The US National Golf Foundation (NGF) has launched the American Golf Census to count the country’s estimated 27 million golfers.

NGF says the American Golf Census will improve the industry’s marketing and promotional capabilities, stimulating rounds played, and equipment and incremental sales locally.

For participating in the Census, every golfer is automatically entered into a sweepstakes –the largest in the history of golf – to win more than US$100,000 in prizes, including equipment from Callaway, Nike Golf and TaylorMade, trips to Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Scotland and Ireland, and golf instruction at the Annika Academy in Orlando, Florida.

“The American Golf Census is extremely important to the game’s future,” said NGF chief executive Dr Joseph Beditz. “While the Census takes less than two minutes to complete with the possibility to win fantastic prizes, the information supplied will have positive, far-reaching effects in support of the game we love.”

NGF says that  golf courses and other businesses that promote the Census with links on their websites can use the data to build their own, qualified golfer databases. NGF will provide them with complete information on all Census registrants originating from their websites.

For more information about the American Golf Census, e-mail NGF.