Golf participation is still soaring – and even equalling records set in 2020

New golf participation data for the third quarter of 2023 in Great Britain has found more rounds were played for most of July to September than in any previous year bar 2020.

This has led one analyst to say that the baseline appetite for golf has been reset in the last three and a half years.

The number of rounds played in August 2023 were even about the same as the number in August 2020, when golf experienced what was considered at the time to be a unique boom caused by the end of pandemic lockdowns.

In fact, for significant parts of this year, more round of golf have been played than in the final three quarters of 2021, when participation was soaring.

“After a sluggish start to the year, 2023 rounds played across Great Britain remain well clear of pre-pandemic numbers, in the latest sign that golf’s pandemic participation boom has reset the baseline appetite for the game,” writes Sporting Insights, which conducted the research.

“Only January of the first nine months of the year saw a dip against 2019 figures, while the remainder of the year has so far seen 2023 track and often exceed the booming totals seen outside lockdowns during the period 2020 to 2022. September was the quarter’s strongest performing month, both against 2022 (up 10 percent) and against 2019 (up 55 percent).

“Quarterly rounds played across Great Britain were up five percent compared to Q3 2022, pushing the year to date total three percent ahead of 2022. The year to date average of 2,910 rounds played per course per month means there are 646 more rounds per course per month being played, or an extra of 21 more people per day.”

Last month BRS Golf forecast that 26 million rounds of golf will be played in Great Britain and Ireland by members of clubs this year, which will be the highest number ever recorded.