Sport and leisure have been hit hard by COVID-19 as it forced many people to change their habits. Many sports were essentially halted, but there are others that saw an increase in popularity during this time. Golf is a sport that many have turned to during COVID-19 as allows people to spend time outside, it is safe and can be good for physical and mental health.
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Golf Remains Stable
Research shows that golf has been a popular activity during the pandemic and golfers did not change a huge amount compared to 2019. In terms of spending on golf purchases, this was also largely unaffected by the pandemic with 79% responding that they were not spending more or less on golf during COVID-19.
Some Spending More
21% of the golfers surveyed stated that they had spent more than normal, which is easy to see why when golf is one of the few activities that has been available for most of the pandemic. Additionally, online shopping has skyrocketed during COVID-19 and many people have more money to spend, so buying new clothes, clubs, shoes, and accessories has been common. The survey revealed that 25% had purchased new clubs and 49% had purchased new balls.
Others Spending Less or Unchanged
Not everyone has been spending money on golf, though, with 34.5% stating that they had spent less and 44.5% about the same as normal. This is also understandable as COVID-19 has taken its toll on many people financially, so lots of people have been operating on tighter budgets and trying to spend less on leisure when there has been so much uncertainty in the air.
Remote Work
Another reason why golf has largely been stable during COVID-19 is that people have been working from home. This means that most have had more time, energy, and flexibility to get out and play during times where they would normally be stuck in the office or commuting. It is thought that most will continue with hybrid working, so it is likely that people will be able to continue with this moving forwards.
Staycations
With international travel limited, many people have been opting for staycations and this has also allowed people to play more golf than usual. People can find beautiful and challenging golf courses all over the UK, so many people have been enjoying golf trips and holidays during this time.
In such difficult times, it is fantastic to see that golf has been resilient and golfer’s spending has largely been the same. For many golfers, the pandemic has given them the chance to play more than normal and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits, which is so important in times like these. As life starts to return to normal, it will be interesting to see if habits and spending changes at all.
