From the continuance of the participation boom to a successful Open Championship, we look at three sets of stories in the last month in the UK golf industry.
The Open at Royal Portrush was a success
It wasn’t just a good tournament, but 278,000 fans attended, around 100 million people in more than 190 countries watched it and it is estimated that the economic and media benefit from hosting the major will exceed £213 million.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Galgorm Collection unveiled plans to invest more than £30 million to create a new, landmark links golf course at Bellarena – the first in Northern Ireland in over 100 years, during the championship.
There’s demand for golf club-branded alcohol
In June, Prince’s Golf Club in Kent’s Smugglers Landing Gin was awarded the title of Best in England – Matured Gin at the 2025 World Gin Awards, even though you can only buy it from the club’s pro shop.
Not to be outdone, in July, Falkland Golf Club announced that its 14-year-old single cask Linkwood Scotch whisky, crafted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its clubhouse, had sold out. The 60 bottles were priced at £80 each and they sold out ‘almost instantly’, according to the club.
Participation is still very strong
There were several stories in July about golf participation, and the conclusion from all of them is that it’s growing.
The 2024 Global Participation Report shows a combined total of 108 million adults and juniors now play golf across all formats in The R&A’s affiliated markets — an increase of nearly three million in one year.
Last year was a record-breaking year for participation in England, and this year the number is set to go even higher. England Golf has confirmed that over 5.75 million scores were submitted to the World Handicap System in the first six months of 2025. This marks a 29 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Individual clubs are reporting signficant growth as well, particularly in their junior sections. For example, Perthshire club Murrayshall says its junior section has seen a 42 percent increase since the start of the year.
Meanwhile, Oxford Golf Club has said the number of young people playing at its venue has quadrupled in just two years.
As England Golf chief operating officer, Richard Flint, says: “Certainly the warmer weather this year has played a key role in more people getting out and playing more golf, but there are other important factors at play which are helping us to increase participation.
“Golf is appealing to a wider range of people.”
