Actors Kathryn Newton and Bill Murray serve as reminders that avid golfers come in all ages.
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Even though it is the sport of pop stars, actors and celebrities, of Justin Timberlake, Kathryn Newton, Mark Wahlberg, Patrick Mahomes and hell, even Caitlin Clark, golf is still fighting against its long-standing reputation – namely, that it is a game of old codes.
But I have good news, golfers. I’m here to equip you with new ammunition to help in that battle.
(Also, to the older golfers who might be reading this: I think you’re great! Most of you are not “codgers,” you taught my generation the game, you’re still at the heart of it, you’re a critical consumer, you should continue to play as often as you can and, in doing so, you’re actually reaping the amazing health benefits of your fellow golfers. non-golfers who don’t get it.)
Let’s start here: Golfers once again played the game at record speeds.
Torrid weather trends continued for the fifth year in a row; The post-Covid golf boom has brought new players to the game and those who are already playing are doing so more often. According to the National Golf Foundation, which keeps track of all sorts of golf industry facts and figures, 2024 is on track to be the fifth year in a row that there are more than 500. millions rounds will be played at more than 15,000 United States golf courses.
Last year, 2023, they set the record for the most plays of all time. And this year? Golfers play for par More. Through August, year-to-date production was up 1.4 percent over 2023’s record-setting pace. While it’s wise not to get too caught up in specific percentages — things like rain or warm weather can move these numbers from year to year — the picture is clear: More golfers are playing more golf.
So who are those golfers? Here are a few things NGF had to say about them:
-In 2023, 26.6 million people played golf on the course (18.4 million more played “off course” at a simulator, Topgolf or similar facility)
-From 2020 to 2023, the number of golfers in the US increased by approx. 2.3 million people
-As of 2019, the average age of a golfer has dropped significantly, from 44.6 to 43.5 years old
-Over the past 10 years, golf participation among those 65 and older has increased 64 percent
I think I speak for most golfers when I say that it’s great that most people play golf (as long as you can still find a tee time). It’s good that young people are playing golf more. And it’s great that adults play golf a lot, too. But aside from that last point revelation – that older golfers play more golf – the NGF breakdown by age left me doing a double take. As of early 2024, there are more golfers in the 18-34 demographic than any other age bracket. Check it out in the chart below: There are 3.5 million junior golfers (ages 6-17), 6.3 million golfers between 18 and 34, 5.3 million between 35 and 49, 6.1 million between 50 and 64 and 5.4 million aged over 65.
I promised the stats would come out, so here they are: There are more golfers between 18 and 34 than there are over 65.
National Golf Foundation
If you ask the average person to describe the average golfer, I bet they are more likely to describe someone 65-plus than sub-35. But it turns out that it’s less common to be in Jack Nicklaus’ book than Scottie Scheffler’s. There is hardly a peer of Bernhard Langer than Nelly Korda. Golfers are younger than I would have thought. Heck, when Tiger Woods turns 50 in 14 months, he’ll be older than 57 percent of his fellow golfers.
Before we get too carried away, there’s an important caveat that comes with this data: NGF doesn’t talk about total rounds played. Those 50-plus and 65-plus golfers are likely to play more often (and spend more freely) than their younger golfing counterparts, so if your course isn’t flooded all day, every day with 20-somethings, don’t. I was surprised. But maybe if today’s junior golfers grow up too, they’ll free up time for more rounds. And then we will hope that those behind them will take the game, too.
Whatever age bracket you fall into, we hope you’ll do it again this weekend at a course near you.
You can find more NGF facts and figures here.
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