Boost for golf in UK as number of rounds played breaks records in 2025

Golf in Great Britain is officially booming, with the number of rounds played over the first half of this year up by record levels.

According to data collected by Sporting Insights, the amount of golf played in the UK is at record levels, with three of the country’s four regions reporting increases of over 20 percent.

The figures have even surpassed the “boom years” of 2022 and 2023, when golf participation in the UK saw significant increases and a return to near-normality as the sport recovered from the Covid lockdowns.

Sporting Insights, a sports research and consultancy firm that has been collecting golf data for over 20 years, published a report which read: “Compared to 2024, rounds played are up by +25% for the quarter and +23% for the half-year. Rounds played were up by double digits in every region, by over 20% in three of the four regions, with the north of England the strongest overall.

“Any fears golf courses may have felt in a relatively weak start to 2024 are now receding firmly into the realm of memory.

“A closer examination of rounds played through Q2 2025 reveals positive movement across the board. All regions experienced increases in every month during the quarter.

“The Q2 2025 figures paint a picture of a sport in robust health, with momentum that shows no signs of slowing. Other participation metrics back up what we are seeing in terms of on-course play, including record numbers of scores submitted for handicapping purposes in England.”

Sporting Insights managing director, John Bushell, said: “It’s great to be able to share these figures with the industry after such captivating weeks at both the men’s and women’s Open Championships.

“There is a buzz in golf that will have been immediately apparent to anyone who attended The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush or The AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl, and it is extremely pleasing to see that reflected on the course over recent months.”