Golf participation appears to be continuing to stabilise, according to the latest Active People Survey figures from Sport England.
The encouraging news comes from the results for the year to October 2015, which have just been released. They consolidate the previous year’s results which had indicated that the downward trend was slowing.
The survey shows that overall 740,100 people, aged 16-plus, play golf in England for at least 30 minutes once a week. This is a slight increase on the previous year (730,300) and this is the first, albeit small, increase in participation since October 2012.
The growth is among young people, with 50,400 aged between 16 and 25 now involved in weekly golf, compared to 38,400 a year ago.Other encouraging signs include a slight increase in the number of male golfers, among black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and in club membership.
Sandy Jones, chief executive of the PGA, said: “It is heartening to see these results and especially to see the recovery in the numbers of young people who are playing golf. But there is still much more to be done to consolidate these results and to grow the game. That is why there is ever closer collaboration across the industry to ensure our collective efforts are focused on the right priorities for the future.”
For more information on the Active People Survey click here
