One golf club closes every two days in USA

Emma Williams
By Emma Williams March 11, 2014 11:36

A golf club is closing down in the USA at a rate of approximately one every two days, according to new data.

The National Golf Foundation (NGF) has reported that there were 157.5 golf course closures in the country last year, a slight rise over 2012. The NGF counts a nine-hole venue as 0.5 of a course.

Just 14 new venues opened in 2013 according to the NGF, making it the eighth straight year that more venues closed than opened. On average, more than 300 golf courses opened in the USA every year in the 1990s. Since 2006, 643 lots of 18 holes have closed, bringing the total number of American golf courses down to 14,564.5, more than six times higher than the UK.

Of the 14 new venues, one, Dismal River Club in Nebraska, has been built in a town with a population of just 500, and another, Cliffs at Mountain Park Course in North Carolina, designed by Gary Player, opened after five years of delays.

While the majority of venues that have closed have been public courses, Bob Williams, CEO of the Golf Club Managers’ Association, said private venues have also been hit.

Bob, who recently returned from a golf club managers’ conference in Florida, said: “Apparently they now boast about the same number of private clubs that they did in 1929.

“One interesting statistic that came forward was that 73 percent of clubs that have instigated a business plan are now reporting that they are in a healthy state.”

 

Emma Williams
By Emma Williams March 11, 2014 11:36
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9 Comments

  1. Javier Insula (@javierinsula) March 13, 17:56

    Cada 2 días cierra un campo de golf en EEUU y sólo se inauguraron 14 en 2013.
    http://t.co/FjQjGePuID

    Reply to this comment
  2. @Elevate_Golf March 13, 16:55

    One golf club closes every two days in USA | http://t.co/aTB6La5A6h | via @GCM_mag by Emma Williams #LetsBringHope #ElevateGolf

    Reply to this comment
  3. @jansanbob March 13, 13:59

    One golf club closes every two days in USA but 73% of clubs with a business plan are doing better http://t.co/A2B1qk2BhJ #cleaning #selling

    Reply to this comment
  4. @mikebelindo March 13, 13:47

    reading > One golf club closes every two days in USA » Golf Club Management

    Reply to this comment
  5. @IrrTurfSvcs March 13, 01:19

    One golf club closes every two days in USA

    Reply to this comment
  6. @TheRedDotGuy March 13, 00:36

    One golf club closes every two days in USA

    Reply to this comment
  7. @BlackGirlsGolf March 12, 20:46

    Interesting info @heidi_striker- One golf club closes every two days in USA » Golf Club Management http://t.co/tOjeOQINBi

    Reply to this comment
  8. @heidi_striker March 12, 18:08

    One golf club closes every two days in USA http://t.co/o94ROgLAlh
    Interesting fact: 14,564.5 open courses in the US RT @wissportsaddict

    Reply to this comment
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