The Golf Industry is still working hard to regain lost business.  Here’s the perspective;
- In 1985, there were about 19.5 million golfers.
- In 2005, there were about 30 million golfers.
- In 2013, there were around 24.7 million golfers.
It is true that the number of golfers dropped precipitously with the 2008 recession, but golfer numbers have been constantly dropping since 2006. Right now the golf industry lost about half of what was grown from 1985 to 2005.
Shortly after 1985 is also when the boom in new golf course construction started. So if half the new golfers created since 1985 have been lost, did we also lose half of the new golf courses? While we’ve dropped some, most of those courses are still out there trying to make a go at it.
On the Bright Side
Golf is still one of the most popular sports people want to play. Doing the math, at our current levels more than 8.5% of our population plays golf.  Other articles discuss how courses can draw play, some of which are rather revolutionary (FootGolf, per hour fees, etc).
A mitigating factor that many hold onto is the fact that most of the golfer losses have been with the Occasional Golfers. The real answer is to keep golfers active whether they are Core or Occasional. That’s the role in which every golf course can help.
