Sustaining the growthThis deluge of new players couldn’t have come at a better time for golf courses. After Tiger Woods won the Masters in record fashion in 1997, golf saw a boom in rounds played and courses built.
The industry continued to grow with the population, reaching a peak of 30 million golfers in 2003.Then, in 2006, came the housing collapse and subsequent financial crisis and economic downturn.
Courses around the country closed, and the number of rounds played dropped for 13 straight years.But last year, as cabin fever gripped the country, the two most popular activities were binge-watching TV shows—and playing golf.According to a report put together by the National Golf Foundation, golfers played 502 million rounds last year,.