A report by the National Golf Foundation found that 14 golf courses opened last year while 157.5 courses closed, bringing the total number of U.S. golf courses to 14,564.5. Public courses made up 97% of the closures with 151.5, and a total of 8.5 golf course openings were public.
More golf courses closed than opened in the U.S. in 2013 for the eighth straight year, according to a report by the National Golf Foundation.
A total of 14 golf courses opened last year, up from 13.5 in 2012, while 157.5 courses were closed during the year, three more than a year earlier. The organization counts every nine holes as 0.5 of a course.
Since 2006, course closings have outpaced openings after more than 4,500 courses had opened over the previous 15 years. Those courses, many of which were built as part of real estate projects, shut down as the U.S. recession led to a reduction in home sales needed to support the courses, the Bloomberg News reported.
Of the closings, 66 percent charged less than $40 for greens fees during peak times. The closings decreased the total number of U.S. golf courses to 14,564.5, the Foundation said. Public courses made up 97 percent (151.5) of the closures, with private courses accounting for 4 percent (6). A total of 8.5 public courses opened last year, compared with 5.5 new private courses.
Since 2006, 643 18-hole courses have closed, the organization said. The decline has followed a 40 percent growth from 1986 through 2005, a period with more than 4,500 courses opening, according the foundation data.
Among the 14 course openings in 2013 was the Tom Doak-designed Red Course and the Dismal River Club in Mullen, Neb. Gary Player’s Cliffs at Mountain Park Course in Travelers Rest, N.C., also opened in 2013 after five years of delays, Bloomberg News reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.