Golf participation probably INCREASED from July to August

There is new evidence that golf participation actually increased in the second half of the summer from the first, even though the surge in the first half was unprecedented.

Recently HowDidiDo revealed that nearly 100,000 members of golf clubs downloaded its app between July and September, now preliminary figures from Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) finds that the number of rounds played in August 2020 was up a staggering 60 percent compared with August 2019.

Perhaps even more eye-opening than that is the knowledge that golf rounds were up by a huge amount, but far less than this – a little over 40 percent – in July 2020 compared with 2019.

In fact the 60 percent figure is almost identical to the results for June 2020 compared with 2019 – when most golf courses reopened and the surge was most evident.

This seems to suggest that the growth rate picked up from an already astonishingly high position as the summer went on, perhaps because more people felt confident about playing the game by August and more facilities had reopened.

The research also found that less than half of golfers believe it will be safe to travel abroad for a golf break before April 2021, compared to almost 60 percent who believe it will be safe to travel domestically by the end of 2020, which has fueled the rise in golfing ‘staycations’.

Richard Payne from SMS commented: “One of the many sectors of the golf industry impacted by coronavirus has been tourism. Fear of the pandemic and uncertainty about quarantine conditions on return are a recipe for caution when it comes to booking new golf trips, particularly when the journey requires long distance travel.

“The flip side of that change is that domestic tourism in the UK can expect to see a boost in the immediate future. England, Scotland, Wales and the island of Ireland offer some of the finest golf courses and experiences in the world, and it’s great to see golfers enjoying the opportunity to explore.

“With the middle of September providing continued warm weather, we hope that golf clubs across the country can keep the momentum going into the autumn.”