THE GOLF INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES

GENERAL

• Golf is a sport played by more than 28 million Americans, and enjoyed as a favored spectator activity by millions more.  But it is far more than a game: golf is a leading U.S. industry that makes a wide variety of positive contributions to our society.

GOLF’S ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• The golf industry provides 2 million jobs in the U.S. and total wage income of $61 billion.
• The total economic impact of golf in America has been measured at $195 billion, including golf’s direct, indirect and induced impacts.
• Golf provides a direct economic impact of $76 billion.
• The golf industry is larger than the motion picture and video business; larger than performing arts and spectator sports; and larger than the newspaper industry.

GOLF’S HUMAN BENEFITS

• Golf generates $3.5 billion for charitable causes each year. The great majority of these funds are raised at thousands of fundraising events across the country designed to benefit local communities and their citizens.
• Professional golf tournaments in the U.S. are all managed by charity-based organizations that collectively generated more than $135 million for charity in 2008.
• Golf teaches essential life skills to young people – sportsmanship, respect, integrity, honesty, self-control.  These positive traits are shared with youngsters through youth development programs such as The First Tee and junior golf programs across the country.
• Golf facilities provide a vital community service in offering a place to recreate and socialize, serving as a hub of community social interaction.

GOLF’S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• The nearly 16,000 U.S. golf facilities provide communities with valuable green space.
• A golf course is a healthy natural environment. The turfgrass on golf courses serves as a filter to runoff to control flooding; out of play areas offer wildlife habitat; trees and bushes filter dust and pollen; and the green space has a cooling effect on surrounding property.
• Golf courses are professionally managed by individuals who have been educated, certified and/or licensed to ensure that the golf facilities are operated in an environmentally responsible manner.
• The widespread benefits of golf course landscapes are delivered with the minimal use of water, with golf courses accounting for only one-half of one percent of U.S. annual water consumption.