World Golf Foundation Report Says Sport Is Flourishing
Golf is so much more than just a game. It is a significant industry, a major contributor to the American economy and to the economic vitality of individual states, according to a golf industry report compiled by the World Golf Foundation.
GOLF 20/20 published its first national report in 2002, which demonstrated that golf in 2000 was a $62 billion industry, bigger than the motion picture and recording industries combined. A follow-up report conducted in 2011 reported that golf had grown to a $68.8 billion industry, with a total impact on the U.S. economy in 2011 of $167.8 billion.
Its impact is even bigger today.
Golf is responsible for contributing about $3.9 billion annually to charities across the country.
Golf is a sport played by more than 24 million Americans, and enjoyed as a favored spectator activity by millions more. But it is far more than a game: golf is a leading U.S. industry that makes a wide variety of positive contributions to our society, in the following areas:
GOLF'S ECONOMIC BENEFITS
The golf industry provides 2 million jobs in the U.S. and total wage income of $55.6 billion.
The total economic impact of golf in America has been measured at $176.8 billion, including golf's direct, indirect and induced impacts.
Golf provides a direct economic impact of $70 billion.
The golf industry is larger than the motion picture and recording industries combined.
GOLF'S HUMAN BENEFITS
Golf generates $3.9 billion for charitable causes each year. The great majority of these funds are raised at thousands of fundraising events across the country designed to benefit local communities and their citizens.
Approximately 12,000 golf facilities nationwide hosted charitable events in 2011.
Golf teaches essential life skills to young people - sportsmanship, respect, integrity, honesty, self-control. These positive traits are shared with youngsters through youth development programs such as The First Tee and junior golf programs across the country.
Golf facilities provide a vital community service in offering a place to recreate and socialize, serving as a hub of community social interaction.
GOLF'S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
There are over 2 million acres of green space on golf courses in the U.S.
A golf course is a healthy natural environment. The turf grass on golf courses serves as a filter to runoff to control flooding; out of play areas offer wildlife habitat; trees and bushes filter dust and pollen; and the green space has a cooling effect on surrounding property.
Golf courses are professionally managed by individuals who have been educated, certified and/or licensed to ensure that the golf facilities are operated in an environmentally responsible manner.
The widespread benefits of golf course landscapes are delivered with the minimal use of water, with golf courses accounting for only one-half of one percent of U.S. annual water consumption.
76 percent of facilities are open to the public, where nine of 10 golfers play. Rounds played in 2015 were up 1.8 percent last year.
The number of youth golfers ages 6-to-17 grew 20 percent to 3 million in 2015.
There are 6.3 million golfers ages 18-to-34, playing nearly 15 rounds each per year, and spend an estimated $5 billion on equipment, merchandise and fees.
The median fee for an 18-hole round of golf in the U.S. is $37.
Memberships at private clubs grew three percent from 2011 to 2014.
