EXEC: Golf Rounds Played Fell 5 Percent in Q2 in Great Britain

Rain and England’s run in the European Championships reportedly “conspired” to decrease golf rounds played in Q2.

Total rounds played per course in Great Britain dropped by 5 percent year-on-year in Q2 2024, according to a recent report from UK-based Sporting Insights.

“Much of the damage was done during a wet April, which saw sizeable drops in rounds played in the Midlands, Scotland and the North. A smaller decline was visible in May, and there were green shoots in June, which were mostly drier and sunnier than usual and helped offset lower-than-average temperatures. Two of the four regions (the North and the South) displayed growth,” the research company said in its report.

The U.K.’s southern region grew overall in Q2, up 2 percent versus the same months in 2023.

The Q2 trend follows a drop in Q1 2024. According to the report, this leaves the half-year picture in negative figures, with national rounds down by 8 percent versus the first six months of 2023. All four regions are below last year’s levels. However, the decline of the U.K.’s southern region was the best of the areas, and it only declined slightly. However, the 5 percent year-on-year drop in Q2 is lower than the 14 percent drop for the first three months of 2024.

John Bushell from Sporting Insights reflected: “We would obviously prefer to be reporting growth, but it’s just as important to observe and acknowledge the data when things are not so positive. Weather and England’s Euros exploits will undoubtedly have had an impact on these figures. So, while this is a second straight quarter of negative figures, we still think that a lot of the underlying indicators for golf are encouraging. Consumer confidence is picking up. Global golf participation continues to rise, and there is so much energy among brands, retailers, venues and service providers to protect what’s best about the sport while also innovating and broadening access, energy that was evident at the recent Stephen Proctor Golf Industry Lunch at The Open. Just this weekend, we were treated to a captivating men’s Olympic golf event, full of storylines, with many of the best players in the world fighting for an Olympic medal that meant so much to them. This week’s women’s event is also set to be a cracker.”

Since 2000, Sporting Insights has tracked rounds played at commercial golf courses across mainland Great Britain.

Chart courtesy Sporting Insights Limited