ng off the back of the peak season for Australian golf, competition golf rounds rose in both October and November with the October figures proving to be the highest monthly amount for the calendar year.
In new data released by the Australian Golf Industry Council, November showed a 2.5% national increase in the number of competition rounds played with the summer’s major men’s professional events occurring in Melbourne, Sydney and on the Gold Coast.
There were more than 1.17 million competition rounds played nationally in October.
November was an excellent month of growth in Western Australia with the state recording a 14.8% jump in the number of competition rounds played to nearly 93,000 for the month.
South Australia (+7.7%), Victoria (+4.8%) and Queensland (+4.5%) all recorded an increase in numbers on November 2012 figures.
On a Year-to-Date basis, the national market is 4.8% up on the same 11 months last year with all states except Tasmania recording increases over this period.
The annual improvement remains relatively consistent across metropolitan and regional areas.
Golf Australia CEO and AGIC Chairman Stephen Pitt said the excitement in the lead up to and during the major tournaments had proved a great boost in traffic, particularly in October.
“Everyone saw the hype surrounding the Australian tournaments and the data shows that the number of people playing competition rounds increased during that period – no doubt inspired in part by the excitement,” Pitt said.
“While improved weather conditions certainly help as well with the foot traffic through golf clubs, it’s impossible to ignore the impact Adam Scott’s return has had on the industry – particularly with his performances in Australia,” Pitt said.
“Golf was making the front and back pages of newspapers and leading news bulletins around the country. That recipe certainly suggests an increased number of competition rounds of golf in the months to come as we move into the peak of summer.”
The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) was established in late 2006 to provide a forum to help unite the industry on agreed industry wide initiatives.
Membership includes: Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association, Australian Ladies Professional Golf, Australian Sporting Goods Association, Golf Australia, Golf Management Australia, PGA of Australia and the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects.