About 20% of the Core golfer population really upped their engagement in 2020. Can that continue? And who might take this group’s place in 2021?

November rounds of golf were up almost 57% nationally over a year ago, continuing an upward trend since coronavirus restrictions on golf operations were lifted.

The U.S. is on pace for 50 million more rounds in 2020 than 2019. Amazing, yes. Record setting? Not quite. Here’s the only year that saw a bigger jump in play.

In 2009 and 2016, roughly a quarter of U.S. public golf courses admitted to being in bad shape, financially. The NGF has re-examined the subject of facility health amid the turbulence of 2020 and here’s where things stand now, among both public and private courses.

September saw the biggest monthly jump in rounds all year, up almost 26% versus a year ago, moving the industry to +9% nationally over a year ago.