Jupiter, Florida, United States: Outside the United States, the nation with the most active golf development is Vietnam, with more than 50 courses in planning or under construction.

According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), there are currently new golf courses in planning or under construction in 88 different countries – from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe.

This worldwide developmental pipeline encompasses more than 500 course projects in total, with half of those in the United States.

After Vietnam, the United Kingdom is a distant third (25), followed by India, Korea, Mexico and Spain, all of which have 15 courses in various stages of development.

The NGF maintains the definitive database of more than 37,600 golf courses worldwide, with a team of researchers continually verifying the operational status of every golf facility outside the US on a 24-month cycle.

This verification process is done on an annual basis within the US, whose borders contain more than 42% of global golf supply.

NGF’s database team also tracks projects under development, an increasingly challenging task for a game played in 207 countries and territories recognised by the ISO (International Standard Organisation).

The US has by far the most courses in various stages of development – over 120 in active planning or under construction, and an even greater number than that having been proposed and looking to move forward.

At the mid-year mark, 13 new courses have opened in the US, from additions like the Par 3 Shorty’s Course at Bandon Dunes (Oregon) and the Pinehurst Resort’s No 10 Course (North Carolina), to private club debuts like the Apogee Club’s Hanse Course (Florida) and the Darmor Club (Texas).

The US has accounted for 57% of the worldwide openings thus far in 2024 and approximately twice as many could debut during the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, there have been fewer than 40 18-hole equivalent closures through June. According to the NGF, it’s another sign of US supply equilibrium after there were approximately 90 18-HEQ closures in 2023, the fewest in almost two decades.

The majority of these closures continue to be older, value-priced and/or nine-hole facilities. Some are in the process of being sold, others are being redeveloped, and a few may get new life in the future. One facility was even removed from the US database and is now categorised as a Canadian course.