Are even brighter days still ahead?

For those who believe in silver linings and never wasting a crisis, golf can point to the COVID-19 pandemic as Exhibit A. The numbers, as tallied by the National Golf Foundation, tell a story of growth from what initially seemed to be devastation in the five years since the beginning of the pandemic. What they don’t reveal is what happens next for superintendents.

First, the state of the union, as it were: “On a national level, year-to-date play continues to trend ahead of 2023, when there were more rounds played at U.S. golf courses than any other year in history,” according to the National Golf Foundation in a recent report (Does Golf Have a Capacity Problem?).

The big question: Will it continue? The NGF sees encouraging signs, saying that total play is “at or close to record levels with no signs of declining demand.”

The numbers paint a promising picture. Since 2022:

• There has been a 4 percent uptick in the youth category (ages 6 to 17)
• Women golfers are up 9 percent
• Golfers of color have increased their play by 8 percent
• Off-course participation has grown at a 4 percent pace

What’s more, latent demand — which measures potential growth among those who say they are “very interested” in the sport — increased by 1.5 million to a total of 22.4 million, according to the NGF’s 2024 Graffis Report. The keys are recruiting enthusiastic new golfers to play more and retaining them at whatever level of skill they seek.

One should also overlay on this snapshot the fact that the number of golf courses across the United States continues to shrink, though at a slower pace than we’ve seen in the past, meaning that substantially more golfers are playing on fewer courses.

What do these trends suggest for superintendents? Five things for your planning:

1. The pipeline of turf-care professionals needed to sustain courses hosting a new generation of golfers needs to continue to grow. And that pipeline must continue the tradition of superintendents being some of the smartest and hardest-working members of any golf staff.
2. Turf care and maintenance capabilities, along with innovative operational tactics, advanced technologies and creative turf care alternatives, need to continue to expand to keep pace with increased demand. Newcomers to golf are being attracted to the game’s most enduring attributes; most enticing is a friendly walk through a beautiful setting with good friends.
3. Progressive consideration and analysis of funding sources need to happen throughout a facility’s entire organization. Each facility should develop and maintain a sources- and uses-of-funds analysis to ensure that the club’s assets are replaced in a timely manner. Baling wire and duct tape have always been a poor solution. Courses and facilities that have caught up — in most cases — on long-deferred capital spending must use the COVID-induced reset to use a full array of funding sources from capital calls on members and owners to debt and planned giving programs.
4. Superintendents must update their capital reserve plans to ensure old and outdated equipment can be replaced on a timely and cost-effective schedule. Nothing turns enthusiastic new golfers away from any course faster than poor playing conditions. People who know nothing of turf care and agronomic science know immediately when the facility and its golf course maintenance and play equipment are in poor working order.
5. Superintendents must be intense and savvy recruiters of talent. Building a team that has the knowledge and experience to work faster and smarter requires advance planning and ongoing coaching. Golf course superintendents can help themselves with enthusiastic and informed coaching of new crew members. To the new recruits, the superintendent is the keeper of the game.

After years of golf suffering through economic hardships and flagging participation, we now live in the sport’s halcyon days. Let’s hope that they continue. We can also dedicate ourselves to the work that ensures that they do.