Exclusive NGF Articles and Reports
The PopStroke concept is rooted in golf, with a growing portfolio of tech-enabled putting venues that blend golf with F&B and social experiences, but this modern golf entertainment version of mini golf isn't counted among NGF's off-course forms of participation. While PopStroke's owner acknowledges the platform exists adjacent to golf, he also sees its influence within the game's broader ecosystem.
Greg Nathan, CEO of the National Golf Foundation, joins the Barstool Sports guys to break down the unprecedented growth of golf -- from skyrocketing participation and new player demographics to the evolution of how the game is played and experienced.
Women and girls have accounted for almost half of the sport's growth over the past decade and now represent one-third of all golf participants including on- and off-course players. But this remarkable surge comes with multiple challenges: getting more to make the jump to traditional golf and then keeping them coming back once they do.
Women and girls have quietly become the driving force behind golf's post-pandemic resurgence. What makes the growth particularly significant is its youthful energy. More than half of net participation gains among women have come from those under 30, and equally encouraging is the cultural shift that's taking hold.
Beginners, Juniors, Female, Young Adults, Seniors, and People of Color
Concise and comprehensive one-page summary reports on various participation-related topics among the U.S. golfer population.
NGF’s 2025 Participation in the U.S. Report – Now Available
Year-end 2024 data for on- and off-course participation in the world's biggest golf market.
This annual summary through year-end 2024 provides the latest data on golf participation — both traditional on-course golfers and those who engage with the game away from the course. The report includes detailed information on key segments such as beginners, women, people of color, juniors, and a closer look at the continually-expanding pool of non-golfers who say they’re very interested in playing the game.
Golf Participation: Growing & Diversifying
The face of golf may have changed more in the past five years than the previous 50. Golf’s latest participation numbers are out and they reveal unprecedented diversity in the game -- both on and off the course.
Examining Golf's Age Differences, On Course and Off
A members' look at differences in golfer age by gender, frequency of play and more
While perceived by some as a game comprised mostly of an older participant base, the numbers tell a different story -- at least from a golfer standpoint. And the game gets even younger when considering golf entertainment and other off-course forms of golf.
Golf Instruction by Participation Segments
