B<\/span>ogey, divot, mulligan, birdie \u2013 if you know what these terms mean, then you, along with 60 million other people around the world, likely play and love golf.<\/p>\n Nothing is stopping people from playing golf, even shutdowns as we\u2019ve experienced. In fact, the sport\u2019s popularity is surging.<\/p>\n The pandemic did not totally cripple this favorite pastime. Indeed, in the early days of 2020, courses were affected, with some 16,000 golf courses around the country temporarily closed during March and April. But COVID-19 did not and will not keep duffers down.<\/p>\n In fact, according to the National Golf Foundation<\/a>, last year 36 million Americans age six and over) played golf \u2013 both on and off the course (meaning places like driving ranges, indoor golf simulators, etc.). First-timers broke a record, with three million newcomers taking their first swing. That\u2019s one million more than usual.<\/p>\n People flocked to golf courses and played 502 million rounds, an increase of almost 14% over the previous year, even with the loss of 20 million spring rounds thanks to the virus shutdowns.<\/p>\n And, golfers are going crazy for apps to make their games more accessible and more fun. Today, over 2 million apps exist for reserving tee times, tracking scores and round statistics, playing virtual golf, reading news about the game, or chasing improvement through instruction and swing analysis.<\/p>\n In a nutshell, golf:<\/p>\nWhat Makes Golf Great Especially for Older Adults?<\/h3>\n
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