Golf Courses & Country Clubs NAICS 713910

May 16, 2025 - Rounds Played Rise

• Rounds of golf nationwide increased 4% in March 2025 year over year, boosted by favorable weather, according to data from Golf Datatech and the National Golf Foundation. Year to date, rounds were 2% lower than 2024’s record pace. Labor costs were up in March 2025, with average wages for nonsupervisory employees at golf courses and country clubs up 4.4% compared to a year ago, reaching $21.91 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment by golf courses and country clubs grew 1.1% in March 2025 compared to a year ago. In the past decade, employment by golf courses and country clubs has risen nearly 30%, faster than the nearly 14% rate for overall private employment. Producer inflation for golf courses and country clubs increased 5% in December 2024 compared to a year ago, per the BLS.
• The art, entertainment, and recreation services industry is one of the 11 industries reporting growth in April’s Services ISM Report on Business. Executives in the art, entertainment, and recreation services industry reported an increase in business activity, while reporting lower prices paid for materials and services. Other services industries reporting growth during the period included Accommodation & Food Services; Wholesale Trade; Mining; Real Estate, Rental & Leasing; Retail Trade; Health Care & Social Assistance; Transportation & Warehousing; Information; Educational Services; and Utilities. The six services industries reporting contraction during the period were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Finance & Insurance; Management of Companies & Support Services; Public Administration; and Construction. Overall, economic activity in the services sector expanded in April, with the Services PMI registering 51.6%.

• The US golf course and country club industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2025 and 2029, according to a forecast from Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. The expected growth rate is faster than the overall economy's projected growth. Spending by US households and tourists, foreign students, and other visitors largely drives the arts, entertainment, and recreation industries. Consumer confidence is expected to improve in the forecast period, which bodes well for the sector. A factor that may curb consumer spending is substantially higher tariffs on consumer goods, which may be painful for households. On a positive note, lower inflation supports a moderate increase of real disposable income by about 2% in 2025 and 1.9% in 2026. Real income could suffer if average prices rise due to tariff implementation.
• Consumers may adjust their golf spending as consumer sentiment, an indicator of discretionary spending, continues to fall in large part due to tariff uncertainty and an expectation of higher prices, according to two major indicators. The final index of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan dropped 8% in April 2025 from the previous month, according to CFO Dive. An index measuring consumers’ expectations for the future fell nearly a third since January, the steepest three-month percentage decline since the 1990 recession. According to survey director Joanne Hsu, “Consumers perceived risks to multiple aspects of the economy, in large part due to ongoing uncertainty around trade policy and the potential for a resurgence of inflation looming ahead.” The Consumer Confidence Index declined by 7.9 points in April 2024, compared to the previous month. Consumer confidence levels have fallen for five consecutive months, reaching levels not seen since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, according to The Conference Board, which publishes the monthly index.