Study shows Scotland’s golf boom is continuing

New research has found participation rates for golf in Scotland continuing to soar.

A study of the BRS Golf Participation Report for 2023, undertaken by e-commerce retailer the Golf Trolley Warehouse, has found that the ‘Home of Golf’ experienced an 8% increase in golf participation from 2022 to 2023, leading the way in the UK.

Wales and the English Midlands both had year-on-year growth of 6%, whilst the North of England saw no change.

The South of England, meantime, saw a slight decline of 1% year-on-year.

• Golf course set to re-open… FIVE YEARS after it closed

• Government urged to approve controversial Scottish course

“In our comprehensive review of the BRS Golf Participation Report for 2023, we were excited to discover a notable resurgence in golf’s popularity, particularly in Scotland,” said Sam Gray, the Head of Content at Golf Trolley Warehouse.

“This trend, alongside the positive growth seen in Wales and the Midlands, paints a promising picture for the sport’s future.

“Even with the flat figures for England (North) and England (South), these should still be read in the context of the overall 90% increase in the number of rounds processed by BRS Golf across the UK and Ireland in 2023 when compared to 2019.”

• Justin Thomas takes on Rory McIlroy in LIV Golf stance

• Rory McIlroy’s LIV stance proving unpopular on PGA Tour

The findings come only a matter of a months after a separate study found that more than a third of all adults in the UK and Ireland participate in golf in some shape or form.

‘Golf for All’, a project carried out by the PGA, found that 22.4 million adults in the UK and Ireland ‘engage with golf in any capacity’.

That accounts for roughly 40% of all adults in the countries.

Almost five million of those play on a golf course whilst 16.3 million play other forms of the sport, such as adventure golf, pitch and putt, on a driving range or via a simulator.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor