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Registered Golfers 2021

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1M

Click on a country for details.

Golf Popularity by Country 2024

There are a lot of people who are curious about the countries where golf is the most popular. First, it is critical to take a look at how the popularity of golf can be determined. This is a very subjective measure, but there are a few objective metrics that could play a role. For example, it might be possible to calculate the number of people who play golf in a country when compared to its total population. It might also be possible to take a look at the professional golf tour to see which country has the most members. Some people might even be curious about the TV ratings that golfers use in different countries. With this in mind, which countries love golf the most?

The United States Could Be the Country With the Greatest Golf Popularity

First, it is entirely possible that the United States could love golf more than any other country on Earth. Even though golf is not one of the major sports, (those are basketball, baseball, and football), golf is still incredibly popular in the United States. There are many people who love to head out to the golf course, and the United States is home to the golfers who have the most major titles. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are those from the United States, and the PGA Tour is largely made up of American golfers. For these reasons, the United States could be at the top of the list when it comes to golf popularity.

The United Kingdom Is Considered the Birthplace of Golf

It is also possible that the United Kingdom could be the location where golf is the most popular. The biggest claim to fame is that the United Kingdom is widely considered to be the birthplace of golf. In the near future, the British Open is going to return to St. Andrews golf course. Most people involved consider this to be where the game of golf was invented. As a result, golf is incredibly popular in the United Kingdom, and it could be the country where golf is the most popular. Of note, the United Kingdom includes Scotland, Ireland, and England. All of these countries are heavily represented on the PGA tour as well as the European tour.

Which Country Is a Rising Star in Golf?

Even though golf hasn't been as popular in Asia, this is an area of the world where golf is quickly becoming more popular. First, when discussing golf, it is important not to overlook the women's tour. Golf has become very popular among women, and South Korean golfers have been dominating the LPGA Tour during the past few years. In addition, Japan is becoming a popular place for golf. Hideki Matsuyama is one of the best golfers in the world, and he is from Japan. He has inspired a wave of young Japanese golfers to pursue their professional aspirations. Expect Asia to become popular for golfers in the near future.

Notes:
- Values for Total Registered Players 2017 for United States, Japan, Canada and Australia display estimated total number of players rather than registered players
- Data year for United States and Japan is 2016
- Regional Popularity is a relative term (proportional to the most popular term and related to the popularity of other terms in each region), and does not represent a specific number of searches. Data is derived from Google Insights for Search, collected over a four year period (Jan 2007 to Jan 2011).

