40 percent of all adults in the UK and Ireland engage with golf in some capacity, equating to a huge community of 22.4 million individuals.
This is one of the key findings in a new Golf For All report commissioned by The Professional Golfers Association in the UK to gain a better understanding of the sport and its place in the wider sporting landscape.
Of those 22.4 million people engaged with golf, 16.3 million are playing any form of golf – from adventure golf to pitch and putt – whilst a smaller number of 4.9 million are playing golf ‘on course’ in a traditional fashion. The remaining 6.1 million engage with the sport through the media as fans but do not play.
“Golf for All” aims to define the future of golf by uncovering the evolving dynamics of golf participation and challenging traditional perceptions of the game.
The project illuminates the presence of golf in driving ranges, pitch & putt facilities, adventure golf courses, and simulator setups, pointing to a vibrant and multifaceted realm of engagement.
The typical ‘traditional’ golfer plays at least once every two to three months, is more likely to be male and the biggest cohort is in the 35-44 age group.
Those playing different formats though are 45% female, almost 40 per cent are under the age of 35 and are more diverse in terms of social background and ethnicity.
“This research has already been an enlightening exercise for us at The PGA,” said CEO Robert Maxfield.
“It has confirmed our expectation that golf has changed irrevocably, and that there is huge scope for the golf industry to be more inclusive of different forms of the game and the people who play them.”
“The report itself gives us detailed insight and is a ground-breaking look into just how far the game has come, and how big the opportunity is to tap into a huge population of people who are already engaged in golf that we haven’t had sight of in the past. It gives the industry the chance to diversify the sport’s fan base and user base, and that is hugely exciting.”
The research is ongoing, and will continue to provide further, more detailed results over the coming months. It is set to delve into both traditional and non-traditional golf hubs, with data collection spanning an extended period of time – but in the short-term it is slated to provide an in-depth analysis of the women’s game, the experiential forms of the game that don’t constitute traditional golf, and the economic impact of golf on the wider UK and Ireland sporting economy.
A crucial element of the initiative is an ongoing commitment from The PGA to make the report and all future iterations freely available to the entire golf industry, helping to provide all those involved in the game with the necessary insight to attract and retain the next generation of golfers.
If you would like to find out more about our new Business of Golf initiative, from an organisation or a personal perspective, get in touch via rob@sportforbusiness.com and let’s start a conversation
