Rain and England’s run in the European Championships conspired to cause a decrease in golf rounds played in Q2 total rounds played per course in Great Britain dropped by 5% year-on-year in Q2 2024, new research from Sporting Insights reveals.
Much of the damage was done during a wet April, which saw sizeable drops in rounds played in the Midlands, Scotland, and the North. Smaller decline was visible in May, and there were green shoots in June, which was mostly drier and sunnier than usual and so helped offset lower than average temperatures. Two of the four regions (the North and the South) displayed growth.
In fact, the South region grew overall in Q2, up 2% vs the same months in 2023.
The news follows a drop in Q1 2024, and leaves the half year picture in negative figures, with national rounds now down by -8% vs the first six months of 2023, with all four regions below last year’s levels, albeit the South barely so. It should be noted however, that the -5% year-on-year drop in Q2 is lower than the -14% drop for the first three months of this year.
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 aren’t 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. For more information or to purchase the full report, contact Richard Payne.
