Golf Datatech, which has agreed to be acquired by Circana, a provider of market research on durable consumer goods, reported that the national rounds of golf played in February 2024 were up 4.9 percent year-over-year (YoY) as warmer, drier weather in the middle of the country offset the effects of wetter, cooler weather in California and Florida.
January 2024 rounds were down 16.6 percent on wet weather issues, netting a 5.4 percent overall decline for the two-month year-to-date (YTD) period.
Rounds Played increased the most in the off season states in the center of the U.S., with West North Central jumping 43.2 percent YoY and East North Central up 50.0 percent YoY, driven in part by higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Both regions were down more than 70 percent in January 2024. Rounds Played were down sharply in New England (-43.9 percent) and the Mid-Atlantic states (-19.2 percent).
The U.S. states in the middle of the country had the weakest growth in January 2024, compared to January 2023, as rounds played fell in the strong double-digits across the West North Central, East North Central and South Central regions.
Golf rounds played were also down sharply in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions. All areas with significant declines were up against more moderate weather patterns in the year-ago period. The Pacific region (-1.4 percent) and South Atlantic (-0.5) both declined, thanks to declines of more than 2 percent in California and Florida, respectively.
Regional Change in Rounds Played
(February 2024 v. February 2023)
- Pacific -1.4 percent
- Mountain +10.2 percent
- West North Central +43.2 percent
- East North Central +50.0 percent
- South Central +18.4 percent
- New England -43.0 percent
- Mid-Atlantic -19.2 percent
- South Atlantic -0.5 percent
National Rounds Played at private courses were up 5.8 percent for the month, and rounds played at public access courses were flattish, up 0.1 percent year-over-year in February.
All data courtesy Golf Datatech
