Page 29 - GBC spring 2016

RESEARch REpoRt
RoUNDS pLAYED & WEAthER REpoRtING
The big story for 2015 was the increase in rounds played year-over- year in most regions of the country, with the exception of Atlantic Canada. When you compare the rounds played with the newly launched weather reporting, it’s easy to give some of that credit to Mother Nature.
An early start to the season in Western Canada; great late- winter weather in B.C.; and an extended year in Central Canada were some of the reasons for increased golf participation this past season. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn’t so generous in Atlantic Canada where a severe winter delayed spring openings and caused some major turf issues resulting in a decrease in overall rounds played last year.
However, nationally, rounds played by the end of November had seen an increase of 10.79% over 2014 and 6.17% over a 3 year average.
Heading into our third year of this benchmarking initiative, we have a very statistically sound representation of courses across Canada reporting their data. We thank all participating NGCOA Canada members for taking the time to enter their data on a monthly basis. If you are not reporting, make sure to start in 2016 as the regional reports (provided to participating courses only) arm you with local market share intelligence essential to the success of your business.
The Rounds Played and Weather reports are intended to provide operators with a benchmark by which they can compare their monthly numbers to that of their regional, provincial, and national counterparts. With this comparative data now available in Canada, courses are able to adjust their business practices where and when necessary rather than making decisions based on anecdotal information.
The NGCOA Canada is committed to providing business support to courses across Canada and this benchmarking initiative is one of the mechanisms by which we are able to accomplish this goal.
For more information on this research project, or how you can participate, please contact Brent Hutcheon at bhutcheon@ngcoa.ca
*due to the timing involved to gather data and generate the monthly reports, combined with the timing for printing this magazine, the November Rounds Played Report was the most current one available. However, you can visit www.ngcoa.ca to view the most up-to-date monthly reports, at your convenience.
Golf Business Canada
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