London, England: The average monthly number of rounds played per course in England, Wales and Scotland dropped to 1,385 in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the same period in 2023, this represents a decrease of 14%.

The greatest impacts were felt in the Midlands and the North, although there were green shoots for the latter in the form of a year-on-year growth in March.

Scotland and the South experienced single digit percentage drops against Q1 2023. According to Sporting Insights, however, it should be noted that 2023 enjoyed strong February and March performances.

“For March 2024 to finish 3% down year-on-year is a decent result that should not be interpreted as cause for pessimism as golf moves into the critical summer window,” said a spokesperson for Sporting Insights, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

While the professional game remains unstable and unsettled, the first Majors of the season testified to the strength of golf’s current undisputed dominant forces, Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda.

With rounds played setting regular records in Great Britain over recent years, the split in the men’s professional game has not so far translated to waning interest in amateur participation. In fact, with initiatives like iGolf making many golfers’ experiences more rewarding, conditions remain positive for golf to put up strong numbers through the rest of 2024.

The caveat to that is that the continuing high cost of living does appear to be impacting on leisure spend, albeit at lower levels than might have been predicted.

“A few things are important to bear in mind,” said Richard Payne, joint Managing Director of Sporting Insights.

“First is the relative strength of 2023 and 2022 when looking at any downward shifts in performance. March, for example, remains ahead of 2019’s numbers. The second is that, while not insubstantial – in fact the appetite for winter golf reflects the hardiness of so many Great Britain golfers – Q1 rounds are dwarfed by summer numbers that are two-three times higher on average than we see over Q1.

“So, there is more than enough time for the year to end in growth. Finally, it’s worth pointing out that like any outdoor sport, fluctuations in participation happen.

“This is the first quarter to see a year-on-year drop in rounds played since Q1 last year. If declines in rounds played persist throughout the year, then there may be conversations that the industry needs to have. But it’s much too early to worry at this stage.”