Download Table Data

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Country
Registered Golfers 2021
Registered Golfers per Course 2021
Golf Courses 2021
Golfers per Course 2021
Golf Courses 2017
Registered Golfers 2017
Registered Golfers per Course 2017
Regional Popularity 2011
Total Golfers 2021
United Kingdom933,0763013,1011,6882,432843,641306.90805,234,000
Germany651,4176181,0541,091731644,943882.30361,150,000
Sweden538,962829650923442468,5701,060.1036600,000
Netherlands407,3021,1643501,314250387,7971,551.2032460,000
France402,991497811986602410,171681.3032800,000
Spain270,040548493609349270,46477530300,000
Ireland202,7505553651,479100540,000
Finland157,1758271901,05338200,000
Denmark154,80344634759440206,000
Norway111,30157719364825125,000
Switzerland95,71781811795737112,000
Austria93,71845920456434115,000
Italy87,3802803121,37823430,000
Belgium76,3816261226642881,000
Czech Republic52,40138813544410660,301568.902660,000
Iceland20,0002827191565,000
Portugal15,2971401091832220,000
Slovakia8,56626033303268,689334.201710,000
Poland6,56212254370335,646171.101820,000
Slovenia6,39342615800138,7626741612,000
Latvia4,80440012500106,000
Turkey4,5361373324278,000
Estonia3,6373311140982,843355.40134,500
Luxembourg3,52370558404,200
Russia2,64198271,037528,000
Hungary2,40916115233113,500
Lithuania2,1083017400102,800
Ukraine1,837306633352,000
Liechtenstein1,2101,400
Kazakhstan1,090121916791,500
Romania1,0541179156221,400
Cyprus1,01692111361,500
Greece9101019444124,000
Bulgaria8708710110121,100
Serbia81840925501,100
Croatia6271056233151,400
Malta5995991700700
Israel54454411,50051,500
Andorra4192102250500
Belarus35517823506700
Georgia2197331676500
San Marino209250
Bosnia and Herzegovina18794210021200
Moldova13713712008200
Armenia757512007200
North Macedonia7419100
Azerbaijan34113677200
India2986
China6172
United States16,15615,01423,800,0001,585.2079
Indonesia1709
Pakistan516
Nigeria559
Brazil1268
Bangladesh204
Ethiopia2
Mexico25610
Japan3,1402,2905,500,0002,401.705
Philippines1319
Egypt393
DR Congo3
Vietnam863
Iran12
Thailand31714
Tanzania127
South Africa47778
Kenya4513
Myanmar11719
Colombia676
South Korea81010
Uganda1911
Sudan12
Iraq16
Algeria116
Argentina34817
Afghanistan113
Canada2,5642,2985,700,0002,480.4085
Morocco6116
Angola37
Saudi Arabia132
Uzbekistan1
Mozambique29
Ghana1610
Peru145
Malaysia24319
Nepal55
Madagascar526
Ivory Coast311
Venezuela223
Cameroon46
Niger1
Australia1,5841,656978,000590.6065
North Korea7
Syria12
Mali1
Taiwan886
Burkina Faso1
Sri Lanka85
Malawi12
Zambia2617
Chile809
Chad1
Ecuador105
Guatemala66
Senegal38
Cambodia1217
Zimbabwe3818
Rwanda3
Benin117
Burundi1
Bolivia114
Tunisia1616
Haiti1
Dominican Republic359
Jordan34
Cuba33
Honduras84
Papua New Guinea15
United Arab Emirates3118
Togo1
Sierra Leone2
Laos1422
Hong Kong1421
Nicaragua44
Libya44
Paraguay812
Kyrgyzstan112
Turkmenistan1
El Salvador35
Republic of the Congo2
Singapore2827
Central African Republic1
Liberia2
New Zealand41655
Costa Rica147
Lebanon113
Oman76
Panama1311
Kuwait25
Mongolia4
Uruguay118
Puerto Rico2212
Gambia2
Albania17
Jamaica116
Qatar6
Botswana829
Namibia1431
Gabon5
Lesotho1
Equatorial Guinea2
Trinidad and Tobago810
Bahrain6
Mauritius1516
Eswatini8
Djibouti1
Reunion3
Fiji1420
Guyana1
Bhutan4
Solomon Islands1
Macau2
Suriname1
Cape Verde1
Maldives3
Brunei6
Belize2
Bahamas13
Guadeloupe1
Martinique1
Mayotte1
Vanuatu5
French Guiana2
French Polynesia3
New Caledonia4
Barbados7
Samoa4
Curacao3
Saint Lucia2
Guam14
Kiribati1
Grenada1
Jersey6
Tonga2
Seychelles2
Aruba2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1
United States Virgin Islands3
Antigua and Barbuda2
Isle of Man8
Cayman Islands2
Bermuda6
Guernsey4
Greenland2
Faroe Islands1
Northern Mariana Islands8
Saint Kitts and Nevis6
Turks and Caicos Islands1
Sint Maarten1
American Samoa1
Marshall Islands1
Cook Islands2
Anguilla1
Falkland Islands1
Niue1
Total4,328,17438,06926,25039,089,82710,617,450
showing: 205 rows

Where do people play golf the most?

Golf is considered the most popular in the United Kingdom. It is also hugely popular in the US, Canada, Japan, and Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources