Spring rounds bounce back on Grand Strand

Golf course operators on the Grand Strand have reason to share some of the optimism expressed by national industry leaders.

After having an encouraging surge of momentum in the critical spring golf season stunted by two years of declines in the number of rounds played on area courses, the Myrtle Beach golf market got back to positive numbers in 2015.

Rounds played on the Strand’s nearly 90 public-access courses increased 2.1 percent in the combined spring months of March, April and May in 2015 compared to the same months in 2014, according to statistics compiled by marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday.

It’s the first spring increase since three consecutive years of growth from 2010-12, and comes without the benefit of ideal weather, as March and early April featured cool temperatures and a lot of rain and early May featured a tropical storm.

“We’ve definitely seen stabilization,” Golf Holiday president Bill Golden said. “We would have been very encouraged if we would have had an average weather spring. We’ve seen the demand increase and there’s a lot of optimism toward fall golf as well.”

The Strand had enjoyed three consecutive spring seasons of increased year over year paid rounds, consisting of a 5.5 percent increase in 2010, 8.7 percent spike in 2011 and 0.7 percent increase in 2012.

But paid spring rounds dropped 3 percent in 2013 compared to 2012, and 1.7 percent in 2014 compared to 2013.

The 2015 figures compare total rounds to 2014 rather than paid rounds, as Golf Holiday changed the way it collects the data. So the comparison now includes member, replay and complimentary rounds in the two years.

According to the cooperative, total rounds increased 5 percent in March and 3.3 percent in April compared to 2014, and dropped 2.3 percent in May.

According to PGA PerformanceTrak, a PGA of America report based on figures from more than 2,600 golf facilities, rounds were up nationally 5 percent in March and 5.7 percent and April and haven’t been released for May.

The Strand has had three consecutive years in which consistently poor weather has adversely impacted rounds played in at least one of the three spring months.

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 9:53 PM with the headline "Spring rounds bounce back on Grand Strand."