Municipal Golf Courses See Resurgence

Though the number of U.S. golf courses in general has been declining - a 2015 report gave the total that year as 15,372 compared to a peak of 16,052 - the number of municipal courses, those owned and/or operated by a city, county or township, is on the rise according to the National Golf Foundation, which reports a record high of 2,515 was reached in 2018. One reason cited by the NGF for the increase is the ability of public entities to purchase properties that were previously privately owned, so they can better manage the use of the land within their boundaries and if desired, turn them into amenities for their residents.

The NGF is also reporting that for the first time in 14 years, the number of golfers in the U.S. (age 6 and older playing at least one round) saw an upturn from 23.8 million in 2017 to 24.2 million last year.