Golf Business News – R&A report shows golf participation remains on an upward curve

The R&A has announced new participation figures which show an increase of over 3 million senior golfers playing the game in R&A affiliated markets in the 12 month period from 2022-23.

According to a new study conducted by the governing body, there are now 42.7 million course (9 and 18-hole) golfers in R&A affiliated markets (excluding the USA and Mexico).

The 2023 survey figures show growth in golfers from the course from 2022. The growth trend started before the start of Covid-19 and is now increasing faster than the pandemic period of 2020-2022 when there was a new estimate of 2.5 million. golfers per year. The game continues to grow in popularity, now up 44 percent from 29.6 million players in 2016.

The new data is provided by national federations in R&A-affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

The study also shows that 62.3 million adults (excluding the USA and Mexico) eat this game in some way, which is an increase of 1.1 million from 2022. It's only the second time the benchmarking has gone beyond schoolwork to include alternative-only formats, such as pitch & putt, indoor golf and driving range use.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at the R&A, said, “The popularity of golf continues to grow as the number of people playing the game both on and off the course increases.

“There are now 13 million additional golfers playing the course since 2016 in R&A affiliated markets, and there are millions more who enjoy other forms of golf, such as driving range, recreational golf and simulator golf, which are vital to golf's growth. sports.

“Innovative golf participation programs with attractive propositions, promotions and graphics are essential to getting more people into the game and keeping them more. That is why we continue to work with our national federations and stakeholders to build on this momentum and ensure that golf continues to thrive.”

The top five adult golf markets reported overall are Japan (11.4 million), Republic of Korea (8.7 million), Canada (6.3 million), England (4.2 million) and Germany (2.4 million).

Asia is the leading region for golfers among the R&A's affiliated regions, with 26.2 million adult golfers participating. Europe leads the way with 19.7 million adults who have some form of involvement with golf.

The number of registered senior golfers (those who are members of a golf club within their national association or under direct subscription) has increased from 8 million in 2022 to 8.2 million in 2023, with 10% growth from 2020. Registered female golfers will grow from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.6 million in 2023.

There has been a decline in those adults who only play formats other than 9- or 18-hole golf – 21.6 million in 2022 to 19.6 million in 2023 – but this may bode well for those going instead to full-length golf. The percentage of female alternative golfers grew from 47% in 2022 to 52% in 2023, especially in key golf markets.

The IR&A is continuing its commitment to invest £200 million over ten years (2017-2026) in developing golf, including ongoing work to encourage participation through a range of initiatives.