UK golf in figures - The Glenmuir Journal

We take a statistical look at golfing in the UK – from who’s playing to what they’re paying…

Golf is a game of numbers, from the score on your card to the length of your drive. So we decided to delve a little deeper into the game as it stands in the UK using statistics, figures and facts.

Who’s playing?

England still has the most golfers. England has the most registered golfers and most courses in Europe, with 16% of all players across the continent.
Game for retirement. Those over 65 still make up the biggest group of golfers. They were the fastest growing age group between 2014 and 2016.
Big in Germany. Germany (220,000) has nearly twice as many female golfers as the Netherlands (121,000), the next highest number.
The Young Turks. Turkey has biggest proportion of junior golfers (44%) in Europe.

How are you playing?

Seven days a week. The most popular memberships in the UK are seven-day ones.
Going social. Social, intermediate, student and five-day memberships are now offered by around two-thirds of golf clubs.
Thanking the Academy. Since 2014 there has been a growth in the number of junior and adult academy memberships offered.
Family-friendly fun. Family friendly clubs – with crèche or play areas – saw a 40% boost in membership between 2014 and 2016.
Day out. Golf is the sixth most popular reason for taking a day trip in the UK.

Where are you playing?

A walk in the park. UK golf courses cover roughly the same area as the Lake District National Park – around 2,300 sq kms.
The new home of golf? England is home to more than a quarter of all European golf courses, compared to Scotland, which has 5% of players and 9% of courses.
On course for growth. The number of European courses grew by 0.2% between 2014 and 2015.
Double Dutch. Holland has seen the biggest increase in golf courses in Europe.
Colder climes. Scotland and Iceland are the only European countries that have fewer than 10,000 people per course.
Café culture. The most in-demand extra facility that would attract new members to a golf club is a café.

What are you paying?

Bigger spenders. Golf contributes around £3 billion to the UK economy every year.
Splashing out on holiday. Golfers spend around £370 million a year while on holiday playing the game – more than watersports and cycling.
Leave it all on the course. More than half of all golf spend is at golf courses. Equipment and clothing accounts for £939 million.
Big money prizes. Sky pays £15m a year to broadcast the UK Open.
Hosting the Open. Hosting the event can be worth £140m to the local economy.