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Golf
News: -
Posted 31st March 1998
US golf continues
to increase
Jupiter,
Florida - The National Golf Foundation (NGF) has announced
that 1997 was a very good year for the growth of golf in the United
States.
After completing
a top-line analysis of the participation and rounds played data
for last year, it announced that overall, the total number of golfers
aged 12 and above increased by more than 7% to 26.5 million golfers.
The total number of rounds played increased by almost 15% to 547
million. This represents the first significant increase in golfers
and rounds played since the NGF first posted results in 1990.
The increases
were fuelled by junior and beginning golfers, an excellent sign
for future growth. It also appeared that a significant number of
"occasional" golfers graduated to the "moderate"
(more frequent play) category during 1997. Avid golfers also increased
in numbers.
The results
are based on an exclusive NGF survey of 60,000 households administered
between December 1997 and February 1998. These participation estimates
are based on the largest sample of households ever identified by
the NGF.
| Golfers |
1996 |
1997 |
Change |
| Total golfers (in thousands) |
24,373 |
26,474 |
7.0% |
| Junior (in thousands) |
1,761 |
2,356 |
33.8% |
| Beginner (in thousands) |
1,959 |
2,962 |
51.2% |
| Occasional (in thousands) |
11,626 |
10,619 |
-8.7% |
| Moderate (in thousands) |
6,084 |
7,895 |
29.8% |
| Avid (in thousands) |
5,266 |
5,602 |
6.4% |
| Rounds Played |
1996 |
1997 |
Change |
| All golfers (average rounds per year) |
19.3 |
20.7 |
7.3% |
| Total rounds (in millions) |
477.4 |
547.2 |
14.6% |
| Junior |
ages 12-17, played at least one round in the
given year |
| Beginner |
played for the first time in the past year |
| Occasional |
age 18 and above, played 1-7 rounds in the given
year |
| Moderate |
ages 18 and above, played 8-24 rounds in a given
year |
| Avid |
Ages 18 and above, played 25+ rounds in a given
year |
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