PEINumbers from Golf P.E.I. suggest players showed up in large numbers this year, with total rounds played up 13.4 per cent over 2024. The data show paid rounds also went up by 16.5 per cent.’We had golf played every day since we’ve been open,’ says course managerJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 7:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoWhy did even more people tee it up on P.E.I. golf courses this summer? The golf industry on the Island had another record-breaking year, according to Golf P.E.I. CBC’s Gwyneth Egan explains what factors led even more people hitting the links across the province this season.Golf P.E.I. is celebrating what it says was a “record-breaking” season for the sport on Prince Edward Island.Numbers from the golf marketing group suggest players showed up in large numbers this year, with total rounds played up 13.4 per cent over 2024. The numbers show paid rounds also went up by 16.5 per cent.Golf package trips went up by 20 per cent, the group said, while accommodation nights booked through those packages were up 24 per cent.Sam MacPhail, CEO of Golf P.E.I., said there are many factors that may have played into those numbers, such as a lack of rainy days over the summer.He also cited P.E.I.’s partnership with the National Hockey League, as well as Canadian boycotts of trips to the United States and purchases of products from south of the border. “A lot of Canadians said we’re not going to Florida this year, we’re not going to Arizona, we’re not going to Myrtle Beach. Let’s keep our money in Canada,” MacPhail said. “We’re that destination of choice for Canadians because they know they’re going to be welcome here.”[It’s] bringing in economic and also social impact to the province… with levels we’ve never seen before.”Some course managers on P.E.I., like Jeff Affleck of Belvedere Golf Club, say players have been able to tee it up nearly every day this season. (Aaron Adetuyi/CBC)Corryn Clemence, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of P.E.I., said those economic benefits don’t only include revenue for golf courses, but also for other services the Island has to offer.”When we have visitors coming to golf, they are staying in our hotels and cottages, the Airbnbs, they are going to restaurants, they are maybe going to pubs or breweries,” she said.”I think it’s a really good benchmark for us because it does touch so many different sectors within our industry.”Keeping courses busyJeff Affleck, general manager of Belvedere Golf Club in Charlottetown, said the course saw players nearly every day since it opened.He acknowledged that the busy season can make it tough to keep up with course maintenance — and for players to book a tee time on short notice.”The days of deciding to play golf the day before seem to be gone on P.E.I. because everybody’s booked up well in advance these days,” Affleck said. Affleck says the increase in golfers coming to the course allowed Belvedere to employ more staff this year. (Aaron Adetuyi/CBC)This was the case for one golfer, Christel Hendrickx, who is visiting various parts of Eastern Canada from Belgium with a group.Hendrickx said she and a few others unsuccessfully tried to book a tee time at other courses on the Island before they found an open slot at Belvedere.”We only planned it yesterday. It was close by and it was one of the courses with still room for us,” she said. “There was not a lot of space in the other courses around Charlottetown.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.caWith files from Gwyneth Egan
Busy golf season a boon for P.E.I. courses, but it can make finding a tee time a struggle
