KPMG’s latest survey of golf participation in Europe found the first drop in more than 20 years. In 2011, there were 46,000 fewer registered golfers than the year before. The biggest drops came in the U.K. and Ireland, down by 42,700 (3.1 percent); Sweden, down by 21,000 (4.1 percent); and Spain, which lost 9,700 golfers (2.9 percent). The total number of registered golfers for the year was under 4.4 million, down by 1 percent. Despite this, the Golf Participation in Europe 2011 survey found that the number of golf courses in Europe went up by 0.7 percent to 6,740. For 25 years, golf has been booming in Europe, with participation more than tripling since the 1980s. The number of courses has doubled in that time. Growth has slowed since 2005, but last year was the first actual decline. KPMG’s survey notes that golf is still dominated by men, with the percentage of female players rising only in the German-speaking countries and the Netherlands. Ten percent of all golfers are juniors, with high proportions in Turkey (52 percent) and Serbia (34 percent). KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice conducts the annual survey, and results are available at www.golfbusinesscommunity.com.
