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The golf boom in America has led to increased participation, with 48.1 million players in 2026, but rising costs and demand may be squeezing junior golfers out of the game.
The two best things to come out of Scotland are golf and economic theory. Adam Smith, born in Kirkcaldy in 1723, formalized the mechanics of supply and demand in The Wealth of Nations, writing, âIt is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.â
Smith didnât mention golf facility operators and tee times specifically, but of course his âinvisible handâ sets prices there, too.
Why is this so topical for America in 2026? The huzzah records of the post-COVID golf boomâthe National Golf Foundation reports 48.1 million Americans played golf or hit balls last year, 3.3 million beginners tried the course, total rounds are up 16 percent, and on and onâhave everyone in the golf biz clinking glasses after two lean decades. While soaring initiations at private clubs and elevated green fees at high-profile resorts have made for bug-eyed conversation, the heart of golf has stayed in check. The average 18-hole public round costs $41âa 27 percent increase since 2019 thatâs in lockstep with inflation.
But thereâs an unintended consequence of this positive momentum that defies statistical description: How many junior golfers are getting squeezed amid the surge in demand?
The other afternoon I was picking up a repaired club from a golf studio in my hometown. It was stunning spring weather, and being the cornball dad Iâve become, I asked the kids hanging around the simulators why they werenât outside playing real golf. One by one, they gravely cited the tee-sheet situation at every course in the area.
For all the wonderful new programs and initiatives that put golf clubs in small hands, it can be easy to forget that the general psyche of the junior player mostly remains unchanged. Theyâre easily intimidated, and know that the restrictions on when they can play always stand to tighten whether they remember to keep their shirt tucked in or not. If Adam Smith could see all the new short courses popping up today, he wouldnât begrudge the owners whoâd rather first sell slots to the bros who are also buying IPAs. (Credit to baseball, a sport that doesnât usually let menâs beer league take over the T-ball fields.)
I found a validating voice when I bemoaned all this to former World No. 1 David Duval. âIf I ever own a course, Iâd flip the script and make it so no one over age 16 could tee off before noon on Saturdays,â Duval says. âToo many courses nowadays donât allow golfers under age 8. Youâve already lost four years!â
One of the most successful organizations at promoting junior golf is Youth on Course, which raises money from individual philanthropists and corporate partners to subsidize green fees currently at 2,300 courses, so kids pay just $5 each time they play. What was an enrollment of 70,000 kids young than 19 pre-pandemic is now 400,000.
âTee-time compression is a real thing, and itâs been harder and harder to provide access,â says Adam Heieck, CEO of Youth on Course. âWe want to be a good partner to our courses, and a lot of conversations lately have been about us increasing the subsidy or even offering a higher, flat subsidy.â
As courses have removed weekends or dialed back to fewer days a week, Heieck has pursued off-course opportunities for his members, such as simulator time at Golf Galaxy and Dickâs Sporting Goods. âThat has been great, but we all know you fall in love with the game by playing on a course,â Heieck says.
Rather than looking at the burden of accommodating a surge of junior golfers on our tee sheets, how might we collectively shift to see this as an opportunity? The jury is still out regarding what kinds of citizens YouTube golf videos create, but we know the effects of spending time outdoors on a golf course, absorbing etiquette and integrity from peers and mentors, tend to be positive. As for nurturing the love of the game to create a bigger pipeline of lifelong golf consumers, we know what Adam Smith would say.
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As of 2026, 48.1 million Americans played golf, with 3.3 million beginners trying the sport.
The average cost of an 18-hole public round has increased by 27 percent since 2019, now costing $41.
Junior golfers are reportedly getting squeezed out due to increased demand and limited tee times at local courses.
The post-COVID golf boom has led to a significant increase in participation and rounds played, up 16 percent from previous years.

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