Golf Is a Global Growth Story: New Data Backs It Up

The game of golf is in the middle of a remarkable era. From packed tee sheets in the American Midwest to junior clinics in the Netherlands, participation is surging across the world's two largest golf markets simultaneously. New data from both the National Golf Foundation (NGF) and the European Golf Association (EGA) confirm what brands and retailers on RepSpark have been feeling for years: golf isn't just healthy, it's expanding.

Here's what the numbers say, and what it means for brands and retailers.

The United States: Records Keep Falling

The NGF's latest figures paint a picture of sustained, broad-based growth that shows no signs of slowing.

48.1 million Americans age 6 and older played golf in 2025, a record. That total spans both on-course play (29.1 million) and the off-course explosion at driving ranges, simulators, and entertainment venues like Topgolf (19 million). Golf's total engaged audience, including fans and media consumers, reached 136 million, more than a third of the entire U.S. population over age 5, up 43% since 2016.

Rounds played crossed 500 million for the sixth straight year, with 2025 marking the fourth record in five years. That level of engagement is happening with roughly 2,000 fewer courses than the industry's early-2000s peak, meaning more golfers are sharing fewer, better-utilized facilities.

The demographic story is especially compelling:

• Junior golfers hit nearly 4 million on-course, the highest total since 2004, representing a 58% increase since 2019. More than a third (35%) are girls, compared to just 15% in 2000.
• Female golfers surpassed 8 million on-course, a 46% gain since 2019, with women comprising a record 28% of all on-course play.
• Young adults (18–34) number 6.3 million on-course golfers, with another 7 million who have only played off-course so far, a deep pipeline of future traditional golfers.
• Latent demand, Americans who didn't play but said they're "very interested", stands at 21.2 million, up 37% since 2019.

The pipeline is full, the funnel is growing, and the audience is more diverse than it's ever been.

Europe: A 13.6% Junior Surge + 40 Million Total Players

Across the Atlantic, the EGA and The R&A just published their 2026 European Golf Participation Report, and the headline figure is the dramatic rise in junior participation.

Registered junior golfers in Europe grew 13.6% in a single year, rising to over 478,000. When all formats of the game are included, an estimated 19.9 million juniors played golf in Europe in 2025, a number that underlines just how broadly young people are engaging with the sport beyond formal club membership.

The overall picture is equally strong:

• Registered golfers topped 4.9 million, up 4% year-over-year and 13% since 2020
• Total golfers (registered and unregistered, 9- and 18-hole) reached 14 million
• Including all formats of adult play, 20.6 million participated in 2025
• With juniors counted, 40.5 million people played golf across Europe, representing 36% of global golf participation (excluding the US and Mexico)
• Registered women golfers rose 1.9%, and Europe claims 13 of the top 20 markets for female registered golfers worldwide

Europe's five largest markets , England (835,000 registered), Germany (695,600), Sweden (588,100), France (446,500), and the Netherlands (439,700) all grew year-over-year, with England posting the strongest increase of the group at 6%.

What This Means for Golf Brands and Retailers

When both of the world's dominant golf markets are growing simultaneously, and growing across demographics that have historically been harder to reach , women, juniors, young adults, the commercial opportunity is real and durable.

This isn't a pandemic blip. Five-plus years of sustained growth, record rounds, and record participation have proven that the demand is structural. The golfers who started during 2020 stayed. The juniors who picked up clubs during the boom are still playing. The women who found the game are bringing others with them.

For brands building fall and spring lines, the question isn't whether to invest in golf, it's where the biggest gaps in the market are and how to move product efficiently to the retailers who can reach these new audiences. For retailers, the same growth data is your case to make with your brand partners: the customer is there, and they want gear that fits them.

RepSpark exists to make those connections faster and simpler. When golf demand is this broad and this strong, the brands and retailers who can move quickly together are the ones who win.

Sources: National Golf Foundation, Golf Industry Facts 2025; European Golf Association, 2026 European Golf Participation Report