Charleston, South Carolina, United States: The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) has released the 2026 Golf Industry Compensation and Benefits Report.

Within its 45-plus pages are the most recent and reliable levels of compensation and benefits based on 1,138 participating facilities. It offers the most comprehensive, accurate and current compensation data in the industry, enabling NGCOA members to easily compare compensation levels and benefit policies among their peer golf course businesses.

The report includes several critical findings regarding employee benefits and policies. Notably, 66% of respondents offer health insurance to their employees. Private clubs lead the way in this regard, with 94% providing health insurance, compared to only 58% of public courses. Additional findings reveal the following:

1. Reporting facilities experienced a 6.4% increase in their most recent health insurance premiums
2. Dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, and life insurance continue to be the main offerings, with mental health and wellness benefits not commonly provided, and
3. Just over half of the reporting facilities offer employees a retirement plan.

The NGCOA collected and developed the data in the report in partnership with the National Golf Foundation (NGF), which led the surveying efforts for compensation and benefits data on NGCOA members and the broader universe of golf course operators.

Greg Nathan, President and CEO of the NGF, said: “Our nation’s golf course owners deliver golf’s product at 14,000 front doors every day, and they employ amazing people to do it. We’re proud to help NGCOA deliver data to its members that informs their decisions and impacts those they rely on to run their businesses.”

This analysis examines the organisational factors that have historically been linked to golf course staff compensation, including annual gross revenue, the type of facility, geographic region and scope of responsibilities of the staff. While the findings cannot be generalised to represent the entire industry, they do offer strong insight into the compensation and benefits provided within the golf industry.

Taylor Wall, NGCOA Senior Director of Education, said: “We’re pleased to deliver this compensation data to NGCOA members at a time when many operators are making important business decisions for the year ahead.

“This year’s survey drew the strongest participation we’ve ever seen, and I’m thankful to the owners who contributed their information to help paint a clear and reliable picture of compensation trends across the industry. I’m also grateful to the NGF and their research team for their expertise and diligence in bringing this data together.”

The report is available in both single-course and multi-course digital versions, at no cost to NGCOA members as a benefit of membership. For more information, please visit NGCOA.org/Research.