Nine-hole golf booming in England

England Golf has reported that golf participation in 2023 was up compared with 2022’s high numbers, and nine-hole golf has seen a sharp rise.

The governing body for amateur golf in England says that ‘General Play’ scores, in which the golfer pre-registered the round with the host club and then submitted their score either onto the World Handicap System (WHS) platform or their golf club’s software, was up by 2.09 per cent in 2023, while submissions for nine-hole scores saw an increase by over seven percent year-on-year.

Rounds played by members of golf clubs in Scotland, Wales and Ireland at English clubs was also up by 23 percent in the same period.

Meanwhile, England Golf has also named a 14-player squad ahead of the new season with nine new names included.

Eliot Baker, Ben Brown, Will Hopkins, Charlie Crockett, Matthew Dodd-Berry, Zach Little and Mark Stockdale join the squad, with Sam Easterbrook and Tyler Weaver making the step up from the England Boys’ Squad.

Six players will be UK-based while eight players will receive additional support from coaches while attending their respective colleges in the USA.

From last year’s squad, John Gough, Josh Berry and Frank Kennedy have all gone on to turn professional, with Berry picking up a DP World Tour Card – the second youngest ever to do so, aged just 18, behind only Rory McIlroy.

Manager Gareth Jenkins said: “We have a number of new faces this year who have impressed across various championships and we’re looking forward to the year ahead where the players will receive England Golf training sessions with support from world-class coaches, and feature in competitive opportunities around the world in 2024.”