Rounds played continued to rise in 2025, a trend that might be difficult to sustain. Getty Images With the golf industry’s annual gathering at the PGA Show concluding today, a new year in the business of the game has begun in earnest. As in past years, Global Golf Post checked in with industry analyst Casey Alexander, a managing director for Compass Point Research & Trading, for his take on what 2026 will bring. GGPBiz's Jim Nugent spoke with Alexander about the continuing participation boom, the fortunes of golf’s publicly traded equipment companies and the impact of tariffs, among other topics. GGPBiz: Let’s begin by talking about participation in the game, very specifically the rounds-played metric. Rounds are expected to inch up another percentage point for the year when December data is released, defying many predications to the contrary. What do you look for in 2026? Can this post-COVID surge continue? CA: I would answer the same way I did a year ago: Without a weather dividend, I don’t think it can continue because the ga...