Here’s three trends from the UK golf industry in June

The data from the last month paints a positive picture for the state of the UK golf industry this summer.

Clubs are reporting ‘record profits’ from the last two years

St Andrews Links Trust has become the latest major golf course operator to say it had a record-breaking year for revenue. In fact it earnt more in profit in 2023 (£11.5 million) than it lost during Covid in 2020 and 2021 combined (more than £11 million).

This comes as several other golf venues have reported that 2022 and 2023 were record-breaking years for profit, including, for example, UK golf operator BGL, DP World Tour host INFINITUM in Spain and Quinta do Lago in Portugal all reporting this.

Demand for acquiring clubs is strong

Several golf clubs have been acquired in recent weeks.

For example, the UK’s largest golf club operator, The Club Company, took on its 17th club Greetham Valley in Rutland, Link Golf UK, formerly known as Love Golf UK, has made Tapton Park Golf Course in Chesterfield its fifth golf venue and Derbyshire-based entrepreneur Marc Brough purchased the 19th century Horsley Lodge Golf Club.

Record profits is resulting in record demand for venues.

New golf venues are opening

Particularly due to the pressure from housing demand, the number of golf courses in the UK have reduced over the last 25 years but June was an extremely unusual month in which at least four new golf courses opened.

Yes, two of them, at Chart Hills and Cowdray, were par three courses at an already existing golf venue, and Basingstoke relocated to another existing course, which it has significantly improved, so only the Inspiration club in London is a completely new 18-hole venue.