Play 9 Expands In Year Three
Spurred by the success of its first two years, the PLAY9™ program is expanding this year, encouraging more golfers to play nine holes during six scheduled “PLAY9 Days” throughout the golf season, beginning on May 9 and occurring on the ninth day of each month through October.
Since 2014, the USGA’s PLAY9 program has been actively educating and rallying golfers around the concept of the nine-hole round as a simple yet effective solution to address the challenge of fitting golf into busy days. In its first year, the PLAY9 program sparked a 13 percent year-over-year increase in nine-hole scores posted to the USGA’s Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN®) for the first two months following the program’s launch. Nine-hole scores posted to GHIN increased another 11 percent in 2015.
“What we love about PLAY9 is the opportunity to welcome more people – both recreational golfers and non-golfers alike – to enjoy the great game of golf,” said Mike Davis, USGA executive director/CEO. “We’re clearly excited about the results we’ve seen, committed to expanding the program and optimistic about its long-term potential to grow globally.”