Post-COVID price hikes threaten to curb golf’s participation surge
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An analysis of 550 million green fees between 2019-2024 reveals golfers are paying 29.2% more on average than before the pandemic.
According to Supreme Golf’s comprehensive analysis of over half a billion green fees, the average tee time cost across all 50 states and the District of Columbia has risen from $38.09 in 2019 to $49.21.
From the 51 golfing territories, only Alaska (-3.5%) and West Virginia (-0.7%) reported lower green fees post-pandemic, albeit marginally. The remaining 49 all reported increased prices, with many States charging significantly more expensive tee time costs compared to the average inflation rate for the period which peaked at eight percent in 2022.
Golfers in New York (+2.5%), Kansas (+4.6%), and Iowa (+6.0%) have “enjoyed” the lowest average price hikes since 2019, while those teeing off in Idaho (+75.4%), Wyoming (+69.4%), and Nevada (+63.2%) swallowed the highest increases. The average price of 18 holes in Hawaii was an astronomical $140!
Average 2024 tee time cost and percentage change since 2019
| State | Amount ($) | Percentage Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 49.9 | +28.4% |
| Alaska | 40.8 | -3.5% |
| Arkansas | 33.7 | +27.8% |
| Arizona | 66.1 | +52.7% |
| California | 59.8 | +30.9% |
| Colorado | 64.8 | +25.6% |
| Connecticut | 38.0 | +15.5% |
| Delaware | 60.3 | +32.1% |
| District of Columbia | 38.0 | +17.3% |
| Florida | 55.8 | +47.2% |
| Georgia | 48.6 | +47.1% |
| Hawaii | 140.0 | +28.2% |
| Idaho | 52.1 | +75.4% |
| Illinois | 37.0 | +19.6% |
| Indiana | 36.1 | +24.5% |
| Iowa | 34.7 | +6% |
| Kansas | 29.4 | +4.6% |
| Kentucky | 31.3 | +27.1% |
| Louisiana | 47.0 | +10.2% |
| Maine | 38.7 | +22% |
| Maryland | 56.0 | +29.3% |
| Massachusetts | 42.0 | +14% |
| Michigan | 45.8 | +24.5% |
| Minnesota | 35.7 | +24.7% |
| Mississippi | 47.0 | +20% |
| Missouri | 39.4 | +26.3% |
| Montana | 44.3 | +31.4% |
| Nebraska | 34.7 | +23.8% |
| Nevada | 114.0 | +63.2% |
| New Hampshire | 43.6 | +20.4% |
| New Jersey | 49.6 | +25.9% |
| New Mexico | 42.5 | +15.6% |
| New York | 44.3 | +2.5% |
| North Carolina | 51.0 | +33.9% |
| North Dakota | 46.2 | +39% |
| Ohio | 31.9 | +21.9% |
| Oklahoma | 27.6 | +8.9% |
| Oregon | 45.2 | +39.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 38.0 | +20% |
| Rhode Island | 43.0 | +24.9% |
| South Carolina | 65.5 | +38.5% |
| South Dakota | 42.5 | +18.3% |
| Tennessee | 47.8 | +36.3% |
| Texas | 48.8 | +30.1% |
| Utah | 44.3 | +18.2% |
| Vermont | 52.9 | +20% |
| Virginia | 52.7 | +28.2% |
| Washington | 49.1 | +45.5% |
| West Virginia | 63.5 | -0.7% |
| Wisconsin | 41.8 | +20.1% |
| Wyoming | 39.4 | +69.4% |
The analysis reflects a trend observed in the UK too, where average green fee costs have rocketed by approximately 10 percent since 2023 despite inflation expected to average below three percent for the same period. A round at one of the top 100 courses in the UK in the summer now costs £220 on average.
But while rising visitor green fees are helping subsidize membership fees for existing golf club members, they are at risk of pricing many casual golfers out of the market, particularly those who have recently discovered or re-discovered their love for the game.
Golf is booming – an unexpected beneficiary following the pandemic with new and lapsed players flocking to the great outdoors to enjoy everything the game has to offer.
The United States has seen a participation surge in all areas of the game with an estimated 26.6 million Americans playing on a course in 2023, up by a million compared to the previous 12 months. It was the single biggest jump in on-course participation since Tiger Woods held all four Majors at once in 2001.
Non-traditional formats of the game have also flourished since the pandemic with 45 million Americans enjoying tech-infused driving ranges and golf simulators, a trend also reported in the UK, where the PGA is drawing encouragement from a wider and more diverse playing base.
Golf has never been so accessible thanks to pioneering innovation and changing perceptions of what denotes being “a golfer”. It’s why those golf clubs still trying to capitalize on the post-COVID participation surge without just cause are placing the continued growth of the game at risk.
It will become unsustainable. Let’s just hope the tipping point hasn’t already been reached.
About the author
Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer
Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.
Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.
He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.
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