(1) Looking to find out how many people play golf in the usa, and if
this is "segmented" by numbers of rounds per year, e.g. xxxx over 10,
xxx over 30 etc. (2) where are they located? Northeast, or by state --
and where -- if oyu have this? -- Basically trying to get a handle on
who palys, how much, and where are they....

The National Golf Fooundation publishes a good deal of market research
on golf and golfers, most of it fairly high-priced.  But some of it
is, happily, available at no cost.

If you visit their site at:

www.ngf.org

on the right hand side of the page, below the middle, you'll see the
following:

Industry Research  
2003 Rounds Played Report
(PDF: 309 K / 15 pages)
click here for your free copy 

Where it says "click here for your free copy" you
should...<ahem>...click there for your free copy.

The report is chock full of geographic data on number of rounds
played, dollars spent, 9-hole vs 18-hole courses, and so on.

-------------------

As to actual numbers of golfers, NGF also provides a wealth of
information.  At the NGF FAQs page at:

http://www.ngf.org/cgi/whofaq.asp

you'll find a lot of details, including:

.....

How many golfers are there in the U.S.?
 
There are 26.2 million golfers in the United States. A golfer is
defined as anyone ages 18 and above who played at least one regulation
round of golf in the past 12 months. 36.7 million Americans are golf
participants, defined as anyone ages 5 and above who either played a
round of golf or visited a golf practice facility.

.....

And if that's not enough data for you, check out their "Growth of US
Golf" page at:

http://www.ngf.org/cgi/whofaqgrowth.asp


NGF also puts out an Almanac with this type of information.  You can
see a description of it (and order it, if you like, for $250) at:

http://www.ngf.org/cgi/whonews.asp?storyid=121
The Executive's Guide to Top-Line Golf Statistics

"Golf participation increased 1.6 percent to 25.8 million in 2001
compared to 2000 measurements. The Almanac defines who these
participants are and outlines where growth has occurred on a national
basis. Analysis of Golf's Best Customers, those playing 25 rounds of
golf or more per year and/or spending more than $1,000 annually on
golf expenses, identifies how many exist in addition to the
classification of spending versus rounds...Despite downturns in the
economy and a looming bear market leading to conservative spending,
golf spending has continued to grow. According to the latest research
report by the NGF (National Golf Foundation), golf spending grew to
more than $23 billion and another $26 billion in golf travel in 2001.
The Almanac explores the spending behavior of golfers, their travel
habits and preferences, and their spending tendencies outside of the
golf industry.

--------------------

I hope these sources provide you the type of overview and detail you
are looking for.  If anything here needs elaboration, or if you need
additional information, please let me know by posting a Request for
Clarification.  I'll be glad to assist you however I can.

looks great -- Thanks, I may get back to you when I have a few min
today to go throught this.....