2024 rounds played still on pace for record-setting year

The National Golf Foundation, using information from Golf Datatech’s National Rounds Played Report, reports that rounds played for 2024 in the United States are currently trending about 2% ahead of 2023. That number even takes into account the role weather has played—primarily Hurricane Helene—in preventing players from hitting the links.

Nationally, rounds in September were up 3.6% over last year, despite being down in regions such as the South Central (-2%) and South Atlantic (-8%). The hurricane, the second-deadliest to make landfall in the last 50 years, devastated the Florida panhandle and large parts of Georgia and North and South Carolina as it moved inland. Millions were left without power, more than 200 people died, and flying debris caused incredible damage. Many golf courses suffered flooding and had their bridges and pathways destroyed alongside copious piles of detritus on fairways and greens.

Tim Kreger, the executive director of the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association, said he has never witnessed such devastation in a specific area in his lifetime. The true extent of the damage is far greater than what most people realize, due to limited reporting on social media or in news stories.

Outside of the Southeast, rounds in September were up by at least 4% in five of the other geographic regions that Golf Datatech tracks. The rest of the calendar year is typically low volume and is also more prone to inclement weather, so there is a chance that the final numbers for 2024 could taper off. Regardless, 2024 has still been a banner year for the sport and should carry that momentum into next year.