The season got off to a rousing start in many areas of the country where golfers are itching to put winter behind them.
Rounds played were up 4 percent nationwide in April compared with the same month last year, a mark that included increased play in 31 states, according to Golf Datatech's National Golf Rounds Played Report.
Predictably, the greatest increases in rounds played occurred in places like Minnesota, up 102 percent, and North and South Dakota, where play was up 94 percent. Other states with double-digit increases in rounds played in April were Wisconsin (45 percent); Iowa (30 percent); Michigan (26 percent); Colorado (15 percent); Illinois (13 percent); and Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (up 12 percent).
According to Jim Koppenhaver's Pellucid Corp. there was an overall 8 percent increase in favorable weather conditions nationwide, a measure he calls golf playable hours. For the year, golf playable hours are up 11 percent.
For the year, rounds played are up 2.2 percent with the greatest impact being felt at public-access courses, where rounds are up 3 percent for the year, compared with 0.1 percent at private clubs.
The greatest decline in rounds played in April were in New England, where rounds were down 12 percent to 18 percent throughout a region that failed to capitalize on warm, dry conditions. Play also was down in the South-Central United States, led by Louisiana (down 18 percent) and Kentucky and Tennessee (down 13 percent).
The survey includes self-reported statistics from 3,465 private clubs and daily fee facilities in 49 states, excluding Alaska.