“We’re seeing an industry that five years running has added golfers”

The chief executive of Acushnet Holdings, the company behind the golf brands Titleist and FootJoy, has said the Covid-fueled surge in participation is lasting longer than many had predicted.

Speaking at a second quarter earnings call, David Maher revealed his company has been performing strongly and said that golf is still growing in popularity.

His comments come as The R&A has revealed that golf has seen a stunning rise in adult participation across the world – by 34 percent in the last seven years, and BRS Golf has reported that the UK and Ireland has seen membership participation grown in the first half of 2023 compared with 2022.

“Acushnet delivered another strong quarter, delivering sales of $689 million, a six percent year-over-year constant currency increase,” said Maher. “Gains in Titleist golf balls and golf clubs drove this top line growth.

“Some 250 million rounds of golf were played in the US during the first half [of 2023], a 5.5 percent gain versus last year and roughly 16 percent increase compared to 2019. Total worldwide rounds for the first half are projected to be up low single digits as domestic gains more than covered modest weather-related declines outside the US. The sport continues to generate strong interest and is benefiting from new golfers who have entered the game during the past few years.

“The core of it is people are fitting golf into their lives in a more meaningful way today than they did three, four, five years ago. We’re seeing an industry that five years running has added golfers. The biggest observation is how well and strong the game is holding up as compared to our, I think, rightfully conservative expectations coming off the very high watermark of 2021.”