Golf Is Booming During the Pandemic

As devastating as the pandemic has been for the travel industry, one bright spot was golf, a key attraction at many resorts in the U.S. and around the world. The sport boomed in 2020 as those seeking respite from isolation sought a healthy, outdoor activity.

“Spring shutdowns gave way to an unprecedented summer and fall in terms of rounds,” according to the National Golf Foundation. The number of rounds played last year totaled almost 503 million, the most since 2006 and the highest year-over-year increase – 14 percent – since 1997, the year Tiger Woods won his first major.

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The exploding interest in golf is expected to continue into 2021, making golf resorts prime destinations for travelers eager for outdoor recreation and easy social distancing.

“The boom is not only expected to continue this year, it is already underway,” said Dan Shepherd, a consultant, promoter of golf tourism and former editor of Golf Inc., an industry trade publication.

“Although the season is barely underway in most of the country, demand for play is already stronger than usual this year,” he said. “That is compared to the past 10 years prior to the pandemic, which catapulted golf participation due to its inherent social distancing attributes, its wellness attributes (fresh air, nature, wildlife, exercise, competition, camaraderie, etc.), and people having more time given many people are still working from home, not having to commute, etc.”

As the vaccines roll out, more people are feeling freer to travel again. Yet others are still cautious – the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week urged continued safety measures to prevent a possible fourth surge of the pandemic.

“While things are ostensibly safer now than they were six months or 12 months ago, there is still significant uncertainty,” Shepherd said. “They’ve got pandemic PTSD. They’re scared, and golf is their safe haven, a way to enjoy life and recreation without introducing all of the forementioned risks. That will not go away anytime soon, and quite frankly it appears to be the new norm. Demand is high across the industry, in North America and abroad.”

Among Shepherd’s clients is Primland, a boutique luxury golf resort spread over 12,000 acres in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. “There are few places as ideally set up to deal with a pandemic and social distancing,” he said.

Its main lodge has only 24 rooms and suites, and not all of them were filled due to capacity restrictions for most of the past 12 months. Other lodging units – cottages and mountain homes – are spread out across the property.

Primland’s The Highland Course is rated among the top 30 resort courses in the country. “Golf boomed at Primland last year,” he said, “and is doing so again already this year, based on tee time bookings and golf package sales.”

Shepherd, who also promotes golf tourism in Puerto Rico, noted the PGA Tour Puerto Rico Open was played during the last week in February. It was the largest, highest-profile event to be held on the island since the pandemic began. The event was played at Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve (formerly named Coco Beach), and it went off without a hitch, safeguards in place.

“Demand to visit Puerto Rico is high, and the number of flight, golf, and hotel room bookings, are increasing steadily with each passing week,” he said. “With 18 golf courses and many resorts at which the courses are amenities, the golf destination and stay-and-play niches are trending well.”

Also of note, it’s the first full year for Payne’s Valley by Tiger Woods, a new course in Branson, Mo., designed by Woods and his golf architecture company, TGR Design, in tandem with Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and Big Cedar Lodge.

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