The total number of golfers has maintained a steady level as more beginners from the millennial generation take up the sport and inject some fresh blood into the game and golf courses across America.
Comprehensive and Detailed Study
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) annual report on golf participation has been released and offers the most comprehensive and detailed study of the current health of the sport and the best indication of the future popularity and participation of the sport.
Despite voices in many quarters predicting a fall in participation and a possible decline of public attention in the game it appears that the opposite may be true. In fact the NGF participation report shows that at a minimum the popularity and participation of the game is stable and possibly suggests that the number of players may be moving in a positive direction.
25 Million for a 3rd year in a row
2014 marked the third year in a row that the NGF has reported an overall number of golfers around 25 million. The overall number of 24.7 million golfers matches that of 2013 and steadies what had been declining participation in the game since a peak of 30 million golfers a decade ago in 2005. This year’s figures are down on the 26 million from 2010, an down 17 percent from the participation high point of 2005, and resemble the numbers recorded in the mid 1990s before the rise of Tiger Woods helped to boost the popularity of the game.
The NGF’s numbers are not infallible and have a error margin of 875,000 total golfers either side of the 24.7 million recorded in the study. The methodology used to calculate the rate of golfer participation is calculated on the number of people over 6 years of age that played at least once on a golf course within the year of the survey. The study and resulting figures are calculated using the data collected by the Physical Activity Council (PAC) survey that asks 40,000 Americans to reveal their partaking in over 100 fitness and sports activities over the course of a year.
The NGF 2014 report shows that golfer participation was steady with the previous two years with 8.5 percent of the people surveyed having played the sport within the 2014 survey year. However, the NGF also utilises data from the PGA Performance Trak that shows an increase in golfers participating in playable conditions. The average rounds of golf played on days with playable conditions in 2014 were up 1 percent on the data recorded the previous year. While on average golfers that play at least eight rounds of golf a year, core golfers, have completed two more rounds of golf in 2014 than they did during the highest peak year of golfer participation and popularity recorded in 2005.
A breakdown of Participants
The study from the NGF also details a breakdown of the different types of golfers to participate during the year of the 2014 survey. The number of occasional golfers, junior golfers and core golfers remained at a consistent level with previous the two years. The survey revealed that in 2014 the amount of golfers that played the game for the first time in their lives stayed consistent with 2013 and again reached 2 million participants. While the largest demographic of beginners, accounting for over half of the total number of beginner golfers, were in the range of 18 to 39 years of age. The report also claims that 2014 saw around 4 million participants that were either completely new to the game or returning to the game after not participating the previous year.
As well as participants of the game, the NGF also analysed the curiosity in the game among those surveyed and possible latent golfers, the individuals that did not play the game during the 2014 survey year but have expressed a desire to play golf in the near future. The number of these individuals has risen consistently year on year, since 2011, and reached 27 million in the 2014 survey. Some of the other interesting NGF statistical breakdowns are detailed below:
- The largest percentage of core golfers are aged between 30 and 39 years old, this demographic makes up nearly 19 percent of total golfers.
- 47 percent of golfers are below the age of 40, while 35 percent are above the age of 50.
- $93,000 is the average household income of a golfer, while 27 percent have an average household income of over $125,000.
- The Mid West region and New England are the areas where golf enjoys the most participation; where as the Central South recorded the lowest golfer participation.