Golf Saskatchewan recently commissioned, with assistance from Tourism Saskatchewan, an economic report researching the impact of the sport in the province.
The report provides detailed statistics following the recent trend of golf exploding across the globe since the pandemic. The sport was a safe and healthy outlet during COVID-19 and the momentum has continued. Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director Brian Lee said the results aren’t surprising.
“Once our organization, the Government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority listed golf as a safe activity, in the Re-Open guidelines, things fell into place. Working with industry stakeholders, golf was allowed to reopen under strict guidelines at first, with reduced tee times, but the golf demand ski rocketed. For two years, the game was one of the most popular past times. We hope the trend continues in 2022 and beyond,” Lee added.
The report completed by PRAXIS Consulting provided a provincial perspective to the 2019 national study conducted by We Are Golf in 2019. PRAXIS looked at financial records from 2019 (the last full year prior to the pandemic) and 2021 to provide an estimate on the growth of the industry since 2019.
The numbers were tabulated through survey responses completed by course administrators in Saskatchewan.
Key Takeaways
In 2019, golf in Saskatchewan generated:
· $509.7M in gross economic activity,
· $295.8 M in gross domestic product,
· $195.7 M in labour income,
· 9,799 jobs, and
· $94M in federal and provincial tax revenues.
· Roughly 1 in every 58 jobs in the province depend directly and indirectly on golf in Saskatchewan.
In 2021, golf in Saskatchewan generated:
· $667.3M in gross economic activity,
· $395.6M in gross domestic product,
· $228.8M in labour income,
· 10,801 jobs, and
· $115.3 M in federal and provincial tax revenues
· Roughly 1 in every 53 jobs in the province depends directly and indirectly on golf in Saskatchewan.
Most importantly, Golf proved to be relatively “pandemic proof”, growing between 10% and 34% (depending on the metric) between 2019 and 2021.
PRAXIS CONSULTING
Golf Saskatchewan surveyed its member base asking for estimates of 2019 and 2021 course revenues, employment, wages, capital expenditures, and estimated non-course participant spending. These provided economic model inputs. Of member courses contacted, 27 responded.
Results were scaled up 1 Defined as greater than 80 kilometres from their place of residence, five to 104 member courses and 209 non-member courses. Scaled up results for 2019 saw $145 million in course revenues, $98 million in course wages and salaries, 7,207 employees, $72 million in non-wage expenditures, $19 million in course capital expenditures, and $72 million in non-course participant spending.
Results in 2021 saw $198 million in course revenues, $104 million in wages and salaries, 7,539 employees, $81 million in non-wage expenditures, $52 million in course capital expenditures, and $93 million in non-course participant spending.
The complete report can be seen here.