An aerial view of Pinehurst Resort, including the Thistle Dew Putting Course and Par 3 layout. [+] The Cradle adjacent to the main clubhouse, with the first and 18th holes visible in the upper left, Pinehurst's second course, site of this year's U.S. Open. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Golf tourism is a very enjoyable trip.
At golf resorts like Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, site of this week's U.S. Open Championship, post-pandemic demand has remained very strong.
The resort recently opened a 10th regulation-length course in response to increased competition for tee times since 2020 from Pinehurst's approximately 4,500 members and guests visiting the resort from around the world. This increased demand and the resulting shortened tee times presented a challenge that prompted Pinehurst to not only add more golf courses, but also more accommodations. Nine new golf cottages and a restaurant have opened at Pinehurst No. 8.
“Our leisure business segment, which accounts for 65-70% of our annual resort room nights, has been growing year-over-year since the pandemic began,” said Eric Kuster, vice president of sales and marketing for Pinehurst Resorts. “These leisure guests are coming on golf packages to play two to three rounds of golf over a three-day period. They are avid golfers, and this customer market is showing no signs of slowing down.”
By comparison, this leisure business segment is accounting for 40% to 45% of the resort's room nights compared to pre-pandemic years, and it's not the only big change Pinehurst is seeing as demand for vacation golf experiences increases.
“We're also seeing seasonal demand continue into the summer,” Kuster added. “What was previously primarily a two-season destination is now a four-season destination.”
Pinehurst isn't the only one enjoying positive momentum.
Golf tourism is big business in the United States, generating more than $40 billion a year and about 40% of golf's total economic impact.
The green on the first hole of Pinehurst Course No. 2, the venue for this year's U.S. Open Championship.
Eric Matuszewski
More than 12 million Americans have traveled to play golf in the past two years, up about 20% from the historical average, according to the National Golf Foundation, and consumer surveys suggest record numbers will reach this year, potentially surpassing the previous record of 12.4 million golf travelers in 2022.
“The outlook remains very positive,” said Spencer Cody, corporate director of clubs and golf for Omni Hotels & Resorts, which operates 13 golf-centric resorts across its portfolio, from the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, to the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Florida and the new Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas, which also serves as the new home of the PGA of America.
“We've all seen a little bit of what might be classified as revenge travel. People have been keen to just get out there, but I see the sustainability there,” Cody said. “For us, what we're really seeing and really leveraging and leaning into is experiences around golf at resort locations. Of course it includes golf, but it also includes non-traditional activities. Experiences that are a little more bespoke and curated. More turnkey, more luxury, communal accommodations like the Ranch House at PGA Frisco have been a big hit.”
Golfers will tee off on one of two new 18-hole courses at Fields Ranch at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort… [+]
Omni PGA Frisco
Some big-name golf resorts, especially newer ones like PGA Frisco and popular ones like Bandon Dunes on the Oregon Coast, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, are booked up through 2025 and even 2026.
“Reservation windows have lengthened, with peak-season leisure travelers now booking 10 to 12 months or more in advance,” said Mike O'Reilly, operations manager for Kohler Golf, which oversees four championship courses at Wisconsin resorts, including Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run.
The Baths at Blackwolf Run is a 10-hole short course located on the Kohler's American Golf Property. [+] Wisconsin.
Golf Caller
“We have continued to see longer stays recently by offering new interactive golf packages that include experiences such as The Baths of Blackwolf Run, a fun par-3 10-hole course and putting course that opened in 2021,” O'Reilly added. “We've also seen increased interest in areas outside of the golf experience, such as visits to Kohler Waters Spa, wellness offerings like yoga on the lake and BaldCycle, River Wildlife, outdoor activity participation and art and culinary experiences.”
Short courses are not only popular additions at top golf resorts, they're also linked to increased overall guest engagement: Bandon Dunes opened its second par-3 course, Shorty's, this year, and Florida's Streamsong Resort debuted The Chain, a 19-hole par-3 layout, late last year in addition to its three 18-hole championship courses.
An aerial view of “The Chain,” the new 19-hole, par-3 course at Streamsong Resort in Florida.
Bill Hornstein
“We're seeing longer stays and more play per trip,” said Craig Falanga, director of sales and marketing for StreamSong. “This increase is due to the opening of The Chain and the overall popularity of our resorts.”
In addition to golfer surveys and resort guest data, another broad indicator of golf tourism demand is the golf travel bag market.
Sun Mountain, one of the leaders in the field with products like the ClubGlider with swiveling and telescoping legs and the foldable Kube, has seen sales of golf travel bags increase fourfold since 2020.
Rather than visiting Pinehurst this week just to watch the pros play the second hole, many golf fans will consider taking their clubs and playing courses on and off the resort in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, especially for a resort like Pinehurst, where the USGA's recognition as an anchor site for the U.S. Open and the relocation of the World Golf Hall of Fame to the area will increase the resort's visibility and draw more golfers and guests.
“At Pinehurst we celebrate the amateur game,” resort president Tom Pashley said ahead of this year's U.S. Open, “and we have the opportunity to watch the pros play.”