The Goods on Golf

December 31, 2015, Department, by National Recreation and Park Association

This month’s numbers reveal some interesting facts about the game of golf.Here are some interesting facts about the sport, which, according to We Are Golf — a coalition of golf’s leading organizations — is the only sport in the world with an eco-label from the Rain Forest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council.

15,372: Total number of all golf facilities in the United States.

11,470: Number of public golf facilities in the United States.

2,480:  Number of municipal golf facilities in the United States.

33,000: Approximate number of rounds played per facility per year.

55: Percentage of golfers considered “avid” or who play eight or more times per year.

$830,000: Median gross golf fee revenue for municipal golf courses in 2014.

25 million: Approximate number of golfers who played at least one round of golf in 2014.

9 million: Number of acres of U.S. green space accounted for by golf courses.

2 million: Number of Americans employed by the golf industry.

$176.8 billion: Total economic impact of the golf industry in America, including direct, indirect and induced impacts.

160 mph: Average speed of a ball hit off of a tee.

3,000: Number of revolutions off the backspin of a tee (three times the speed of a car’s wheel).

 

Sources: National Golf Foundation, We Are Golf, Golfsmith