With time and money cited as two of the most common reasons for playing less golf, could encouraging 9-hole rounds make a positive impact on the game?  Some of the more prominent entities in the industry believe it can, and they may be on to something. Earlier this year NGF collected attitudinal and behavioral information regarding 9-hole golf from a nationally representative sample of golfers. We also looked into how cost and time affect how often golfers play.  Here’s what we found:

Consolidation and growth of national and regional chains has resulted in more square footage for golf retail in 2012.  Even though there were 27 fewer stores in 2012 than in 2011, total square footage grew by about half a million square feet. This growth in square footage has been the trend for some time now. So even though there are fewer stores, the stores that remain open (or are opening) are larger.

Over the next 10-15 years, about 76 million baby boomers will enter their retirement years.  While hopes are high for a boom in the golf industry, golf courses and golf businesses should curb their expectations because this generation of retirees may not be golfing as much as their predecessors.