Golf is booming worldwide: record participation thanks to new formats

Golf is experiencing an unprecedented upswing: according to the latest "Global Participation Report 2024" from the Royal & Ancient (R&A), 108 million adults and young people worldwide - excluding the USA and Mexico - now play some form of golf. This represents a significant increase of almost three million golfers since the previous year and underlines the continuing appeal of the sport. The report was published just days before the 2025 Open Championship.

A closer look at the figures shows that the growth is based on several pillars. The traditional form of golf on a 9- or 18-hole course continues to enjoy great popularity: the number of active players rose slightly to 43.3 million (adults and young people).

Indoor golf and gamification drive growth

However, the real growth drivers are the non-traditional game formats. These include driving ranges, golf simulators and adventure golf. These formats are extremely popular with young people in particular: an impressive 80% of the 43.9 million juniors in total come into contact with golf via these alternative approaches. Overall, more golfers are now using these flexible and often less time-consuming formats than the traditional course game.

Adult participation is 64.1 million, which corresponds to an increase of 1.8 million since 2023. In regional terms, Asia is the leading region with 26.2 million adult golfers, followed by Europe (20.3 million) and Canada (6.9 million). Among juniors, Europe leads with 18.5 million.

Non-traditional formats as a springboard

An important trend that is emerging is the role of non-traditional formats as a stepping stone to the traditional golf course. R&A studies show that, on average, over a third (e.g. 37% in Canada and 36% in England) of new course golfers have previously played alternative formats. This shows the enormous potential of these offers to attract new players to the sport and lead them to the traditional game.

The growth among women is also particularly pleasing. In the nine largest R&A markets, women represent 31 percent of total adult participation. In the alternative golf formats, their share is even higher, reaching around 50 percent of adult participants. This underlines the attractiveness of the new formats for a broader target group.

The number of registered golfers, i.e. members of golf clubs or players affiliated via national associations, is also growing steadily and now stands at 8.4 million - a significant increase compared to 7.4 million in 2020. The R&A sees these figures as confirmation of its strategy and continues to invest heavily in golf development worldwide in order to further promote the sport and attract new golfers. Golf is more diverse and accessible than ever and promises a bright future ahead.