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