Golf club membership is soaring in England

Golf club membership in England has risen by more than 100,000 since the pandemic started, and most of that in the last year, according to official figures.

England Golf has reported that golf club membership has risen by almost 90,000 in just the last 12 months, taking the total number of members at affiliated venues to 737,021.

To put that into perspective, the figure is nearly 50,000 higher than it was in 2014, when KPMG’s analytical reports started separating UK golf club members by each individual country.

The annual rise of 89,797 players represents a growth rate of 13.9 percent and is the third year in a row of growth.

Jeremy Tomlinson, CEO of England Golf, commented: “These new membership figures are fantastic to see and reflect well on a great many people in the industry who have worked tirelessly to promote and re-energise the sport at club, county and national level.

“Golf is an amazing activity for players of all ages, from any background and of any ability, and this can be seen in the numbers now falling in love with the game for the first time or rekindling their passion for the sport.

“Our clubs, supported by the counties and England Golf as the national governing body, have recognised they must offer a value proposition to anyone wanting to join as well as providing an inclusive, safe and secure environment for people to enjoy the game.

“Everyone at England Golf looks forward to working with our clubs and the wider golfing community to build on this growth to ensure we encourage new golfers from diverse backgrounds, or those returning to the sport, to develop a lifelong love affair with this wonderfully fun and frustrating game of ours.”