The surge in golf’s popularity the past five years slowed in the waning days of the first quarter of the year, with a slight drag from the weather likely responsible for much of the overall decline, according to a national rounds played report.
Rounds played were down slightly (0.3 percent) nationwide in March, compared with the same month in 2025, according to the report by Golf Datatech. Play remains up through the first quarter of the year (4.9 percent), compared with the first three months of last year, the report says.
The relatively flat participation numbers for March are in line with weather data for the same period released by Jim Koppenhaver’s Pellucid Corp. The number of Golf Playable Hours in March was up by just 1 percent nationwide, according to Pellucid. GPH is a measure of factors that affect play, including determinants such as precipitation, wind, daylight hours and temperature.
The largest gains in rounds played in March were made mainly in states with unseasonably warm weather. The Rocky Mountain region of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming led the way with a year-over-year increase of 33 percent. Other states with double-digit gains in March were Oregon (19 percent), Nevada (16 percent), New Mexico (14 percent), Wisconsin (11 percent) and California (10 percent).
The greatest year-to-date gains through the first quarter were in Colorado (38 percent); the above-mentioned mountain states (32 percent); New Mexico, Oklahoma and Washington (24 percent); Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi (21 percent); Texas (20 percent); Oregon (19 percent), Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee (14 percent); and Alabama (11 percent).
The greatest losses were in northern states where temperatures were down and precipitation was up compared to last year. Leading the way were Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where play was down by 56 percent, followed by New York (36 percent), New Jersey (25 percent) and Pennsylvania (22 percent).
