Saturday 10 October 2015 13:00, UK
Golf participation in the UK is far from being in decline and is actually flourishing, especially among a younger demographic, according to a European Tour survey.
The results were released to coincide with this week's British Masters supported by Sky Sports at Woburn, where a strong emphasis has been placed on driving engagement with younger golfers and attracting a new generation to the sport.
The findings have emerged from the Golf Actives Study, a first-of-its-kind programme commissioned by the European Tour, which aims to establish a complete picture of golf activity and engagement in the UK.
The study revealed that 11m people in the UK (9.3m adults and a further 1.7m junior golfers) are actively engaged in the game of golf, a figure which represents almost a fifth of the total population.
According to the European Tour, previous golf participation numbers have not reflected the changing face of the game itself with the figure of 3.5m adults within the study - who are considered to be full length course users - often being the only figure referenced.
Our Golf Actives Survey suggests our sport is very healthy, participation in it is changing and the younger generation have more options to experience our wonderful game
However the emergence of several shorter formats of the sport are still actively engaging people to take part in golf, many of them juniors. These formats include: the Driving Range, (3.1m 'active' users); Pitch and Putt (2.3m); Nine Hole Courses (2.2m); Putting Greens (1.7m); and Par Three or Short Courses (1.2m).
In addition, non-traditional formats of golf to have attracted active engagement in the game include Adventure or Mini-Golf (2.7m 'active' users); Golf Computer Games (1.9m); and Golf Simulators (0.4m). As a result, these 'golf actives' are taking part in more than one of these varied formats of the game.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: "Our Golf Actives Survey suggests our sport is very healthy, participation in it is changing and the younger generation have more options to experience our wonderful game.
"That doesn't mean playing 18 holes should not remain the pinnacle of golf: indeed, doing so successfully is the goal to which most will continue to aspire. It simply means that playing 18 holes shouldn't be the sole yardstick we use to measure participation.
"You only need to look at the joy on the faces of the kids here at Woburn at the Golf Foundation's Street Golf Festival to see how much enjoyment they are getting out of golf. Are they playing on a full length golf course? No, not yet. But are they participating in golf and having fun with the game? Yes they are, and that is very positive for our sport."
