Lots of good news in the world of golf these days, from an increased number of rounds of golf players in 2012 to an economy that might be improving and thus giving some people a little more spending cash for the game.
But just to sober you up from the giddy news in some areas comes this report from the National Golf Foundation: in 2012, more than 150 golf courses in this country closed.
It’s safe to say that the number of closures of courses continues to outpace the number of openings. Facilities opened in just 18 states last year (none of those were in the Coachella Valley).
Just a few other nuggets on courses in the country from 2012 from the NGF:
– Just over 25 percent of the courses in the country are private. Compare that to the desert, where about 50 percent of courses are private.
–NGF says 19 percent of courses are involved with real estate developments. Gosh, in the desert it seems like 100 percent.
–the five states with the most supply of golf courses are Florida, California, New York, Michigan and Texas.
So the next time someone tell you that things are looking up in golf, remind them that the NGF says one course closes in this country ever other day last year. That should make them think a little harder.