Rounds played in U.S. down in March

Whether it was the weather in certain parts of the country or the overall toll of a suddenly weak economy or perhaps just declining interest in the game, rounds played in the United States were down 9.9 percent on a same-facility basis in March 2008 vs. March 2007 according to the National Golf Foundation.

Even with one extra weekend day this March vs. last, most regions doing relatively high volume in the month were down: Central/South Florida (-3.1 percent), Gulf Coast (-1.8 percent) and South Central (-8.5 percent). However, the Southwest was up 0.5 percent. with three fewer play days this March vs. last, the South Central was particularly hard hit with poor weather.

March accounts for only about 5 percent of annual rounds volume, and the first quarter for 12 percent, so the impact of recent performance on the full year will be minimal.