Baby Boomers’ love for golf (and playing/spending on it) persists, and they’ll be impacting our industry for years to come.
There’s been a lot of understandable excitement around NGF’s reporting on golf’s youth movement, with the number of on-course golfers under the age of 35 increasing by 20% compared to 2019. Young adults are one of the game’s largest participation cohorts and juniors have been the fastest-growing segment in the post-pandemic era.
At the same time, the other end of the age spectrum is seeing considerable momentum as well – a trend that is a byproduct of broader U.S. demographics.
Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) continue to reach the age of 65 at a rate of 10,000 per day, a pace that is in its 16th year and will extend through 2029.
Within the golf world, NGF research has consistently shown this 65+ age cohort has the benefit of more free time and more expendable income, and it is growing at a prolific rate.
From 2016 to 2025, the number of Americans age 65+ rose from 49.2 million to 64.6 million, a 31% increase. This is due to the approximately 75 million babies born during an era of post-war prosperity and a cultural embrace of family life. Golf has been a beneficiary of what demographers refer to as “the pig in the python,” with the number of 65-and-older on-course golfers nearly doubling over that period.
This structural tailwind remains in place as a participation pipeline as Boomers will continue to turn 65 until 2030, a wave independent of any post-COVID catalyst and one that NGF researchers first forecast in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, one of the largest year-over-year participation gains for the 65+ cohort occurred from 2017 to 2018 – prior to a plateau (2020 to 2022) that was partially attributable to COVID-era caution among older golfers.
The full economic impact of Boomers on the golf industry continues to unfold and is one NGF researchers are studying closely.
Even with the “Boomer influx,” the share of age 65+ golfers among the overall participant base has remained relatively stable as other segments – particularly the younger base — have also grown. The average age of on-course golfers overall has actually declined slightly from 2019 (44.6) to 2025 (44.1), even as the 65+ cohort continues to not only grow but contribute disproportionately to the industry’s play and spend levels.
That dual-track growth also offers some reassurance against any fears of a potential “Boomer cliff.” With youth participation already expanding in parallel and millions of Boomers still years from aging out of the game, any future transition is more likely to be gradual than abrupt, and the pipeline behind it is already visible in the data.
The net effect is a dynamic that operators and businesses should take note of: a game that is widening at both ends of the age spectrum simultaneously.