2020, the Year Golf Boomed
In a year that kept people apart, golf brought people together
In March of 2020, San Diego and the rest of the United States began shutting down as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has led to the shutdown of restaurants, schools, movie theaters and professional sports. The general public had to find ways to cope with the pandemic and tried to seek out distractions that would get them out of the house and keep them safe.
One of the first things to be reopened for public use was golf courses, which began to open in San Diego starting in early May when Gov. Gavin Newsom revised the statewide stay-at-home order and allowed for non-contact outdoor recreational activities to resume.
The revised order brought a flood of people to golf courses. Not only were regular golfers flocking back to courses, but new golfers began playing. Golf is a game in which a player will never have to get within 6 feet of another person, so it became a popular way to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air after being under a stay-at-home order for months.
In San Diego, there are three city-owned golf courses: Balboa Park Golf Course, Mission Bay Golf Course and Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course. 2020 saw a 33.3% increase in golfers at those three courses, according to records provided by the city. The increased numbers of participants at golf courses was great for the industry, but the rise in numbers brought along with it crowded golf courses and slow play.
According to a study done by the National Golf Foundation, there were 24.8 million golfers in the U.S. in 2020. New players and golfers who came back to the game after an extended absence numbered 6.2 million, the highest total of such players in 23 years.
Matt McClure works in the pro shop at Mission Bay Golf Course and saw the increase in complaints that came along with the increase in players.
“It’s great to see people out and courses full, but man did pace-of-play get really slow,” McClure said. “We began to see two or three groups waiting at tee boxes because of a slow group of beginners falling way behind the group in front of them. I began to get calls in the pro shop demanding I come out and address the slow play. Everyone is a paying customer so it puts us employees in a tough spot.”
McClure is a golfer himself and plays at least two times a week. He has noticed a lack of golf etiquette among the new golfers.
“It takes a lot to make me upset, but what I can’t stand on the golf course is people talking in my backswing,” McClure said. “There are certain things about golf etiquette that I don’t mind when getting paired with new golfers. But if someone talks in my backswing or walks on my (putting) line, it really pisses me off.”
For a new golfer like Kevin Rataczak, golf was used as a way to see friends and remain physically active.
“Golf became a way where we could get some exercise, get out of the house and catch up,” Rataczak said. “I had a couple of friends who were golfers before the pandemic and an uncle who gave me his old set of clubs. I instantly became hooked.”
Rataczak had the benefit of learning from friends who were already golfers, and they took the time to teach him about etiquette and how to maintain pace of play.
“I was taught that no one cared if you were bad,” Rataczak said. “What you can’t be is bad and slow or people will care.”
The same NGF study found that in 2020 there were 502 million rounds recorded, an increase of 61 million from 2019, and that includes a shutdown of golf courses in the spring that would have added an estimated 20 million more rounds.
In San Diego, some months saw significant increases in 2020. The weather in San Diego allows for golf to be played year-round, so the numbers in San Diego differ from the rest of the United States.
“December saw some mind-blowing increases compared to 2019.” said John Howard, assistant golf operations director for the city of San Diego. “There was a 58% increase at the Balboa 18-hole golf course in December during the second shutdown.”
The total rounds played number was boosted largely in part to “core golfers” (average eight rounds a year) playing more golf. In 2020, the average golfer played 20.2 rounds, the highest average ever recorded since the statistic began to be tracked in 1998.
Golf equipment sales mirrored the increased attendance at golf courses. An article in Golf Digest found there to be a 31% dip in sales in March and April of 2020. However, July saw the industry record its highest grossing month in history. By year’s end, the industry matched its totals from 2019 despite the two months of low sales.
Rowdy Bank is the store manager at one of the Golf Mart locations in San Diego. His store has similar prices to his competitors, but what sets his store apart is the 90-day return policy that it offers on everything it sells. Another thing his store offers is a wide selection of used clubs that can be bought for cheaper.
“It is pretty easy to identify who the new golfers are and they tend to gravitate towards the used clubs,” Bank said. “It offers newer golfers the chance to get the top brands for a cheaper price and help them to get their golf bag started. With our 90-day return policy, and the ability to try the clubs before buying, we get a lot of free word-of-mouth advertising.”
The word-of-mouth advertising got Rataczak to visit the Golf Mart when he was looking to buy a new driver.
“I’m not very good so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on golf clubs,” Rataczak said. “I was able to look through the used drivers and try them out before settling on a $60 Taylormade driver. There was no way I was going to spend over $500 on the latest Taylormade driver.”
Golf equipment can be expensive, but that didn’t stop people from buying the newest gear. More golfers who shopped at the Golf Mart began shopping for the right equipment.
“We saw more people come in and get fitted for clubs than ever before,” Bank said. “I think because people started golfing more and getting better, they realized that having the right equipment would help them score better.”
Golf in San Diego undoubtedly has grown since the pandemic began. Time will tell if the new wave of golfers will sustain and the sport will continue to grow, but San Diego offers a year round season that could help to push the sport in the years after the pandemic.
This project was produced by Marco Perez as a published learning experience in JMS 430 Digital Journalism, part of the Journalism and Media Studies Program at San Diego State University.
