BRS Golf and GolfNow have reported another strong quarter for both member play and visitor play, despite the UK & Ireland enduring one of the wettest summers on record. Together BRS Golf and GolfNow provide tee time booking solutions to 1,500 golf clubs across England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, making the tech giant one of the largest and most trusted sources of participation data for golf in the British Isles.
It may have felt like the UK & Ireland missed out on having a summer this year, but the appetite for golf across these isles remained undimmed. There was a slight year-on-year drop of 60,000 rounds, or one per cent down, likely due to the adverse weather. This was three per cent down compared to Q3 2021 and 21 per cent down versus the height of the post lockdown boom in 2020. However, looking back to pre-Covid levels of play, rounds in Q3 2023 are still significantly higher – up 86 per cent vs 2019.
Although Q3 experienced a slight dip in play compared to the previous year, the first nine months of 2023 recorded a total of 21 million member rounds. A six per cent increase on last year, which was itself a record year for member participation. This year’s numbers represent a 17 per cent increase on 2021, a 22 per cent increase on 2020, and a massive 93 per cent increase on 2019.
Looking ahead to Q4, BRS anticipate that the weather will have a huge impact on play going into the winter. However, with a spell of mild weather in early October coinciding with post-Ryder/Solheim Cup bounce in golf participation, there are already positive signs for the final quarter of the year.
GolfNow has reported a record-breaking 163,000 downloads of its mobile app across the first nine months of the year. This is up 21 per cent year-on-year. There is clear evidence that golfers in the UK & Ireland love the ease and efficiency of booking their tee times with a couple of taps from their mobile device. The majority (65 per cent) will book day of play or 24-48 hours before play, so clubs on the platform should ensure they have up to the minute inventory available.
To date in 2023 GolfNow has seen a very strong year with £11.26 million in course revenue (£4.4 million in Q3 alone). From April-September, the platform recorded six consecutive months with over £1 million in course partner revenue. A 20 per cent jump year over year – the biggest months since post lockdown booms during Covid.
1,460 course partners sold rounds through GolfNow (up three per cent on 2022), as clubs seek to diversify rounds and revenue generation. New users continue to discover and book with GolfNow: 58,000 new bookers in 2023 (up seven per cent year over year). And the average basket value of a GolfNow booking has increased two per cent vs 2022 to £54.96.
