The trio reveal interesting information about the state of the British and Irish golf industries at this time.
Pay increases for staff are recommended
Recruiting and retaining the right staff has been a particularly challenging issue for golf clubs since Covid, and this is only made more difficult by seemingly never-ending rising overheads.
The Committee for Golf Club Salaries (CGCS), which also states that recent rises in the National Living Wage has caused significant problems, recommends an overall wage increase of 4.8 percent for key staff members at golf clubs from January 1.
Some driving ranges are having a bumper time
Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester currently sees over 23 million golf balls hit annually and up to 2,000 daily visitors, even though it doesn’t offer a full golf course. And the venue believes things will only get better.
In 2026 it will expand from 53 to 82 driving range bays, which will include a new three-story west wing and a new three-storey east wing.
At the heart of its offering is ball-tracking data, shot feedback, games and challenges, target greens, food and drink that can be ordered from bays and club hire for the range, a high-tech teaching academy for all levels, flexible opening hours and themed mini golf courses.
Participation records are likely to be broken for 2025
Much of the UK and Ireland had a dry spring and summer, which saw participation soar.
Data until the end of September shows that British clubs saw more rounds played this year than any other year this decade, a period that has seen extraordinary post-pandemic participation growth.
For example, the average British golf club has seen over 10 extra rounds per course per day in 2025 compared with 2022, which was a record-breaking year.
Meanwhile, Golf Ireland, the body that runs amateur golf on the island of Ireland, has reported its largest membership since its inception. By the end of October, affiliated membership figures had reached 236,384. This is a rise from 182,000 in 2020, a stunning increase of 30 percent.
