Golf occupies a critical place within the state of Colorado.
The direct economic impact from golf in Colorado was $1.3 billion in 2019 while golf courses contributed approximately 33,061 acres of green infrastructure for wildlife habitat and improved quality of life.
Golf’s footprint in Colorado is vast and features world-famous facilities, including three on the Golf Digest Top 100 list: Ballyneal Golf Club in Holyoke, Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, and Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, along with one of the most respected golf resorts in North America – The Broadmoor Golf Resort in Colorado Springs. The state is also home to other important companies in golf, including equipment manufacturing, golf business consulting, and various turf services.
The sport provides fitness, recreation, and time spent outdoors. It also drives economic impact and environmental stewardship. Colorado's 236 golf facilities are a defining economic component in many cities and towns through golf-related tourism and retail spending, increased residential real estate value and new home construction in golf communities, industry jobs, supply chain impacts, and charitable giving.
The Colorado golf industry enables economic impact in adjacent industries through its supply chain and consumer spending from employees. Golf indirectly supports Colorado businesses that serve and supply golf facilities, it drives tourist spending, and supports retail sales. Major professional golf tournaments generate direct economic impact and add to the state’s overall appeal. Local golf events held at facilities serve as valuable fundraising vehicles for a wide array of charities and foundations. The economic contributions to the state of Colorado in this report incorporate the referenced economic data from 2019. This data provides a basis for comparative analytics to the Colorado Economic Impact Report published in 2003.
From an environmental perspective, golf provides valuable ecosystem services for Colorado - from greenspace to surface water filtration to wildlife habitats, and more. The industry published a Colorado Golf Industry Best Management Practices (BMP) Guide in 2019 to promote water conservation, wildlife habitat, health and safety, and optimal course conditions. The BMP Guide was supported by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), the Rocky Mountain Environmental Institute for Golf (RMEGI), the United States Golf Association (USGA), and the PGA Tour to further advance efforts toward ensuring ecosystem services provided by golf are preserved and enhanced for generations to come.
The environmental contributions to the state of Colorado in this report incorporate environmental data from 2018 water use and conservation, in addition to energy conservation and waste management. This data provides a basis for comparative analytics to the Colorado Economic Impact Report published in 2003. It also provides a comparison to state reporting, the US Geological Survey’s 2005 study, “Estimated Colorado Golf Course Irrigation Water Use”, and serves as a baseline for future benchmarking.
