Open 2016: UK golf industry in drive to widen participation

Golf is a multi-billion pound industry in the UK, with a reported 4 million players who play on full length courses. The 2016 Open was a major player in the four prestigious annual golf tournaments and was estimated to bring £140 million to the local economy where it was hosted.

The chairman of the British Golf Association, Nigel Freemantle, declared that golf is in “not in a bad place” and that they feel positive that there’s “a lot of good work and promotion around golf being done at the moment.”

This is in stark contrast to the golf slump back in 2008, which saw a deterioration of golf players over the past 10 years thanks to the recession. Drives like National Golf Month, however, have sought to revive this and it’s reassuring to see this positive development in the modern life of this historic sport.

Current research has found that golfers in Britain are splashing out a generous £4.3 billion a year and that golf has overall seen a yearly turnover of £10 billion. Golf is looking in very good condition at present, with English golfers making up 16% of registered golf players in Europe. Scotland isn’t far behind, making up 5% of players in Europe.

Experts hoped that the Olympics would bring attention to the sport and are trying hard to encourage more female players. There was quite a prominent gender gap, with only 15% of players being female. Freemantle comments on this, stating that “female are getting more and more into the game.” There is hope that if more women are interested in joining the sport, this can widen participation for more children to join too.

There has been some progress in extending participation from different audiences, with the introduction of new adventure golf and driving ranges, which have drawn a wider range players to the golfing scene. Hopefully, as these developments continue, golf will continue to progress into one of the top sports in the country. 

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