New PGA research reveals staggering number of people ‘engaging’ with golf

More than 20 million people in the UK and Ireland play golf in one capacity or another, new research has revealed. 

A report from the ‘Golf for All’ project, commissioned by The PGA and conducted by leading market research company Ipsos, found there is remarkable diversity in the game beyond its traditional, on-course forms. 

Whether it’s driving ranges, pitch-and-putt facilities, adventure golf, simulators, or being out on the golf course, 40% of all adults in the British Isles engage with the game in one way or another – a community of 22.4 million people. 

Of those, 16.3 million are playing golf in any form, while 4.9 million are playing on a golf course.

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Golf for All aims to define the future of golf by uncovering the evolving dynamics of the sport’s participation and challenging traditional perceptions of the game, and The PGA believe the industry now has an opportunity to engage with an audience of several million that they didn’t necessarily have before. 

“This research has already been an enlightening exercise for us at The PGA,” chief executive Robert Maxfield explained. “It has confirmed our expectation that golf has changed irrevocably, and that there is huge scope for the golf industry to be more inclusive of different forms of the game and the people who play them. 

“The report itself gives us detailed insight and is a ground-breaking look into just how far the game has come, and how big the opportunity is to tap into a huge population of people who are already engaged in golf that we haven’t had sight of in the past.  

“It gives the industry the chance to diversify the sport’s fan base and user base, and that is hugely exciting.” 

The full report can be read on the Golf for All website.