After a boom in the popularity of golf followed the emergence of Tiger Woods as a sports superstar, the game slipped into a post-Tiger effect downtrend. Over a 15-year period from 2003 to 2018, the number of golfers declined in the United States by 6.8 million.

More than 1,200 courses closed across the country over that same span, golf manufacturers saw sales sink and considerable hand-wringing followed over what could be done to bring golfers back and also attract a new generation to the game.

Former golf great and course designer Jack Nicklaus even suggested, among other things, enlarging the hole to speed up play or dividing 18-hole courses into three six-hole courses instead of two nine-hole ones to allow players to play 12 holes, thus spending less time at the club.

Then along came a global pandemic.

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At first, people were confined to the indoors when COVID-19 struck. Eventually, social distancing and small gatherings were encouraged. Outdoor activities were deemed more safe, which aligned perfectly with golf.

In 2020, especially over the second half of the year, numbers for golf suddenly improved. And they’ve continued to skyrocket.

A pandemic and the sport’s commitment to modernization have lured many back to the fairways.

“The golf course was considered a place for people to escape the pandemic,” Longbow Golf Club general manager Bob McNichols said. “You don’t play golf indoors where you’re restricted in the air you breathe and the access you have to the environment. So, golf became a popular activity for people who were no longer doing things the same way they always did and looking for not only activities, but a way to get better at the game.”

According to the National Golf…