What really fuels the golf market and keeps courses up and running? Pro’s? Scratch golfers? Avid golfers? The answer is quite simple – the average or moderate golfer. If there are 27 million or so golfer’s in the U.S. and less than 1% are pro or scratch golfers, count them out.
Ironically, a lot of pro’s who can afford the game rarely pay for it or get great deals. As for avid golfers (25+ rounds per year), they only account for roughly 3-5% of the market, which leaves the average and beginners (less than 7 rounds per year).
The average golfer is statistically a mid to upper-mid working class person playing around 20 rounds a year. Funny thing is if it wasn’t for this demographic, 80% of golf courses would probably shut their doors. Here’s a reality check: average golfers use more golf balls, period. They or we go through 3-5 balls (or more) a round.
Let’s do the math; say an average golf ball costs $1.00 times 4 balls a round times 20 rounds a year. That comes out to $80 dollars in golf balls per average golfer per season. Now multiply that times the roughly 20 million average golfers and there you have 1.6 billion dollars spent a year on golf balls. Sounds crazy, huh…how about those greens fees?
These numbers represent a driving but unheard voice in the golf community. We can take these stats and apply them to other commodities in the golf industry like clubs, apparel and accessories and get a good idea of the revenue we spill into this game we love.
What’s in store for the future? I guess only time will tell…but as long as average golfers keep losing balls on the course, the golf economy will continue to drive forward…
Hit’em long…yell FORE!!! Love your balls.
Golf Cart mounted system and handheld mobile wireless PDA screen. These systems are great revenue enhancers for Golf Clubs and for the serious golfer who likes all the bells and whistles and have the money to pay them. It is quite the ideal system to add to our idea, or vice versa, check it out: The Inforemer (TM), that information is available on its website. GPS Industries, which makes everything.