The flood of new faces on U.S. golf courses in 2020 was noteworthy, even if some gains were offset by the ones who went absent. Who were these new people? And who wanted “in” last year?

Almost two-thirds of golfers say they played a round of golf with a family member last year.

As Troon’s manager of environmental science, Brianne Kenny has brought non-golfers with a negative perception of golf to the course, and turned around their notions about the game. Her efforts, and similar ones around the country, seek to address some existing misconceptions about the game’s environmental and ecological impact.

The NGF’s annual Participation Report provides the latest data on golfers both on and off the course, including detailed information on segments such as beginners, women, non-Caucasian, juniors and a closer look at the growing pool of non-golfers who say they’re very interested in playing the game now.

Judy Rankin is honored as 2019 recipient of the NGF’s Graffis Award for outstanding contributions to the game and business of golf.