A golf trip takes away a difficult situation, a bright future.

Golfers are hitting the links around the world in record numbers.

While much of the tourism sector has spent the past three years recovering from the pandemic, the venerable sport of golf has suffered a different fate.

In the year After being rocked by the impact of the Covid-19 virus in 2020, golf has shown impressive growth in the second half of 2020. That growth continues in 2021, as the National Golf Foundation reports that more rounds of golf have been played at courses across the country. than at any time in history. And this number will grow to 2023.

In the year In 2021, according to the NGF, 25.1 million Americans played a golf course, a net increase of about 300,000 golfers from 2020. This 2021 number will grow to 37.5 million Americans in the presence of off-course driving ranges, simulators or amusement facilities such as Topgolf. added to the mixture.

One factor in the number of women and newcomers hitting the links is that these statistics are even more encouraging. In the year In 2021, of the 25.1 million golfers on a course, more than 6 million will be women, a number that has increased dramatically over the past five years. Similarly, in 2021, a record 3.2 million golfers played. This is the year In 2020, more than 3 million golfers are making their first golf game. Both numbers topped the peak of 2.4 million new golfers in 2000.

Good news for travel planners

Golf’s growing popularity is promising news for travel planners looking to rebuild after the disastrous 2020 and 2021 disaster. Already a $20 billion business in the United States, golf travel looks poised to improve on that number in the coming years.

According to a recent NGF survey of “core golfers,” nearly 80 percent said they plan to take a dedicated golf trip this year. This number is huge. Sixty-six percent of participants (about 13 million Americans who play at least eight rounds of golf a year) said they were planning a golf trip, up from a year ago. Along those lines, the NGF survey of 75 U.S. resort facilities found that advance bookings for golf trips were up 12 percent from the same period last year and nearly 20 percent on pre-pandemic days.

Even sky-high gas prices, which have reached $4.009 a gallon nationally this year, haven’t deterred golfers. About 60 percent of golf trips involve golfers hitting the fairway, but at destinations like Big Cedar Lodge in the Missouri Ozarks, advance bookings for 2022 are about the same as for 2021, reports show.

Nothing seems to keep golfers from the course they want. And considering there are over 38,000 courses worldwide in 209 different countries (85 percent of the world), that’s a healthy number of travelers.

Domestic golf destinations

Of these 38,000 courses, more than 16,000 are located in the United States, with the top states for golf being California, Florida, and Oregon. Those states are home to the top 100-ranked courses in the country, with California in the top 10.

And while the rankings vary, it’s generally agreed that Pebble Beach in California, Pacific Dunes in Oregon and TPC Sawgrass in Florida are among the best courses in the world. Best of all, these storytelling courses are open to the public.

Overseas golf trips are on the rise.

A report published by Business Research Company titled “Golf Tourism Global Market Report 2022 – Market Size, Trends and Global Forecast 2022-2026” states that the golf tourism market is expected to grow from $4.44 billion in 2021 to $4.8 billion in 2022. The same market is expected to grow to $5.8 billion by 2026.

Further enhancing the sport are over 670 golf courses under construction or in the planning stages. About 80 percent of the golf courses under construction or planned are in Asia, Europe, and North America. The expansion of golf courses in these regions will boost the golf tourism market in these areas, resulting in a healthy growth of the global golf tourism market.

One example of such a healthy golf market is the United Kingdom, where some of the UK Top golf courses will sell out this year and in 2023. Gordon Daglish, who runs the American tour operator Perry Golf, told CNBC that the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland has not seen as much interest from Americans who want to play top courses in Britain. In fact, Perigolf sells out 2023 spots to play the Old Course, which is considered the oldest and most famous golf course in the world.

Golf brings tourism dollars

While golf may be the main reason travelers visit Scotland and other golf-related cities and countries, it’s only a fraction of these excursions. This greatly benefits the cities and countries that host these golf courses.

Golf tourism represents the largest sports-related travel market and is considered one of the best ways to grow tourism. This is mainly because golf tourists have a higher average expenditure than other tourists, with golf tourists spending on average 2.5 times more than leisure tourists. Of this, only 25 percent is said to be spent on golf.

The National Golf Foundation also reports that while the average length of a domestic visitor’s trip is 3.6 days, a golfer stays an average of 4.6 days. According to a survey by Golf Travel Consulting, this number is significantly higher among overseas golfers staying at least seven nights.

In other words, golf travel is big business. And it is increasing day by day.

By Jason Paha