PGA’s ‘ground-breaking’ study claims 22.4 million adults in UK and Ireland were 'engaged' with golf over the last year

A new study by the Professional Golfers' Association claimed that more than 22.4 million people were engaged in golf in the UK and Ireland in the last year in some form or another.

The study shows that around 30 percent of adults in these two countries were connected to the sport using driving ranges, adventure golf, pitch-and-putt, and just playing a few shots of golf on the course. On the other hand, 6.1 million people were part of the game through media.

The research carried out by Ipsos proved that a total of 16 million joined the sports. Out of these, 4.9 million play traditionally, while the other 11.4 million are practising it away from the course.

PGA boss Robert Maxfield opened up about the report, saying that it has been an enlightening exercise for them and gives a chance to the industry to diversify the sport. He said (via Y! Sports):

"This has been an enlightening exercise for us. It has confirmed our expectation that golf has changed irrevocably, and that there is huge scope for the golf industry to be more inclusive of different forms of the game and the people who play them."

"The report gives us detailed insight and is a ground-breaking look into just how far the game has come, and how big the opportunity is to tap into a huge population of people who are already engaged in golf that we haven't had sight of in the past," he continued.

"It gives the industry the chance to diversify the sport's fan base and user base, and that is hugely exciting," Maxfield added further.

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What percentage of people play golf?

According to a report released by the National Golf Foundation, around 25 million played golf in the United States in 2020. This includes 77 percent of men and 22 percent of female golfers.

The report also claimed that over three million people join golf every year in the USA and almost six million golfers in the country are aged between 18-35.

Golf is one of the most popular sports in the United States and slowly it has extended its roots around the world. According to National Club Golfer, nearly 450 million people in the world claim themselves to be golf fans. It is one of the top 10 most popular sports in the world, sitting behind rugby.

People think that only rich and elite-class people play golf but the reality is more nuanced with millions of young fans joining the sport. The game originated in Scotland and has gained worldwide popularity in recent times.

Golf is more popular in Ireland followed by Canada and then other countries of the world.

Here is a list of the most popular sports in the world (as per World Atlas):

• 1. Football (3.5 billion + fans)
• 2. Cricket (2.5 billion+ fans)
• 3. Hockey (2 billion+ fans)
• 4. Tennis (1 billion+ fans)
• 5. Volleyball (900 million+ fans)
• 6. Table Tennis (850 million+ fans)
• 7. Basketball (800 million+ fans)
• 8. Baseball (500million+ fans)
• 9. Rugby (475million+ fans)
• 10. Golf (450 million+ fans)