TEED UP FO
The Meyers Family Builds a Lega
by Danielle
In the $ 440 billion global sports industry , there is an activity to meet every fitness level and interest . From amateurs to seasoned pros , golf ranks as one of the top 10 most popular sports , generating more than $ 84 billion in annual revenue according to Forbes .
Whether it ’ s making a deal , building a relationship or just decompressing , people hit the links for different reasons . Famed courses like Inverness , Pebble Beach or Augusta are the gold standard ; but it ’ s the course in a golfer ’ s own backyard that is the real memory maker , and living in Florida there are plenty from which to choose .
The Sunshine State is home to 986 golf courses , the most of any state in the US .
Prior to 2006 , the National Golf Foundation says that the number of golf courses across the United States grew by 44 %, but since then has seen an 11 % contraction nationwide .
As other courses , like South Course Pelican Bay and Indigo , River Bend and Tomoka Oaks Golf Clubs , shutter their operations , how are local mainstays like the Riviera Country Club in Holly Hill staying sustainable ?
2020 Golf Industry Facts
• 101 million , nearly one third of Americans age 6 + played golf ( on-course or off-course ), watched the sport or read about it .
• 3 million : The number of people who played on a golf course for the first time .
• 5.9 million on-course participants , 5 million offcourse only participants , ages 18-34 year olds , is the sport ’ s biggest customer age segment .
• 3.1 million Juniors played golf on a course in 2020 , with 34 % of those being girls .
• 502 million rounds of golf played on courses across America in 2020 .
Courtsey of the National Golf Foundation
| 22 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE