Low UK rank for female participation

A new PGA survey has found that there are 4.2 million golfers in Great Britain and Ireland, but female participation remains very low.

The Economic Impact Of Golf On The Economy Of Europe research reveals that there are more golfers in Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) than the rest of Europe, which has 3.65 million golfers. To help with comparisons, there are 26.2 million golfers in the USA, or 8.3 percent of the population. GB&I golfers make up 6.3 percent of their population.

A golfer is defined as someone who plays at least one round on a nine or 18 hole course once per year. The research found that 39 percent of the 4.2 million GB&I golfers, or 1.6 million, play at least 12 times per year.

The results also show that while GB&I is one of the best countries in the world for junior participation, with more than 10 percent of golfers being children, slightly higher than the European average, it is ranked only 25^th out of 29 for the percentage of female participation.

Just 14.5 percent of GB&I golfers, or 609,000, are female. This is less than Australia (21.7 percent) and the USA (17.3 percent), the latter of which has just launched a drive to attract women to golf. The European average is 24.6 percent and in three countries, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, more than one in three golfers are female.

Of GB&I’s 4.2 million golfers, 1.36 million are members of golf clubs and 2.84 million are not. There are 3,074 golf courses in GB&I and 840 independent driving ranges.

Despite the problems golf clubs in the UK have faced with declining membership numbers, the research finds that the number of golf club members in Europe as a whole increased from 4.1 million to 4.4 million between 2006 and 2012. It also found that there are 3.45 million ‘nomad’ golfers (who play at least once a year but are not members of clubs) in Europe (with the vast majority of them being from GB&I), meaning that there are 7.85 million golfers in Europe, who have 6,757 golf courses and 1,200 driving ranges to choose from.

Elsewhere, the survey, undertaken by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS on behalf of the PGA, reveals that golf is worth £12.9 billion to Europe’s economy, but this has dropped by nearly £300 million since 2006.

It also finds that the average GB&I golf club brings in £970,000 of revenue each year; £420,000 from membership subscriptions, £300,000 from the food and beverage operation, £220,000 from green fees and £30,000 from the driving range and golf lessons. However, golf course maintenance alone costs the average GB&I club £505,000 per year, excluding greenkeepers’ salaries.