JUPITER, Fla. (Dec. 1, 2005) -- Same-store rounds played were up 0.6% in the month of October 2005 vs. October 2004. Rounds have been in positive territory for four of the last six months, bringing the year-to-date figure through October to -0.5%. October data was reported by 1,813 golf facility operators across the U.S. (Same-store rounds means, for example, that only facilities reporting rounds for both October 2005 and October 2004 are included in results.)

Four regions experienced large swings, up or down: Northeast, (-18.4%); Central/South Florida(-13.6%) [note: Hurricane Wilma, October 24]; Upper Midwest (+12.8%); and Mountain (+16.7%). In each case, the change correlated with play days. For example, in the Northeast, operators posted an average of 27.6 play days out of 31 last October vs. 22.9 play days in October 2005.

For the complete statistics, visit www.ngf.org.

About the NGF
The National Golf Foundation, founded in 1936, is the industry leader in providing accurate information and insights on the business of golf. Based in Jupiter, Fla., the NGF serves many constituencies in the golf industry including equipment manufacturers; builders and developers; facilities and ranges; course architects; retailers; turf maintenance suppliers; golf associations and the media. For more information, visit www.ngf.org.