A tradition unlike any other – and people are taking notice

The 88th Masters, one of four men's major golf championships that presents the winner with a gold jacket (green jacket? who gives a…), teed off yesterday in Augusta, Georgia.

The tournament comes as participation in golf is on the backswing upswing, reaching levels not seen since the “Tiger Woods Boom”:

• The number of golf rounds played in the US last year reached a record 531 million, a 10% increase from 2020 and outpacing the 518 million rounds played during 1999-2000 (the heyday of the Tiger Woods Boom), per data reported by the Wall Street Journal.
• An estimated 26.6 million Americans played a round of golf last year, or 1 million more people than in 2022, marking the biggest single-year jump in on-course participants since 2001, according to the National Golf Foundation.
• More new courses were opened last year than any time since 2010, while golf course-closures dropped to their lowest levels since before the Great Recession.

And let’s not forget the Topgolf effect. Last year, 32.9 million people engaged in off-course golf experiences – which include driving ranges, golf simulators, and places like Topgolf, PopStroke, and Drive Shack. That figure marks a 41% increase over 2019.

⛳ Back to the Masters: Bryson DeChambeau (-7), Scottie Scheffler (-6), and Nicolai Højgaard (-5) are leading the field after yesterday’s opening round, which was paused for darkness (players will finish up today). Fun fact: each of the last 18 Masters champions were tied for 11th or better after Round 1.