The National Allied Golf Association (NAGA) recently released the 2019 Economic Impact Study of Golf in Canada.
Canadian Golf Industry Highlights Include:
- $18.2 Billion to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), up 14.5% from $15.9 Billion (2109$) reported in the 2014 report (2013 data)
- 248,878 direct and indirect jobs with as many as 48% of those identified as students.
- $10.6 Billion in Household Income (direct, indirect & induced, up 27.7% from $8.3 Billion in 2013)
- $19.3 Billion in Spending from green fees to equipment, including $8.6 Billion in golf-related travel.
- $3.9 Billion in Government Tax Revenue ($1.8B federal and $2.1B provincial)
- $727 Million industry-wide on capital expenditures.
Golf’s economic impact in Canada continues to outpace all other participation sports combined. Furthermore, the contribution of the golf industry is larger than all performing arts and spectator sports combined, including the NHL.
The report highlights the important role golf plays in all regions across the country. For British Columbia, the influence of the golf industry is underscored by the fact that approximately 2.5% of the total workforce is either directly or indirectly engaged in golf-related employment. (2018 data from Work BC and the NAGA report).
Highlights for the British Columbia Golf Industry include:
- $3.7 Billion toward British Columbia’s GDP (up 82.3% from 2.03 Billion in 2013)
- 52,183 Jobs (up 18.6% from 44,000 in 2013)
- $2.3 Billion in Household Income (up 81.1% from 1.27 Billion in 2013)
- $858.0 Million in Taxes (331.2 Million in 2013)
- 2nd largest contributor nationally to Ontario
Trevor Smith, president of the AGA-BC, sees the report as a further highlight of the role all golf industry stakeholders play in supporting a strong economy in British Columbia:
To me, what stands out is that there are numerous indicators pointing to strength across the Canadian and British Columbia golf industries. The NAGA report and the recent data highlighting the increase in rounds played during summer 2020 to yOy national growth of 11.5% and provincial growth of 16.8%, both speak to the work the Canadian golf industry, as a collective, has done to grow the game, create stability and lay the groundwork for continued success.
One highlight in the report that could be missed is that the growth encompassed gains in both primary and supporting categories. This goes to show that strong Canadian and British Columbian golf industries require all partners to be invested, involved, and collaborative. We all play a role in the success of golf – the more we can work together, the more we will be able to support the growth of the game, the economy of British Columbia, and the economic outlook for Canada, as a whole.
Trevor Smith, President – Allied Golf Association of BC
Amidst the current economic uncertainty and COVID-19, historical comparisons may be harder to apply to 2021 projections. However, as Smith pointed out, the report provides yet another indication of the strength of the golf industry in British Columbia and Canada as a whole. Combining these figures with the recently released 2020 golf round statistics helps to provide context for planning and forecasting into 2021.
As more information and statistics are released, the AGA-BC will continue to update members and provide resources to help ensure we are all in a position to confidently plan for next season.
