You may have noticed that tee times have been harder to come by lately. That is because there has been an increase in the number of rounds being played across the state.
According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), there has been an increase in the number of rounds played for June in the South Central part of the United States. The NGF counts the South Central section as AL, AR, LA, MS, OK, KY, TN, and TX. Compared to June of 2021 there has been an increase of 5.6% in the number of rounds played. Overall there has been an increase of 3.8% year to date.
For the Louisiana area, which for some reason they include AL and MS there has been a 3.8% increase in the number of rounds played compared to June of 2021. Year to date that number is only 0.2%. However, an overall comparison of 2022 vs 2021 shows a small increase of 0.8% for the entire South Central area.
An increase in rounds played can mean fewer tee times available and slower rounds on the golf course. We must all understand the importance of this and learn to be patient and understanding. For those of us that love golf, we want to be out on the golf course as long as possible anyway but do not expect a 3-hour round of golf. This may also mean that there are more new players to the game. We must understand that they may not know golf etiquette and must be patient that they may not fix a pitch mark, fill a divot, rake a bunker, or let a faster group play through.
In the long run, this is all good for the game of golf. More people playing golf means more to a golf course's budget and more to the budget means improved conditions. More golfers may also give some of us a chance to make new friends or business connections.
Let's encourage more friends and family to play golf and see if we can't get better numbers for next month or next year.
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