It is Mark Twain who is most often given attribution for the saying, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." So take what follows bearing that in mind. Although the numbers might not be entirely correct, they do tell a story...
We've been gathering data for the Open Golf Events website now for just over a month, and one thing has become blindingly obvious in that time. The British love an open competition. Looking at the top English-speaking nations, here are the stats that we have so far based on our data (see above - it's not entirely accurate yet, but...)
| Country | Golf Courses | Events | Events per course |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 12,576 | 5,242 | 0.42 |
| United Kingdom | 2,807 | 6,959 | 2.48 |
| Canada | 1,699 | 515 | 0.30 |
| Australia | 1,417 | 1,050 | 0.74 |
| Ireland | 328 | 568 | 1.73 |
As you can see, the UK leads by a country mile with nearly 2.5 open competitions per course each year, closely followed by Ireland then Australia, with USA and Canada bringing up the rear.
So why is this? Is it because the UK & Ireland are relatively small so it is easier to travel to other courses. Australia may be big, but the people mostly live in a relatively small part of it. Is it a culture thing? Are the Brits & Irish just more friendly? Or is it just the way golf courses have developed in various nations - a bit like cars. Those who drive on the left are more likely to play in an open event? But then correlation does not imply causality.
Anecdotally it seems the courses in the USA tend to be either very expensive and exclusive or municipal, with not too much in between. But that may just be the view of a foreigner who doesn't really know what he's talking about!
So, here's an idea for Americans looking for a value vacation. Go to the UK, but don't book an expensive tour at all the well-known courses. Treat yourself to an adventure and enter some open events at some of the less well-known courses. You'll have just as much fun with far less damage to your wallet. And it'll be more of an adventure and less of an organised tour. And you know where to find those events, right!?