Page 30 - GBC ENG Winter 2025

Slade King
Slade is the COO of PGC Golf Company (Play Golf
Calgary), which consists of The Links of GlenEagles, Blue
Devil Golf Club, L’il Devil Golf Course, Heatherglen
Golf Course and Serenity Golf Club. Contact Slade at
403-932-6453 or slade@playgolfcalgary.com.
The Power of Data
in Golf Operations
The power of data has trans-
formed the landscape of golf over
the last 5 years. With the growing
number of software platforms—
whether your main POS system or
third-party plug-ins—the amount
of information available feels
endless. The real challenge is
turning that flood of data into
insights that shape your pricing,
procedures, budgets, and strategy.
I still remember one of my first
Golf Business Canada conferences I
attended as a young PGA
professional. At that time, I loved
the golf swing, talking golf, and
checking out the newest equipment.
Running a golf course however, felt
well above my pay grade. My daily
responsibilities were simple: answer
the phone, check people in, high
five players after a great round, and
keep pace of play on track.
That changed during a
benchmarking session led by Andy
Hedley, where I first heard the
phrase: “If it can’t be measured, it
can’t be managed.” It showed me
numbers weren’t just boring
spreadsheets for accountants, they
30Golf Business Canada
30
Golf Business Canada
August 2025 Rounds Played • Alberta
Average Rounds | Percentage Changes
NATIONAL GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION CANADA
MONTH YEAR-TO-DATE
Rounds %C YOY 5 yr. average 5 yr. %C Rounds % C YOY 5 yr. average 5 yr. %C
Calgary 7,192 +12.3% 6,773 +6.2% 31,713 +15.7% 27,101 +13.3%
Central 5,285 +20.1% 4,925 +7.3% 21,779 +16.3% 19,591 +11.2%
Edmonton 6,985 +9.0% 6,002 +16.4% 27,303 +14.9% 22,818 +19.7%
South 6,606 +22.0% 5,455 +21.1% 28,161 +36.0% 20,365 +38.3%
North 2,976 -1.0% N/A N/A 13,796 +9.8% N/A N/A
9 Holes 4,397 +22.5% 4,171 +5.4% 18,330 +21.8% 15,347 +19.4%
THE PULSE
REPORT
2025
Provincial 6,356 +11.3% 5,792 +9.7% 26,231 +16.4% 22,328 +17.5%
National 5,706 +10.5% 5,162 +10.5% 22,345 +9.2% 19,958 +12.0%
Report Definitions
ROUNDS: Average for the month; a round played is defined as one person who tees off (starts) at your facility | YEAR-TO-DATE: Cumulative totals from April 1 | 5 YR: Average
Rounds for 2020-2024 | %C: Percentage Change | YOY: same period prior year
DATA SOURCE: Based on survey panel of over 800 member courses
National Golf Course Owners Association Canada
August 2025 Weather • Alberta
PRESENTED BY
OPERATOR SCORES CLOSURES 2025 CLOSURES 2024
Month YTD 5 yr. Month 5 yr. YTD Month YTD Month YTD
Calgary 7.6 6.8 8.3 6.9 2 19 2 22
Central 7.6 6.8 8.2 7.2 3 16 2 17
Edmonton 7.9 6.8 7.7 7.0 3 16 2 24
Southern 6.7 6.1 7.9 6.1 2 20 2 17
Northern 8.2 7.4 8.0 7.1 1 6 3 19
Provincial 7.6 6.8 8.1 6.6 2 17 2 21
SCALE: 5 = Average for time of year | 10 = Perfect Weather | 0 = Course unplayable due to weather
Report Definitions
MONTH: average weather score given by golf course operators on how weather impacted their business in the month | CLOSURES: average number of closures (minimum ½
day) due to inclement weather in the month | YTD: Year-to-Date | 5 YR: Average Score for 2020-2024
DATA SOURCE: Based on survey panel of over 800 member courses
were tools for strategy. That simple
statement set me on a path toward
measuring and systemizing many
aspects of our business. I started
small: tracking rounds, a bit of
revenue, green fee averages, booking
patterns. Nothing fancy—just enough
to share a few interesting stats at
month-end. It felt like dipping a toe
into a new world.
Fast forward twenty years, and
now we’re immersed in it. We track
everything in real time: rounds,
average green fees, customer mix,
utilization, year-over-year compari-
National Golf Course Owners Association Canada August 2025 Revenue Tracker
National Revenue & Transaction Volumes
REVENUES ($) TRANSACTIONS (#)
Month
Season to Date
Month
% Change YOY
% Change YOY
% Change YOY
Season to Date
% Change YOY
National +14.6% +11.4% +13.3% +10.3%
Regional Performance
REVENUES ($) TRANSACTIONS (#)
Month
Season to Date
Month
Season to Date
% Change YOY
% Change YOY
% Change YOY
% Change YOY
British Columbia +11.3% +17.3% +8.5% +15.1%
Alberta +9.1% +13.3% +8.8% +16.3%
Manitoba | Saskatchewan +10.8% +15.3% +11.2% +14.0%
Ontario +18.5% +10.6% +15.4% +9.0%
Quebec +24.1% +4.3% +29.1% +7.9%
Atlantic Canada +21.7% +11.7% +19.3% +12.1%
Highlights
• Revenues climbed again in August, marking the 5th consecutive month of YoY gains.
• There appear to be no local revenue weaknesses, as every region posted at least 9.1% YoY growth
in August.
• Quebec has fully recovered from the slow start, with season-to-date revenues now 4.3% ahead of
2024.
• With national revenues up 11.4% season-to-date, 2025 is tracking to deliver the strongest YoY
growth since 2021.
*NOTE : The Season to Date field was added in April. This represents the cumulative annual revenue performance as of April 1st
.
Report Definitions
YOY: compared to the same period in the prior year
Season to Date: Cumulative revenues and transactions as of April 1
DATA SOURCE: Total Visa, MC, Amex & Debit volume from over 900 NGCOA Canada merchant facilities. Does not include
cash or cheque revenues or transactions.
National Golf Course Owners Association Canada