UK golf participation strong in first half of 2023

New data shows that member and visitor golf participation in the UK and Ireland in the first half of 2023 was very strong and showed little sign of a post-pandemic fall.

Tee time management booking company BRS Golf and tee time marketplace GolfNow have found more rounds of golf were played in the first half of 2023 than in the whole of 2019.

The two companies have looked at data across 1,500 golf clubs across the British Isles.

From January 1 to June 30, 2023, BRS Golf processed 13.6 million member rounds, a 13 percent increase compared with the same period in 2022, and more than double the 6.7 million figure for the first half of 2019.

England saw 6.6 million rounds, Ireland 2.9 million rounds, Scotland 2.3 million rounds, Northern Ireland 1 million rounds and Wales 723,000 rounds.

Overall golf club membership declined in the first half of 2023 – but by less than one percent. In some areas, such as Wales, there was no drop at all, while the north of England saw a small increase in members over the six months.

It’s not all good news – 49 golf clubs in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland lost at least 100 members each in the first six months of 2023.

In terms of visitor numbers, GolfNow generated over £7.8 million in green fee revenue for its course partners. The April, May and June quarter was the best performing since 2020.

Bookings are up 17 percent year-on-year and new bookers have increased by seven percent, with total bookings by new bookers up by 39 percent. Forty-one percent of bookers are golf club members, 31 percent have never been club members and 28 percent were members until recently. Nearly a quarter of these people spent between £25 and £49 each per visit in the clubhouse and / or pro shop.