It looks like golf's downward trend has finally stopped after the latest Active People Survey figures from Sport England suggest participation is stabilising.
It looks like golf's downward trend has finally stopped after the latest Active People Survey figures from Sport England suggest participation is stabilising.
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 results give cause for optimism that the focus on creating more players, more members and stronger clubs is having a positive impact.
The survey shows:
Overall 740,100 people, aged 16-plus, play golf in England for at least 30 minutes once a week. That’s up slightly on the previous year (730,300) and this is the first, 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.
David Joy, Chief Executive of England Golf, said
“A great deal of hard and coordinated work is taking place at club, county and national levels, to recruit and retain more players and members, to provide the right coaching opportunities and to show that golf really is a game for all. These results will encourage all who are involved in this work to continue their efforts and to keep moving in the same direction.”
Initiatives include:
County action plans which attracted over 92,000 people to try golf in the six months to September. Over 36,000 took structured coaching courses with PGA professionals and 40% went on to play once a week.
Increased capacity for the network of County Development Officers who work closely with the PGA and the Golf Foundation to support clubs.
The Get into golf campaign was opened up to all clubs in 2015 and over 760 promoted coaching opportunities for beginners and improvers.
Trials of new approaches to make the sport more accessible, such as Golf Express which promotes nine-hole golf.
A pilot project involving 100 clubs to attract more women and girl members.
Increased club support and education, including Business Growth Forums and a new guide to all resources available.
