Golf tourism spans dedicated golf trips, destination visits, participation, event attendance and wider travel spending. The measures below keep those definitions separate, with geography and measurement periods stated for each figure.
Key Golf Tourism Statistics
The most useful headline figures show the scale of demand, participation and measured economic outcomes:
- In 2023, approximately 12.2 million U.S. adults took a golf trip.
- For 2024, more than 12 million U.S. golf travelers were forecast.
- In reported 2024 estimates, golfers generated more than $31 billion in U.S. travel-related golf expenditures.
- In 2024, nearly 1,200 U.S. resort or resort-real-estate golf facilities were counted.
- In 2024, U.S. green-grass golf participation exceeded 28 million participants.
- In 2024, total U.S. golf participation reached 47.2 million participants.
- In 2023, more than 531 million rounds were played at U.S. courses.
- In 2023, more than 123 million Americans consumed golf in some form.
- In 2024, more than 66% of U.S. Core golfers planned a golf-specific trip.
- In 2024, R&A affiliated markets excluding the USA and Mexico had 108 million adult and junior golfers across all formats.
- In 2024, 43.3 million adults and juniors in R&A markets excluding the USA and Mexico played 9- or 18-hole golf.
- In a 2025 Wales release, typically more than 95% of golf-club visitors came from the UK.
- In 2024 estimates, more than 220,000 international golfers visited Ireland each year.
- In 2024 estimates, Ireland’s golf-tourism economy exceeded €300 million annually.
- In a 2024 survey, more than 50% of approximately 23 million U.S. golfers took at least one golf trip annually.
- In a 2024 survey, the average U.S. golf trip lasted 3.33 days.
- In 2024, Scotland hosted five high-profile golf tournaments.
- At the 2024 152nd Open at Royal Troon, estimated impact was £87.3 million.
- In 2023, Scotland received 794,000 U.S. visitors associated with £1.2 billion in spend.
Contents
- Key Golf Tourism Statistics
- U.S. Golf Tourism Scale and Demand
- Golf Participation and Propensity to Travel
- Global Golf Tourism Participation Data
- Destination Supply, Visitor Mix and Regional Demand
- Golf-Trip Behavior, Booking and Visitor Spending
- Golf Events and Measured Tourism Outcomes
U.S. Golf Tourism Scale and Demand
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) estimated that approximately 12.2 million U.S. adults took a golf trip in 2023. That count was 20% above NGF’s 1989–2023 measurement-year average; the comparison is source-reported and is not independently recalculated here.
NGF projected more than 12 million U.S. golf travelers for 2024, which is a forecast rather than a final observed count. In a separate reported 2024 estimate, golfers generated more than $31 billion in U.S. travel-related golf expenditures.
The U.S. destination base included nearly 1,200 resort or resort-real-estate golf facilities in 2024. These facilities describe supply, while traveler counts and expenditure estimates describe different parts of the tourism system.
Source: New Heights for Golf Tourism?
Participation indicators help explain the potential pool for golf travel, but they should not be treated as equivalent to golf-tourist counts. NGF reported these U.S. measures for 2024:
| Measure | 2024 result | Geography and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Green-grass golf participation | More than 28 million | U.S. participants |
| Net green-grass gain | Approximately 1.5 million | U.S. net participants |
| Total golf participation | 47.2 million | U.S. participants |
| Year-over-year total participation change | 5% | 2023–2024 U.S. change |
Traditional U.S. golfers increased 16% from 2019 to 2024. These are survey estimates with source-defined populations and periods, rather than a direct count of travel bookings.
Source: Golf’s State-of-Industry In 3 Minutes
Golf Participation and Propensity to Travel
U.S. courses recorded more than 531 million rounds in 2023, and more than 500 million rounds were played in each year from 2020 through 2023. U.S. on-course participation increased by 1 million from 2022 to 2023.
Typical year-to-year weather fluctuation in U.S. rounds is plus or minus 3%, an observed historical range that provides context for annual changes. The rounds data measures play at courses, not necessarily overnight travel or destination tourism.
Source: A Record for U.S. Rounds?
Golf’s wider consumer reach also exceeded the number of people playing on course. More than 123 million Americans consumed golf in some form in 2023, and golf-consumption reach increased 14% from 2018 to 2023.
Among U.S. Core golfers, 95% expected to play the same or more in 2024, nearly 40% expected to play more or much more, and 5% expected to play less. Female participation increased 25% from 2020 to 2024, while more than 66% of Core golfers planned a golf-specific trip in 2024.
More than 50 million Americans consumed golf-related social media in 2023, and 80% of that group did not play green-grass golf. This illustrates the difference between golf consumption, participation and tourism propensity.
