The Afternoon Fun Economy

Using GPS data gathered from 2019 to 2022, this paper analyzes the effect Covid-19 and Work from Home (WFH) had on consumption decisions, specifically in relation to golfing activity. Integrating thousands of geospatial polygons with vehicular and mobile GPS data, this paper finds strong growth in golfing throughout Covid-19 and subsequently after. Similarly, the temporal and daily distribution of golfing trips underwent significant changes, exhibiting growth midweek and midday. To contextualize these trends against WFH, I conducted a regression over a fixed panel of golfers active from 2019 to 2021 to identify the effect income and remote job postings had on golfing growth. Based on the evidence presented in this paper, I find WFH to be the likely culprit behind the growth in golfing and the change in weekly and daily patterns.