Golf Business Quarterly speaks to Kevin Murray, Market Data Analyst for NBC Sports Next, and Richard Payne, Director at Sporting Insights, about how 2022 is stacking up to those in the recent past and also before the pandemic.
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Kevin Murray: “The Covid boom is being maintained: golfers are still playing week in week out"
“The strong start to the year for both member play and visitor play in the UK and Ireland has continued through Q2 and into Q3.
“Over the first eight months of 2022, BRS Golf facilitated 17.4m member rounds. During both 2020 and 2021 there were restrictions in some form over the course of the first part of the year, so it makes it a little more difficult to get an accurate YOY change in the number of rounds played, though the lack of post-lockdown booms in golf this year has allowed us to see a steady run of member play, and to get a more accurate gauge of the levels of consistent member play by month.
“Over the first eight months of 2022, the 17.4m member rounds was 1.8m rounds ahead of 2021, 3m ahead of 2020, and 7.7m ahead of pre-Covid levels of 2019. This represents an 11% growth on 2021, 21% growth on 2020, but a massive 78% growth on 2019. The sample set of golf clubs has remained pretty stable over the last few years, so is a reliable source of data, with no material changes affecting the numbers.
“We have seen a very high level of play across all nations. This can be viewed as a very positive sign of the Covid boom in golf being maintained, as golfers are still playing week in, week out. For the first time since we began tracking member play in 2017, the volume of member rounds increased in August compared to July – with an additional 300,000 rounds. The weather played some part in this, with the record-breaking temperatures in July, where it was simply too warm to go outside, let alone play golf.
“The levels of registered BRS members has remained pretty constant at 677,000 over the last few months.
“Demand for visitor tee times remains as strong as we have seen it. So far, GolfNow has generated £7.8m in visitor green fee revenue for our course partners.”
NBC Sports Next are the parent company of BRS Golf and GolfNow. BRS Golf and GolfNow provide tee-time booking solutions to 1,500 clubs in GB&I.
Richard Payne: “Viewed in a fully historical context, these figures represent a strong industry performance”
“The average number of rounds of golf played at courses across Great Britain was down 9% compared to Q2 2021. Despite this, the numbers continue to highlight growth above pre-pandemic levels.
“A strong Q1 means that even with the Q2 numbers, rounds played in Great Britain are up 24% compared to the first half of 2021, although it is worth remembering that the first quarter of last year was affected by ongoing lockdowns, while April to June benefitted from the easing of restrictions and working from home.
“Viewed even in their fuller historical context, the Q2 2022 figures represent a strong industry performance. April and May’s national rounds were the highest in the last five years, with the exception of 2021. This explains why rounds played remain up 19% in Q2 compared to 2019. That in turn indicates, encouragingly, that many of the new golfers attracted during and after lockdowns - including through successful efforts from governing bodies to change perceptions of the game - remain engaged.
“We do expect growth against 2021 to continue to slow in the second half of the year. Q2 2021 was an exceptional time, with the release from lockdown but still widespread working from home. We also expect the cost-of-living crisis to have an effect on leisure spend, in golf and other sports. This is likely to affect visitor rounds and equipment sales first, with many having already paid memberships for the rest of 2022, but there will undoubtedly be pressure on renewals in the coming months.
“Whether rounds played can remain above 2019 is, in our view, one of the key metrics to look out for over the next six months and into 2023.”
Learn more at sportinginsights.com
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