"Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more"

The reversal of golf’s fortune is put into context in the latest National Golf Foundation update. News of big June and July’s in the U.S. came from GolfDatatech, as did word of an increase in 9-hole and evening play, prompted this analysis:

This two-month rebound has allowed us to climb from a 16% YTD deficit on April 30 to now a 3% lead over 2019. Seems almost inconceivable given the loss of 20 million spring rounds from course shutdowns and virus-related anxieties. And the good news is likely to keep coming. Several golf course management companies have told us that August has been almost as good.
 
We did a little digging for perspective. Only three times in at least the past 151 months has the industry seen a monthly rounds increase of 20% or more. All three were during a heatwave in late 2011/early 2012, yielding surges in play at courses in the north that were typically closed and at a time of year when percentage increases can be misleading. To have a jump this significant during a high-volume summer month is unprecedented and reflects approximately 10 million more July rounds versus a year ago.
 
Our latest year-end forecast has us up 2% to 6% year-over-year. Consider this  – we haven’t seen more than a 5% Y.O.Y. increase since 2012 (during that surreal winter heatwave).