New golf participation data for the third quarter of 2023 in the UK has revealed that more rounds of golf were played between July and September than in any previous year with the exception of 2020.
After a slow start to the year, mainly caused by bad weather, rounds played across the UK remain well above pre-pandemic numbers, in the latest sign that golf’s pandemic participation boom has reset the baseline appetite for the game.
According to a report issued by Sporting Insights, only January of the first nine months of the year saw a dip against 2019 figures, while the remainder of the year has so far seen 2023 track and often exceed the totals seen outside lockdowns during the period 2020-2022.
September was the quarter’s strongest performing month, both against 2022 (up 10%) and against 2019 (up 55%).
MORE ROUNDS BEING PLAYED
The year-to-date average of 2,910 rounds played per course per month means there are 646 more rounds per course per month being played – or an extra of 21 more people per day.
The report suggests that initiatives such as iGolf, Openplay and Flexigolf schemes for independent golfers in England, Scotland and Wales were playing a significant role in providing routes for non-members and newer golfers to track improvement and access competitive golf, helping those people to stay in the game.
BIG CHANGE IN AFTERNOON ROUNDS
BRS Golf, golf’s leading provider of tee time management booking technology, report a strong first half of 2023 for both member play and visitor play in the UK and Ireland, with more rounds played so far this year than in the whole of 2019.
Another big change in golf participation since the pandemic has also been the noticeable shift in the patterns of play, with games played from midday onwards representing 60% of all rounds, up for
50% in 2019, while the number of rounds played on weekdays has gone up to 59%, compared to 56% four years ago. Both figures reflect a change in work patterns, with more people working from home or operating flexible working hours, which enable them to clock off early to play golf during times that were once considered ‘office hours’.