From new data that shows participation is still growing to large golf groups investing in more facilities, the year has got off to a promising start.
Some larger golf clubs groups are investing heavily now
Our cover feature in the January issue of The Golf Business was Richard Calvert, CEO of The Club Company, who talked about the two golf clubs his company acquired in 2024.
Just as the issue came out in early January, it was revealed that The Club Company had purchased its 18th golf club – The Nottinghamshire.
Our cover story for February is Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO of The Cabot Collection, who talks about the clubs his company has acquired in recent years.
In late January it was revealed that his company’s first golf resort in the USA had opened.
An adventure golf group is now affiliated to Scottish Golf
At Scottish Golf’s 2024 AGM, members voted in favour of allowing ‘venues that deliver golf experiences but are not golf clubs in the traditional sense’ to affiliate.
In January, Paradise Island Adventure Golf, which runs eight adventure golf facilities in the UK, two of which are in Scotland, became the first ever facility that meets that criteria to be affiliated with Scottish Golf.
This can “grow our game for the future” said Robbie Clyde, CEO of Scottish Golf.
The UK golf industry is still seeing positive participation data
There’s no doubt that some golf clubs, particularly in Scotland, have been struggling lately, but in some ways this is still a bumper time for the industry.
A review of green fee income in 2024 has found that it hit a record high.
The average golf club in the UK and Ireland generated £170,462 in casual green fee income over the course of the year, an 11 percent increase on the previous 12 months.
Meanwhile, England saw 10 million rounds of golf played in one year for the first time.
More than 10.2 million scores were submitted in 2024, more than 800,000 more than in 2023, an increase of 8.63 percent.
Hopefully 2025 will see similar growth.
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