The National Golf Foundation NGF tracked 46 18-hole equivalent golf course openings in 29 states in 2010 with Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina and Texas hosting the most openings.
The openings were opposed by 107 closures, making 2010 the fifth consecutive year that closures have outpaced openings.
However, the total net loss of 220 18-hole courses from 2006-2010 represents just 1.5% of the total supply. And the 2010 net loss of 61 courses in 2010 represents less than one half of one percent of total supply. Considering the severity of the recession, one could argue that golf has held its ground reasonably well.
Here are some of the details emerging from NGF’s newly released Golf Facilities in the U.S. report, 2011 edition:
* There were openings in 29 states.
* Of the 46 openings, more than 60% were daily fee
* There are currently more than 80 U.S. golf course projects under construction (excluding renovations)
* States with the most openings in 2010 were Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, North Carolina and Texas
* The region with the most courses currently under construction is the South Atlantic with 16.5 courses.
* The total facility count at the end of 2010 stood at 15,890, 167 less than the all-time high of 16,057 in 2004. And the current number of 18-hole equivalents is 14,904.5, which is less than the number of facilities due to the large number of stand-alone 9-holers (4,382).
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