Green grass golf participation topped 28 million in 2024, a seventh consecutive annual increase (no, we don’t owe all the good fortune to COVID-19). Last year’s net increase of approximately 1.5 million golfers was the biggest single-year jump since 2000, when Tiger Woods was at his peak and spurring golf participation to new heights. Over the past five years, the number of traditional golfers has risen by 16%.
Meanwhile, total golf participation (those who play on- and off-course with a real ball, real club and full swing) climbed to 47.2 million in the U.S., a 5% gain versus 2023 and a +38% pre-pandemic comp to 2019.
Here are just a few of the notable callouts from 2024:
- On-course participation at its highest level since 2008, when the Great Recession and the onset of the social media age were taking a toll on golf’s positioning as a leisure pursuit
- Female participation at record levels
- Unprecedented representation for females and People of Color in golf’s participation ranks
- A new high for annual Rounds Played for the third time in four years
- Sustained demand and high levels of utilization
- More new course development than any time since 2011
- Fewest U.S. golf course closures in 20 years
- An increasingly favorable public perception and narrative around recreational golf
You’ll find additional details, numbers, and context on these topics and more in the full 40+ page Golf Industry Report, named for NGF’s founders Herb and Joe Graffis.