The Golf Instruction Market is Worth Over $1 Billion
Golf Instruction plays a key role in the growth of the industry.
Every Monday, I write a newsletter breaking down the business in golf. Welcome to the 15 new Perfect Putt members who have joined us since our last newsletter. Join 7,372 intelligent and curious golfers by subscribing below.
Today At A Glance:
The golf instruction market was valued at $1 billion in 2019. And it has only surged since the pandemic. Today’s newsletter breaks down the instruction industry and its important role in the golf industry.
Read Time: 5 minutes.
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Hey Golfers —
The global golf market is estimated to be worth around $70 billion. Within the market are several billion-dollar segments — golf equipment alone has an estimated value of over $7 billion worldwide. And golf instruction has its place within the global golf market.
Let’s set the table.
Golf instruction searches on Google have surged since the pandemic — although searches were trending up before the pandemic. July 2019 saw the highest interest since Google started measuring search terms in 2004, with a measurement of 61.
With golf being seasonal — search term results have peaks and valleys. Here are the last four years and each year’s highest measurement.
2020 — 65
2021 — 88
2022 — 79
2023 — 100
Below is a chart of the search term golf lessons near me. The chart is of the United States — but the trend is very similar worldwide.
Google Trends breaks down the search terms into metro areas. Here are the top five United States metro areas that are searching for golf lessons near me.
Detroit, Michigan — 100
Providence, Rhode Island — 93
Fort Myers, Florida — 79
Cleveland, Ohio — 77
West Palm Beach, Florida — 75
To better understand the overall golf instruction market, I conducted a survey via Twitter with three questions.
Have you taken a lesson in the last twelve months? (530 respondents)
Yes — 36%
No — 64%
How much do you spend on a golf lesson? (200 respondents)
$25 - $50 — 19%
$50 - $75 — 26%
$75 - $100 — 28%
More than $100 — 27%
How do you receive your golf lesson? (200 respondents)
In-person — 95%
Online — 5%
Conducting a survey via Twitter is imperfect — there are flaws, but it does provide a general baseline.
National Golf Foundation published a golf instruction report in 2019. NGF has excellent survey methods, and they estimated that 17% of golfers in the United States took lessons within the last twelve months. NGF estimated the total market was worth $1 billion in 2019.
The current number is likely higher than the 2019 number of 17%. But I would be surprised if 36% of the golf population took a lesson in the last twelve months.
Even so, using 17% as a worst-case scenario, the United States would have around 4.5 million golfers receiving a lesson within the last year. At $75 per lesson — that is over $330 million in the United States. And that is for one lesson.
Golfers that take lessons aren’t just good for the golf instruction segment — it trickles down to the overall industry. Proponent Group estimates golfers who take lessons spend 78% more on golf.
And golf facilities that offer lessons see nearly $2 in incremental facility spend at their facility per dollar of instruction revenue.
Golfers play more golf if they improve. And that results in more money for the industry. According to Pellucid Corp, if every golfer’s average score decreased by one shot, it would result in an increase of 50 million rounds.
Bottom line — golf instruction is fantastic for the industry. It is just as good for golf courses to provide instruction to members.
Golf has evolved in many facets in the last couple of decades, and instruction certainly has. Traditional golf lessons at a golf course aren’t the only way to receive a golf lesson.
Companies like Golftec have found their niche with indoor golf instruction. The company has over 230 locations and 900 coaches worldwide. Golftec has taught over 10 million lessons, and in 2021 — their students improved by an average of seven strokes.
Golftec had a big 2022 — they did around $200 million in annual sales and acquired SkyTrak for $65 million. Golftec thinks they can add 500 more locations worldwide — they believe the golf instruction market has a massive run left.
Instruction has found its way online. Companies like Under Par Performance Golf focus on online instruction. Nearly 80% of golfers that use Under Par Performance Golf lower their handicap in six weeks.
Golf instruction is an enormous industry segment, and it is only getting bigger. It is also one of the most critical segments in golf. Instruction has been incredibly significant in the game's growth over the last three years.
I think golf lessons are the best way to improve your game. If you had to spend $100 on anything golf-related, golf lessons are at the top of the list.
Have yourself a great Monday. Talk to you next week!
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