Out of the Rough

Golfers are teeing up more frequently.

Because golf involves spending discretionary spending, it's a good economic barometer that the numbers are up over last year.

In an analysis prepared for the Business Review, PGA Performance Trak reports that the number of golf rounds has risen in September and the first nine months of the year compared with the same period last year in the four major cities on the Gulf Coast. Golf-fee revenues are up too from Tampa to Naples (see chart.)