June 2020 saw 70% more rounds of golf played than in June 2019

Data from 125 golf courses in the UK has shown that the number of rounds of golf played last month was up by an unprecedented amount compared with June 2019.

The SMS Rounds Played Monitor finds that the number of rounds played was up by a stunning 70 percent.

This is the biggest increase ever – and, of course, it is for a summer month, when golf courses are at their busiest anyway.

In May, weighted figures for the immediate post lockdown period showed that rounds played enjoyed an initial uplift of about 40 percent year-on-year, with the south in particular recording over 50 percent increases year on year.

This means that the vast majority of golf clubs that reopened in May had, by the end of June, experienced more rounds of golf played on them between March and June 2020, than the same period in 2019, even though the venues were closed for the majority of that time.

“There was much discussion across the industry about whether this trend [for May] would level off or be sustained,” said a spokesman for SMS. “Now, initial indications are that the post-lockdown boom in rounds played is, if anything, gathering speed rather than slowing down.

“The early promise and surge in rounds played during May does not look like a flash in the pan.

“In many cases, this growth has been helped by extending from two-ball only play to allow three and four balls onto the tee. In May, many courses opened for two-ball golf only to comply with social distancing restrictions, with some subsequently choosing to keep this in place following positive user feedback on the resulting pace of play.”