Do Australians prefer golf or cricket? A look at the nation’s sporting passion

There are few nations in which sport is ingrained into its culture more so than Australia. Some of the biggest events on the sporting calendar have the ability to stop the nation while they are taking place, and those include both cricket and golfing events. However, the nation’s love of sport expands further than both, with horse racing, rugby league, and Aussie Rules also enjoying massive attendances and viewing figures. But, do the majority of Australian sports fans prefer golf or cricket?

Golf Is Popular

It could be argued that golf is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia, as the number of players in the nation is growing year-on-year. That was echoed by the findings in Golf Australia’s recent participation report, which showed that there were more than 2.7 million active players across the country. Those findings meant that there was a huge growth in the sport following the recent report. 

In the report, it showed that 1.5 million players had competed at one of the idyllic courses in the nation, while a further 1.2 million played off-course at facilities such as mini-golf and driving ranges. The report also indicated that the number of club memberships in Australia has rose by 2.7%, and there was a growth of 6.4% over the previous 12 months. Social club memberships in golf were also on the rise, with this sector seeing a huge 8.9% rise over the 12-month period.

Who Is Playing Golf In Australia

As well as seeing that the popularity of golf was accelerating based on the reports, it was also found that the sport had been popular across all demographics. That was evident from a 65% rise in the number of adults playing the sport, with a huge 84% in female participation. Aspiring young players were also on the rise in Australia, with a 13% rise in MyGolf for players aged between five and 12. 

Furthermore, there was a 25% rise in female players across the same demographic. The facts found backed up the reports from the Australian Sports Commission’s AusPlay, which showed that golf had surpassed the pre-COVID numbers that were found, with a huge 33% increase in the number of players who competed at some level in golf. 

Huge Golf Stars Capture Imagination

There has been no shortage of huge golfing superstars to come out of Australia throughout history, including Greg Norman, David Graham, and Peter Thomson. However, there are certainly more Australians active on the professional scene than there have been for many years in this current day, with Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, and Cameron Smith among those. The latter is certainly the most popular among the active Australian golfers in the world, and the 2022 Open champion brought LIV Golf to his homeland for the first time earlier this year.

Still Behind Cricket In Viewing Figures

Golf still has a long way to go before it can compete with one of Australia’s most popular pastimes, as cricket remains one of the most-watched sports in the nation. That was evident throughout The Ashes test series, which was watched by over 18 million across the five-day tests. This number is even more remarkable given that the most recent series took place in the United Kingdom, which meant that the majority of Aussies would have needed to stay up through the night to watch the action. 

The most popular test match was the second test, which was viewed by a staggering 6.2 million. Meanwhile, over four million tuned in for the opening test, and three million watched the third and fifth tests. 

It wasn’t only the men’s action that was capturing the imagination, as the women’s Ashes also saw a huge rise in popularity. In fact, the viewing figures showed that the action was watched by more than double the two million that watched the previous edition in 2019.

Final Thoughts

Golf and cricket are two of the most popular sports in Australia, with millions playing and watching the sport throughout the year. The popularity of both sports will continue to grow over the coming years, with huge events being staged in the nation. The long-term success of both cricket and golf is secure, and young aspiring players will also be attached to both, as they can always dream to reach the highest level like the active stars that are taking the world by storm on this day.