Source: The Pulse of the Golf Consumer
Global Golf Tourism Participation Data
The R&A counted 108 million adult and junior golfers across affiliated markets excluding the USA and Mexico in 2024. That total increased by almost 3 million from 2023 to 2024, but the R&A measure includes non-traditional formats and therefore is not directly comparable with every national on-course measure.
| R&A measure | 2024 result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Adult golfers | 64.1 million | R&A markets excluding USA and Mexico |
| Junior golfers | 43.9 million | R&A markets excluding USA and Mexico |
| 9- or 18-hole golfers | 43.3 million | Adults and juniors in the same markets |
| Registered golfers | 8.4 million | Up from 8.2 million in 2023 |
Eighty percent of young people in the R&A markets used non-9/18-hole formats in 2024. Adult participation increased by 1.8 million from 2023 to 2024, while junior participation was 43.9 million.
Regional adult totals were 26.2 million in Asia, 20.3 million in Europe and 6.9 million in Canada in 2024. Europe also had 18.5 million junior golfers; these regional figures are estimates within the R&A’s stated scope.
Source: Over 100 million golfers in R&A markets as global participation continues to grow
Destination Supply, Visitor Mix and Regional Demand
Golf tourism depends on who visits, when demand arrives and which regions attract the most activity. Wales, Portugal and Ireland illustrate different destination patterns, and their figures use different definitions.
- A 2025 Welsh research release reported that typically more than 95% of golf-club visitors came from the UK.
- The main Welsh golf-tourism season ran from April through October, a seven-month period.
- In Portugal in 2025, the UK remained the ranked first golf-tourism source market.
- North America was close to Portugal’s top five source markets in 2025.
- The Algarve remained Portugal’s ranked first golf-tourism region in 2025 despite a slight decline.
- Madeira ranked second among Portuguese golf-tourism regions in 2025.
- Portugal’s Northern region showed the ranked first highest relative golf-tourism growth in 2025.
- Lisbon recorded a significant golf-tourism demand increase for a second consecutive year from 2024 to 2025.
The Portuguese statements are rankings and directional descriptions rather than supplied visitor totals. They should not be converted into percentages or compared numerically with the Welsh visitor-share estimate.
Sources: Research on demand and capacity for golf tourism; Golf Snapshot | 2025
Ireland’s reported 2024 context included more than 220,000 international golfers visiting each year and more than 400 golf courses. The same estimate placed Ireland’s golf-tourism economy above €300 million annually, with a golf visitor typically spending three times the average leisure tourist.
Source: AIB Coach & Golf Tourism Outlook
Golf-Trip Behavior, Booking and Visitor Spending
A 2024 Troon survey of more than 10,000 respondents found that more than 50% of approximately 23 million U.S. golfers took at least one golf trip annually. The same survey reported that 31% took two or more golf trips annually, showing that annual participation and repeat travel overlap for a substantial segment.
The average U.S. golf trip lasted 3.33 days in the 2024 survey. More than 33% of U.S. golfers booked rounds online, while 57% used smartphones for booking.
| Trip behavior | 2024 U.S. survey result | Population or scope |
|---|---|---|
| At least one golf trip annually | More than 50% | Approximately 23 million U.S. golfers |
| Two or more golf trips annually | 31% | U.S. golfers |
| Average trip duration | 3.33 days | U.S. golfers |
| Booked rounds online | More than 33% | U.S. golfers |
| Used smartphones for booking | 57% | U.S. golfers |
More than 50% of surveyed U.S. golfers ranked dining and retail as important destination factors. The survey’s booking, duration and destination-factor results measure reported behavior and preferences, not destination-wide spending totals.
Source: Troon publishes in-depth report from U.S. golfer research
Golf Events and Measured Tourism Outcomes
Event tourism provides some of the clearest destination-specific economic estimates, but event impacts are not interchangeable with annual golf-tourism economies. Scotland hosted five high-profile golf tournaments in 2024, and a reported benchmark says The Open brings at least £60 million in direct economic benefit per Scottish staging.
The 152nd Open at Royal Troon generated an estimated £87.3 million impact in 2024. The 2024 Genesis Scottish Open generated £19.2 million, including £7.8 million for East Lothian.
Scotland also received 794,000 U.S.-origin visitors associated with £1.2 billion in spend in 2023. U.S.-origin visitors represented 20% of overseas visitors and 34% of overseas spend; these all-U.S.-visitor figures are context, not golf-only counts.
Source: Annex E: Golf Events and Tourism
Earlier event evidence shows how spectator travel and destination effects can be measured separately. The 2016 Open attracted 173,000 spectators and generated more than £64 million in estimated impact, including £46 million in destination-marketing benefit.
Forty-nine percent of 2016 Open spectators travelled from outside Scotland. In a follow-up survey, 62% of non-Ayrshire residents said they would return within 12 months.
A cited 2016 report estimated £17.1 million in Ayrshire golf-tourism value and 437 jobs. These are estimates for the 2016 report and should not be treated as current values or independently verified legacy figures.
Sources: Economic benefit of The Open; 4. Wider impacts – Glasgow Prestwick Airport: economic impact assessment