Golf is More Popular Than Ever, But It’s Also More Expensive Than Ever

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Rising green fees, inflation and tariffs aren’t slowing down golf’s growth in the U.S., Canada

Michael LoRé | mlore@bigswingmedia.news

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No industry is immune from geopolitical or economical issues.

Whether it’s a result of war, inflation, tariffs or pandemic, the impacts can be severe and felt by many. The golf industry is no exception.

With the game more popular than ever, increased demand naturally begets higher costs of green fees to travel/tourism and equipment. All of these aspects of the game, which are already a significant financial investment, are magnified by anything happening in the U.S. or around the world.

“It’s funny how outsiders see golf as a little business, a sleepy little game—we grow grass and hit a golf ball and it’s that simple,” said Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners of America (NGCOA). “But when you look at it, we’re involved in geopolitical matters, local taxation issues, land-use matters, environment, climate change, small businesses, wage and hour.

“We are the epicenter of almost any kind of business you can imagine, and people forget that because they just think about what they see on television.”

‍Green fees mirroring inflation

We’ve all seen the headlines: “Ultra-exclusive private golf course opens in South Florida — with $1 million membership fee” and “Is golf too expensive?”

While high-end country clubs with exorbitant membership fees are garnering many of the headlines from endemic and non-endemic media, according to the National Golf Foundation, the game’s current cost is actually on par with inflation rates.

Peak 18-hole public playing fees in the U.S. have increased by approximately 29% between 2019-25 as golf participation continues to reach unprecedented heights. The average 18-hole green fee for municipal and daily-fee courses (just over $41) has risen 27% since 2019.

While a nearly 30% increase can cause eyes to bulge and wallets to gasp, it’s actually almost lockstep with the 27% cumulative rise in inflation over the same period. The NGF also pointed out that the average movie ticket price has jumped roughly 75% over the past six years, while the average cost to attend an NFL game has risen around 50% over that same period.

Breaking news: everything is more expensive. Sigh.

Despite these increasing expenses—not to mention rising fuel costs for golf travel/tourism and tariffs on golf equipment—that hasn’t stopped record numbers from engaging with the game.

More than one-third (136 million) of the U.S. population age 5+ played golf (on-course or off-course), followed golf on TV/online, read about the game or listened to a golf-related podcast in 2025, according to the NGF. That’s up 43% since record-keeping began in 2016.

Of that number, 48.1 million Americans age 6+ played golf in 2025 whether it was on-course only (29.1 million) or exclusively off-course (19 million).

“If things transpire in 2026 like they have the past three or four years—which we have every reason to believe they will because the demand indicators are still incredibly strong—the rounds played this year will be up over last year,” Karen said. “I think if we see a pricing response to that, it might be very marginal still: 2%.

“What does 2% look like on a $41 green fee if you’re looking across the entire market? That’s, what, 80 cents? Is that going to be the tipping point?”

Who bears the burden?

Golf courses take up a lot of land. In fact, most 18-hole courses can sprawl across 120-200 acres. The maintenance (and associated costs) necessary to keep the course up to a specific standard while operating at its maximum isn’t cheap. Not only that, but the pressure to turn golf courses into profitable enterprises looms over owners and operators knowing their valuable parcels of land could easily be sold to the highest bidder for the newest humming data center or high-rise luxury condominium complex.

Increased cost of goods and services as a result of skyrocketing oil prices and newly imposed tariffs mean course owners and operators are laying out more for the same level of production, maintenance and service. Karen questions if they should bear the bulk of that financial burden or if some of it should trickle down to customers.

“That’s the conundrum of a small business owner,” he said.

As local munis and public courses grapple with finding this balance without going bankrupt or segregating consumers, especially the game’s growing demos, private clubs and resorts have found their own remedies to continue to attract members and guests: dynamic pricing.

The dreaded phrase has garnered plenty of headlines recently ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as soccer’s global governing body FIFA has come under scrutiny for introducing this model for the first time.

Private clubs and resort courses can justify increased fees and dues through their exclusivity and amenities. Many resort courses utilize dynamic pricing for green fees based on demand, time of year, time of day, replay rounds, etc.

According to the NGF, more than half of U.S. golf resorts in its facility database have peak-season rates above $100. TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, home to the WM Phoenix Open, raised its peak rate to $551 in 2024, while Shadow Creek in Las Vegas came in at a whopping $1,250 peak rate.

Is tourism taking a hit?

President Donald Trump didn’t make many friends in Canada after imposing a 25% tariff on the U.S.’s northern neighborhoods in early 2025, which increased to 35% in late July. Repeatedly saying Canada should be the 51st state hasn’t helped the situation as Canadian tourism to the U.S. continues to decrease over the past 15 months.

The number of Canadians taking road trips to the U.S.—the most common way of visiting—dropped by 15% in February compared to February 2025, and is down 32% compared to the prior year, according to data released from Statistics Canada. There was also an 18% year-over-year decline in air travelers from Canada in February.

As Karen said, golf isn’t immune from external forces. Courses in places like Northern New York and Midwest states bordering Canada saw less rounds from Canadians in late 2025 as a result.

The New York Golf Trail, an association of 26 courses that sell multicourse play packages, saw a 38% drop in sales last year, with an 83% drop in bookings by Canadians, according to Sportico.

“As we talk to some of our provincial associations responsible for growing golf in areas like Prince Edward Island or British Columbia where we’ve seen tremendous increase and demand in some of those areas that are driven by tourism golf or people who aren’t necessarily local coming to play golf, there’s no question that the demand that has been increased is people choosing not to go south and prioritizing playing golf at home,” said Tim McLaughlin, Golf Canada chief marketing officer.

While the Great White North is traditionally known more for ice hockey, golf is rapidly growing in popularity in Canada. Golf Canada saw a record 11.2 million scores posted on the Golf Canada app by more than 360,000 members at 1,550 member clubs across the country, according to its 2025 annual report. Thanks to a 3% increase in total operating revenues, Golf Canada reached an organizational record $62.7 million in 2025.

Certainly not immune to tee sheets bursting at the seams or increased green fees and other related playing costs, golf in Canada, like in the U.S., doesn’t appear to be slowing down in popularity and participation anytime soon.

“There’s still lots of ways that people are able to engage with the sport that are more affordable and accessible,” McLaughlin said. “So while we see the increased demand driving engagement and the price up in some of the higher-end traditional formats, we’re also seeing new people coming into the game in ways that are accessible to them that also translates to green-grass golf.”