Golf has been expanding on an international and domestic stage for years now.  This has resulted in the PGA and LPGA being involved in more and more events that benefit not only the professionals themselves but also the entire golf community.

Golf 20/20 recently did a study on the charitable impact that golf has had in a multitude of communities.  If you are not familiar with the group, Golf 20/20 is an organization that has a unique membership of golf associations, manufacturers, course owners, and even members of the media.  This group was created in 2000 and does work to unite the golf world under strategic initiatives.  Some of these initiatives are charity related.

According to the study that was conducted by the Golf 20/20 group, the golf industry was responsible for over $3.9 billion in charitable impact in 2016.  This charitable impact was helped by the fact that a record 12, 700 golf facilities hosted an event in the past year.  That is 84% of the facilities in the United States and an 8% increase in facility usage from 2015.

Some of the other numbers depicted in the report are astounding. F or example, there were 143,000 golf events held in the past year that included over 12 million participants.  On average, $26,400 was raised per golf function.  And overall, the $3.9 billion charitable impact that golf had in the last year represents 1% of all U.S. charitable giving, more than MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL combined.

With such a big increase in charitable donation coming from the golf community in 2016, it will be interesting to see if that number continues to rise as the sport gains more and more popularity.