The number of golf courses open for play last week in the United States has increased, according to the latest national survey of golf facilities by the National Golf Foundation.
Its fourth survey revealed that 49 percent of courses in the U.S. were open for play last week. This figure, which is based on phone surveys of 1,271 golf facilities, has risen slightly over the past weeks and the NGF expects it to continue to do so as warmer weather creeps further north, Wisconsin allows walking-only play, some private clubs re-open to members in New York, and golf operations resume in a few California counties.
Last week, the NGF said the percentage of open U.S. courses had climbed from roughly 44 to 48 percent. For the week ending April 19, that number moseyed up one more percentage point, meaning just under half of all courses in the U.S. are open for play.
On a warm and sunny Saturday — the first day Minnesota golf courses were allowed to open since the statewide shutdown began — players practiced social distancing as part of the "new normal." https://t.co/dQml6Z1Iic
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) April 19, 2020
The biggest optimism in the coming weeks is a potential surge in openings at courses located above 45 degrees latitude — namely in states such as Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakotas and Wisconsin.
The NGF projects that the percentage of open courses could climb to 57 percent in the immediate future — and potentially higher — as long as there is no further action from state and local governments or voluntary closures.
“At this time we don’t expect to see the percentage of courses open for play to significantly increase until more states begin to ease restrictions or grant exceptions for golf,” the NGF report said. “Once that gains some momentum then the tracking will become very dynamic and you’ll be able to see the numbers really begin to rise.”
The survey also found that daily-fee (51 percent) and private facilities (52 percent) are slightly above the 50 percent threshold while municipal courses are lagging behind (40 percent, but up from 33 percent a week ago).
Golfers are a dedicated bunch. With coronavirus-related course closures putting a halt to play in some parts of the country, search data shows they're making the necessary adjustments.https://t.co/8GfGlxWus9#golfbiz #golfresearch #golfdata #golf pic.twitter.com/dSlg3CCzfy
— NGF (@NGF_GolfBizInfo) April 15, 2020
The majority of golf facilities in the South remain open for play, with more than 70 percent of courses open to players in golf-rich states such as Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The biggest increase came in the Midwest region, even with polling conducted before Minnesota golf courses were given approval to open as of April 18.
The most noteworthy drop could be found in the Mid-Atlantic, where most New York golf courses that had been open suspended operations in response to an updated executive order that said golf is a non-essential business. While this remains true, private clubs have been told they are permitted to allow members access to the property with strict social distancing guidelines in place.
The full report can be accessed here.