GOLF PARTICIPATION IN THE U.S. - 2012 EDITION Number of Golfers in the U.S. (Millions)
TOTAL Occasional Core Avid (incl. in Core)
Annual Rounds 1+ 1-7 8+ 25+
Age 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+
1985 19.5 6.1 13.4 6.9
1990* 24.2 8.3 15.9 8.3
1995 24.7 8.3 16.4 8.4
2000 28.8 9.1 19.7 10.2
2005 30.0 12.0 18.0 9.1
2010 26.1 11.3 14.8 7.0
2011 25.7 11.3 14.4 6.8
Junior Female Non-Caucasian**
1+ 1+ 1+
6-17 6+ 6+
2.0 4.1
2.3 5.0
2.8 5.0
3.0 5.4
3.8 7.0
2.5 5.4 5.5
2.4 5.1 5.4
*Average of 1989 and 1991 **Includes African American, Asian-American and Hispanic
Number of Golfers in the U.S. (Millions)
22 Core Occasional Female Junior
20 18
18.0 16.4
16.0
16 14
19.7
14.8
14.4
13.4 12.0
11.5
12 10
11.3
11.3
9.1 8.3
8 6 4
7.0 6.1
5.9
5.4
5.4
5.0 4.1
3.0
2.8
2.9
2.5
2.0
2
5.1
3.8 2.4
0
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2011
Participation Rate*
TOTAL
Annual Rounds
Age
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2011
1+
6+
9.0%
12.1%
10.3%
11.1%
11.1%
9.2%
9.0%
*Participation rate means percentage of the total population age 6+ who played at least one round of golf in a given year
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March 28, 2012 NGF - 2011 Golf Participation Data 25.7 million Americans (age 6+) played at least one round of golf in 2011. That represents a national golf participation rate of 9.0% for the year. Golf remains one of the most popular participation sports in this country. Comparing the 2011 participation data with the previous year, the numbers are essentially flat. The golfer count fell 400,000 (a 1.5% reduction of the 26.1 million count in 2010) and the national participation rate dropped by .2 of one percent (down from 9.2% in 2011). However, we’re definitely of the mind that 2011 was a flat year (the small decline was well within the research error for a survey of this size) and believe it’s in the industry’s best interest to resist over-interpreting a 400K delta. Additional sub-segment detail on the 25.7 million golfers who played in 2011: By rounds: • 6.8 million Avid golfers (25+ rounds annually and incl. in the Core number below) • 14.4 million Core golfers (8+ rounds annually) • 11.3 million Occasional golfers (fewer than 8 rounds annually) By demographic: • 2.4 million Junior golfers (age 6-17) • 5.1 million adult Female golfers • 5.4 million non-caucasian (incl. Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American) It is interesting to note that, while the demographic segments are not mutually exclusive, the data shows that roughly half of the U.S. golfer population is made up of Juniors, Females and Minorities. This paints a different picture than the typical white-male-dominated image that is often projected on our sport. Recreational golf in America is not what people see on TV every weekend. It is also good news that the year-over-year reduction of 400K golfers is smaller than what we’ve seen in the past three years of the great recession. For reference, we lost one million golfers from 2009 to 2010 and 1.5 million between 2008 and 2009. We suspect this reduced net outflow is yet another sign that we are bouncing along the bottom of the trough and on the verge of a modest recovery. Based on past NGF research, this pattern would be similar to how golf rebounded when the country emerged from previous recessions. Key takeaways from the 2011 golf participation data: • • • •
25.7 million Americans played golf in 2011, essentially even with the prior year The recessionary negative effect on golf participation seen recently in year-overyear golfer declines is flattening Roughly half of all golfers are Females, Juniors and Minorities The modest recovery we expect in the short-term would be consistent with the pattern of golf’s emergence from previous recessions
NGF’s participation research methodology Results are based on a survey fielded each January to a nationally representative sample of approximately 40,000 individuals through Synovate, a recognized market research leader. The survey is conducted on behalf of a consortium of sports organizations called the Physical Activity Council. The NGF is one of seven founding members.