For the third consecutive month, rounds at U.S. golf courses rose in May.
The National Golf Rounds Played Report, compiled by Golf Datatech with the cooperation of the National Golf Course Owners Association, National Golf Foundation and PGA of America, indicated rounds were up 0.9 percent for the month compared to May 2008.
Rounds previously rose 1.4 percent in April and 3.4 percent in March.
Public-course play led the way, rising 1.3 percent. Private club rounds fell slightly, by 0.7 percent.
For the year to date, rounds remained in positive territory, up 1.6 percent from the first five months of 2008.
Here are the rounds totals for selected metropolitan areas of the U.S.:
May 2009 YTD 2009
Washington-Baltimore -1.9% -3.9%
Orlando -13.5% -7.5%
Naples-Ft. Myers -1.3% -1.6%
Atlanta -9.6% -8.5%
Myrtle Beach -4.3% -7.9%
New York City +5.3% +1.9%
Chicago +7.3% +10.3%
Nashville -12.0% +0.7%
St. Louis +18.7% +27.8%
Dallas/Ft. Worth -2.1% +6.9%
Los Angeles +1.0% -1.7%
San Diego +2.7% +3.4%
Phoenix -6.6% -2.5%
Las Vegas +7.0% -0.5%
Seattle -4.8% -1.5%
Source: National Rounds Played Report