3-Minute Business Insights
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.
June is Women's Golf Month and an appropriate time to note that some of the most significant golfer gains in recent years have been among female participants. A near record number of women and girls played golf on a course in 2023, the highest participation levels in the U.S. since 2006.
Female Participation & Engagement Report Now Available
See the highlights from NGF's new member report
The recent positive momentum in the world of female golf participation hasn't just been pandemic-fueled. The overall participant pool -- when factoring both on- and off-course forms of the game -- has risen 85% over the past decade, with nearly 15 million women and girls now playing golf in one of its increasingly various forms.
Trend in Proportion of Female Golfers
Female Golf Participation: 10-Year Trend
Golf Participation Update -- Bigger, Younger and Cooler
The number of on-course golfers has now increased for six straight years, but also notable is that the demographic makeup of the base is changing — albeit gradually in a sport with over 26 million Americans who play recreationally.
Pandemic Golfer Gains by Gender
'Pandemic Era' Golfer Growth Segments (On-Course)
The Pandemic Surge … More Female Than Male
There has never been greater female representation on the golf course than right now. What's driving the growth and is it sustainable?
NGF members can click here to access the full report
Amid the Covid-driven changes throughout the golf industry, one of the participation segments seeing the most significant growth is one that makes up just over half the U.S. population.
Over the past two years, as the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the U.S., the number of beginning golfers has been higher than it was back when Tiger Woods was at his most dominant.
The flood of new faces on U.S. golf courses in 2020 was noteworthy, even if some gains were offset. Who were these new people? And who wanted “in” last year?
