Study: Golf gives a lift to local economy

Duffers and golfers are doing their part to boost the local economy, a study out today asserts.

In 2006, the latest year for which data were available, golf had a total economic impact of $2.8 billion on the Bay State, said the Alliance of Massachusetts Golf Organizations, which commissioned the research firm SRI International to compile the report.

The alliance's previous report looked at the year 2000. (In the photo above, golfers last month played at the William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park in Boston.)

Between 2000 and 2006, the total economic impact of golf in the commonwealth grew 13.9 percent, said the report, which added that the industry accounted for 29,630 Massachusetts jobs in 2006, an additional 770 jobs over 2000, with a 19 percent increase in average salary over the six-year period, the report said.

The average salary in golf-related industries rose from $24,305 in 2000 to $28,916 in 2006, the report noted.

The commonwealth is not only home to roughly 375 golf courses but also to companies or brands that make golf-related gear, including the Acushnet Co. of Fairhaven and Reebok International Ltd. of Canton, the report said.

The alliance's press release included a statement from Leigh Bader, an owner of multiple golf-related businesses in Massachusetts and a member of the board of directors for Golf 20/20.

"The golf industry as a whole continues to be a major economic force in Massachusetts," Bader said in the statement. "Not only does this industry infuse solid spending in the state's economy, it continues to create thousands of jobs that generate more than $850 million annually in wages in Massachusetts."

The alliance added, "The report analyzes and divides direct spending, total output, total jobs, and total wage income into six different categories: golf facility operations, golf course capital investments, golfer supplies, tournaments and associations, real estate, and hospitality and tourism."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)