The enormous surge in golf participation was reflected in figures released today by BRS Golf, the country’s leading online tee time management provider.
More than half the golf courses in the UK use the systems provided by BRS and GolfNow and in 2022 they processed 24.7 million member rounds, up 84% on 2019 – the most recent year unaffected by Covid lockdowns.
With the sample set of clubs remaining stable, the enormous increase in people joining clubs is feeding through into the number of rounds being played.
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In April England Golf reported that more than 737,000 golfers were estimated to be members of club in England, a rise of 90,000 in 12 months. BRS Golf clubs had 533,000 members at the end of 2019 but that leapt to 673,000 by the end of last month.
The huge increase in member rounds is also down to a sharp rise in the average rounds per member per year. In 2019 it was 25 but last year it jumped up to 37.
The picture was not rosy in every respect. In 2020 and 2021 member rounds played were higher in May, April and May and overall the 2022 figure is just 8% higher than lockdown-blighted 2020 and 11% higher than 2021, when restrictions affected the early part of the year.
However many clubs are enjoying a turnover bonanza. The average basket value of the 1,440 GolfNow course partners being sold to non members in 2022 was £54.37, a rise of 25% compared to 2019.