Public Access play slid 14.5% in December, but was relatively flat for the year, down 0.3% compared to 2008. Private courses saw play down 15.0% for the month and a 1.8% in year-to-date totals.
On a regional basis, the largest declines were in the South Central part of the country, where play was down 30.9% for the month. The West North Central (29.5%) and South Atlantic (19.3%) also experienced double-digit drops for the month, largely due to the winter weather. The New England (7.4%), East North Central (4.6%) and Mountain (1.5%) regions also experienced round declines in December. The Pacific region was the lone bright spot, finishing up 4.1%.
