Golf’s economic impact in the U.S. has grown by 22 percent in the past five years, according to a survey released by Golf 20/20 last week.
The report found that golf generated $84.1 billion of economic activity, and supports 1.89 million jobs and $58.7 billion in compensation.
U.S. golf facilities generate $33.3 billion, with an additional $28.5 billion in tourism spending. There is $6 billion made from sales of golf equipment, apparel and media.
“The positive trends this study details regarding the entire golf industry helps to show how vital the game is to the prosperity of our economy and entire nation,” said Steve Mona, World Golf Foundation CEO. “The impact the industry’s health has on millions of Americans cannot be understated. With so much riding on the game’s success, we’re extremely pleased that a comprehensive study of this nature can provide such encouraging results.”
As CEO of the World Golf Foundation, Mona oversees Golf 20/20 and We Are Golf, a coalition of the game’s leading associations. The report was released on National Golf Day, April 25th, when association and other leaders were in Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional leaders.
This is the fourth economic analysis of the game since 2000. Several segments of the golf industry were researched, including facility operations, tourism, real estate, supplies, tournaments, associations and charitable events.