Golf is in a great place after strong summer rounds

Fall is officially in full swing and that means the National Golf Foundation has data on summer rounds played. For the period of June-August 2022, the NGF notes that numbers are up 3 to 4% over 2021. That’s noteworthy simply because 2021 was already a record-setting year for golf.

As they relate to the rest of the year’s numbers, those three summer months account for around 1.5 times their weight, making them a far more important metric than the rest of the year. The NGF notes that aside from the increase over last year, they’re up 14% over the previous three-year average (2017-2019).

2022 started off slow, which was a mild cause for concern; play was down 10% from 2021 on a year-over-year average through April. The NGF suggested at the time that this was simply a reflection of poor weather, and these summer numbers seem to confirm that assessment.

The rest of the year is still important, and though the numbers may not reach the same height as 2021, being so close — within about 2% — is still cause for celebration. After all, the numbers for 2022 have been impacted by weather. Joe Beditz, CEO of the NGF, predicts that it will end up as one of the top three or four years on record.