Q1 2023 figures show participation is still strong but membership numbers are falling

New data on participation and membership in the first quarter of 2023 finds that the number of rounds played in the UK and Ireland remains very strong but membership numbers, particularly in Ireland, are starting to fall.

Nearly half a million more member rounds were played year-on-year and visitor numbers also saw strong growth. However, clubs collectively saw a drop of about 6,000 members in the first three months of this year.

Golf’s leading provider of tee time management booking technology, BRS Golf, and the world’s biggest tee time marketplace, GolfNow, have provided the data.

Together, BRS Golf and GolfNow provide tee time booking solutions to 1,500 golf clubs across England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, making the tech giant one of the largest and most trusted sources of participation data for golf in the British Isles.

Between January 1, and March 31, 2023, BRS Golf processed 5.6 million member rounds in the British Isles.Of these, 1.7 million were in January, down 150,000 on 2022, two million were in February, up 500,000 on 2022, probably partly due to the driest February in England since 1993, and 1.9 million in March, which was about the same as in 2022.

This equated to a year-on-year growth of 400,000 rounds, nine percent up on 2022. Compared to the final quarter of 2022, member rounds were 600,000 up. Looking back to pre-Covid levels of play in 2019, rounds are 100 percent up, with 2.8 million rounds played in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 5.6 million in 2023.

By country, England saw 2.8 million rounds (10 percent up year-on-year), Ireland 1.25 million rounds (five percent up year-on-year), Scotland 863,000 rounds (seven percent up year-on-year), Northern Ireland 413,000 rounds (17 percent up year-on-year) and Wales 291,000 rounds (six percent up year-on-year).

Over the course of the pandemic, the golf industry witnessed a boom in membership at levels never before seen. During 2022 these numbers flattened out and the focus for many clubs was on retention of their member base, as opposed to the high levels of acquisition of the previous two years.

Now BRS Golf can report that in Q1 2023 registered member numbers at golf clubs in the UK and Ireland have started to decline. With the cost of living and energy soaring over the last 12 months, many predicted that spring membership renewals would see some attrition, and Q1 data confirms this theory. However it will likely be July 2023 before we are able to measure the full impact of the cost of living on membership numbers as most renewals take place in April.

The following numbers do not include any new clubs signed up to BRS Golf over Q1 2023. They show the total number of registered members dropped by 6,000 over the course of January to March, 2023.

Of these, 53 percent were in Ireland and Northern Ireland, 28 percent in Scotland and 19 percent in England. Wales saw no growth or fall.

In Ireland and Northern Ireland, 18 clubs lost more than 100 members and 36 clubs lost more than 50 but less than 100 members. In Scotland seven clubs lost more than 100 members, 21 clubs lost more than 50, but less than 100 members.In England, 19 clubs lost more than 100 members and 30 clubs lost more than 50 but less than 100 members. In England this drop in registered members has been evenly split between the north and the south, but the Midlands has remained almost flat from the end of 2022.

Another survey a few days ago also found membership resignations have been rising recently.

In Q1 2023, GolfNow generated over £2 million in green fee revenue for its course partners. This represents a 21 percent increase, year-on-year, with most of the growth in February, resulting in almost 10,000 new bookers in Q1. In total 1,404 golf clubs sold rounds through GolfNow during January and March 2023 and the average value per booking was up five percent to £55.20.