HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — More than half of golf courses closed nationwide for most of April. The drop in rounds volume alone accounts for a loss of about $1 billion in golf course revenues.
That's according to the National Golf Foundation.
According to the Professional Golf Association of America, golf is an $85 billion industry and golf has boomed in popularity since May.
Jack Dean, head golf professional at Bowden Golf Course, says that he's seen nearly 1,800 more rounds of golf played between May and September compared to those months last year.
He's seen a lot of new faces at the course and says he's grateful for the boom.
"We've had a lot more traffic. I've seen an increase in rounds of golf played, and membership. What's been great about it is we got new people coming to the game," Dean said.
Head golf professional at Houston Lake Country Club Lacey Fears says they've seen an increase as well.
"We've definitely seen an increase. We're really thankful and a lot of industries are hurting and we just feel super fortunate," Fears said.
Golf-lovers Emanuel Frazier and Bryan Wimberly say golf is one of the safest sports to play during the pandemic.
"A lot of places will only allow you to ride in a car by yourself. If you did not come to the course or live with that individual. So I think the safety measures plus the fact that it's an open air space makes me feel safe on the course," Frazier said.
"Golf is a socially distant sport as well, of course, we ride by ourselves. You can stand six feet apart on the green," Wimberly said.
According to Golf Datatech, the numbers of rounds played nationwide in August were up 20.6% from the same month last year. The September numbers haven't been tallied yet.