The number of rounds of nine holes of golf has grown at an even faster rate than that of 18-hole golf in the last 12 months, according to new figures.
BRS Golf by GolfNow has said the number of nine-hole tee times that were booked via its various platforms in 2020 in the UK and Ireland was 3.47 million – more than double the figure of 1.55 million in 2019. The figure was 1.4 million in 2018.
This 123 percent increase in rounds is due to both more demand for purpose-built nine-hole courses and 18-hole courses offering the option to play nine holes. Of the 3.47 million rounds played, 51 percent was by members of clubs and 49 percent by visitors. In 2019 the split was 60-40 in favour of visitors.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the data is that, while the top three months for booking nine-hole golf were May, June and July, December came above August in fourth place.
BRS Golf says its nine-hole bookings data accounts for two thirds of the entire UK market.
“What’s clear from these numbers is that the appetite for a shorter form of golf is growing and clubs not yet offering a nine-hole rate on their courses should consider changing their policy, making golf more accessible for players short on time or looking to squeeze in an evening round as daylight hours lengthen,” said a spokeswoman.
This comes as Sport Wales, The R&A, Wales Golf and Parc Golf Club, located between Cardiff and Newport, have invested in a state-of-the-art short game academy, that will be all-weather and floodlit.
The flagship facility will cater for all abilities from high performance training through to inclusive coaching, with work expected to be finished at the end of March.
It will include two driving nets, an all-weather synthetic surface green with several surrounding chipping pods, as well as a bunker with targets.
Playing surfaces, and surrounding areas will be fully accessible to all people, including those using a variety of mobility aids, including sticks and wheelchairs. The area will also have a shallow bunker entrance, rest areas and netting for safety and storage for adapted equipment.
To cater for the elite players in Wales there will be chipping pods of both fairway and rough grade, contouring of the greens, contouring of the bunker to allow for pot bunker practice, a wedge practice area for 40 to 100 yard shots and an indoor putting green for all weather training.
There is an equivalent planned for North Wales and the plans can be shared as a good practice model for the development of future golf practice facilities around Wales.
“This is the first project of its kind in Wales and we would like to thank all our partners for making this possible,” said Wales Golf director of performance Gillian O’Leary.
“It will be accessible to a whole range of golfers and should be something that is in place for many years to come, not only for high performance players but also as an inclusive facility for all abilities.
“We can’t change the weather in Wales, but we can change the facilities so people can practice in a top quality environment all the year round and not just during daylight hours.”
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