Golf is one of the most popular sports on the planet, and there are millions of people who are constantly keeping an eye out on the latest developments in this sport. One of the countries where golf is extremely popular is the United Kingdom.
There are thousands of UK residents who play and/or watch golf regularly, making it one of the most popular sports in the country besides the likes of football and cricket. With that being said, we wanted to provide you with a few interesting facts about UK golf that you should know. So, without any further ado, let's start diving into the details.
Statistics show that the UK, specifically England tops the list of most registered golf players in Europe. With around 660,000 registered players, England is the clear leader in the said continent. The only country that comes close to these numbers is Germany, with approximately 640,000 registered players.
Golf participation in other UK countries includes Wales with 183,000, Scotland with 188,000, same as Ireland. The registered number of UK golfers around the world is 45,000. That brings the total tally to more than 1.2 million UK golfers, which is an impressive number.
As a very popular sport, golf contributes to UK's economy quite a lot. Statistics suggest that the UK's manufacturer sales of golf equipment reached more than $130 million in 2020. Not only that, but the value of golf balls that are exported from the UK each year is around $40 million.
On the other hand, the value of golf clubs that are being exported from the UK each year exceeds $140 million.
In England, the number of people who play golf at least twice a month is around 900,000, regardless of the duration or intensity. Approximately 5% of Scotland's population indulges in these activities each month, while Northern Ireland remains dedicated to the sport a lot.
Data shows that golfing is almost as popular as football n Northern Ireland. The majority of players here are male adults. Moreover, the number of golf courses in England is around 1,870. Scotland has 560 golf courses, Wales has 145, and Ireland has 405. Out of the top 5 countries in Europe with the highest number of golf courses, Germany is the only non-UK nation on the list (731 courses).
All of the numbers and statistics that are shown above tell us one thing – golf participation is massive, and there's no denying the fact that the sport is very popular in the UK. Thanks to that fact, we've been able to witness quite a lot of professional UK golfers that have reached the very top.
Some of the players that are worth mentioning are Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Laura Davies, Ian Woosnam and Colin Montgomerie.