CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Emily Zhu is back at historic Biltmore Golf Club this week with the chance to join a highly exclusive circle of two-time Junior Orange Bowl International champions.

In a very real sense, though, Zhu’s 2021 triumph already has paid huge dividends. Fair to say the Biltmore will be seeing a lot more of her in the coming years.

“It was because of the tournament that I was able to get (familiar) with the University of Miami,” said the Canadian champion, who signed in November to play for the Hurricanes starting next fall. “I’m very grateful for that.”

First things first, though. When the international golf showcase tees off Monday, Zhu sets out to become just the fourth golfer to win multiple Junior Orange Bowl titles in the tournament’s long history.

A year ago, Zhu staved off a dogged challenge from Chile’s Antonia Matte to emerge a three-stroke victory that ended a 17-month winless drought. Now she seeks to join Michelle McGann (1985-86), Kellee Booth (1991-92) and Grace Park (1993, ’96) to have her name more than once on the trophy.

“I definitely want to go for it again,” said Zhu. “I think as long as I play my game, I will have a chance at winning again. But it’s not something I can exactly control.”

Anna Davis (Spring Valley, Calif.) is the reigning Junior PGA Championship girls’ champion, pulling away to a seven-shot triumph after a closing 67 at Valhalla Golf Club. It was one of three victories last year for Davis, No. 6 in the latest Golfweek rankings.

Colombia’s Maria Jose Marin, ranked 12th, captured last summer’s Optimist International championship and two AJGA events on the way to nine victories overall in 2021. Argentina’s Juan Loureiro, who won the boys’ Optimist International title in a playoff, also is set to tee it up.

The boys’ division is guaranteed a 58th different champion in as many years, with 2021 winner Sebastian Moss now playing collegiately at the University of Louisville. However, four of last year’s top 10 finishers are back in hopes of adding their name to the champions’ list.

“It’s a tournament that has some pretty cool (winners) over the years,” said Tommy Morrison (Frisco, Texas), who placed fifth a year ago. “I would be honored to have my name on that list.”

The boys’ lineup also features Jean-Philippe Parr, the Canadian junior champion who took third at last year’s Junior Orange Bowl, South American Junior champion Alejandro Ramos of Peru and Caribbean Junior champion Gustavo Rangel of Puerto Rico.

In all, 60 boys and 34 girls are set to tee up in the tournament’s 58th edition, some 20 percent more than last year when the pandemic held down numbers. Several European nations are back in the lineup after sitting out a year.

All seek to join a roster of Junior Orange Bowl champions that includes Tiger Woods (1991), LPGA Hall of Famer Inbee Park (2002), LPGA major winners Lexi Thompson (2009) and Brooke Henderson (2013) and recent PGA Tour winners Joaquin Niemann (2014) and Kevin Na (2000).

Zhu, for her part, acknowledged she has yet to see her name on the trophy. “I would love to, though,” she added. “Just to be able to take a picture.”

Though Zhu captured the 2019 Canadian Junior title, she arrived in Coral Gables last year without a victory since then. A 69-66 start at the Biltmore put her in the driver’s seat, though Matte twice sliced the lead to one before falling back.

“It kind of gave me the sense that I still have it,” Zhu said. “In those times when I get down and my scores aren’t that good, I can look back on the Junior Orange Bowl and what I did during those moments to help me win.”

Zhu became Canada’s third Junior Orange Bowl champion, joining Brooke Henderson (2013) and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc (2006). And there was the added bonus when she managed to catch the attention of University of Miami coaches.

“I love the coaches, the team environment,” said Zhu, who kept a limited schedule in 2021 amid virus concerns. “They’ve been very big supporters over the past year as I’ve gone through some of my struggles. I really appreciate what they’ve done for me already.”

The Biltmore, by the way, is UM golf’s home base. “I’ve won here,” she quipped, “so I already like the course.”

Morrison, No. 17 in the Golfweek boys’ rankings, also has a certain familiarity with the Biltmore. This marks his fourth year of teeing up at the Junior Orange Bowl.

“I know a lot of the pins and how the course plays in different wind directions,” he said. “I think I’ve just become more comfortable out here. If you can chip and putt well and play the par-3s well, it leads to some pretty good success.”

This year’s field brings together entrants from such diverse locales as Ukraine, Jamaica, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Guatemala, Bulgaria, India, Zimbabwe, Peru, Turkey, Iceland and Barbados.

“I like the international field,” Morrison said. “We get to meet a lot of new kids we don’t usually get to play with. At a lot of the junior events we play, you kind of see the same people every time.”

Live scoring can be found here.

Golf continues to provide a record number of Canadians safe refuge during the COVID-19 global pandemic as a proven activity that benefits physical and mental health. 

As we look ahead to 2022, there is comfort in knowing golf can continue to be a haven for safe gathering and fitness – for all. 

And beyond just the ability to continue to play the game, the world of golf has given Canadians much to be excited about as we look ahead to a new year! 

Here are nine things Canadians should be excited about in 2022: 

BROOKE’S BACK AT THE CP WOMEN’S OPEN

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, planning for the 2022 CP Women’s Open is full-steam ahead. Hosted by Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, it’s the first time our national open will be in our nation’s capital since 2017. That year Brooke Henderson made the cut on the number and proceeded to fire a course-record 63 on Saturday to zip up the leaderboard. Henderson would, of course, go on to win the CP Women’s Open in 2018 and end up in the final group on Sunday in 2019. Tickets are on sale now for Ottawa’s event and it’s a fabulous opportunity to see some of the best golfers in the world tee it up – including our home-grown hero. 

RBC CANADIAN OPEN WELCOMES THE GAME’S TOP STARS

Like the CP Women’s Open, plans for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open are well underway as the excitement for the return of Canada’s lone PGA TOUR stop is at an all-time high. Hosted by St. George’s Golf and Country Club and Islington Golf Club’s practice facility, signs are pointing to this event – last won by Rory McIlroy in Hamilton in 2019 – being a very special one. There is set to be a ton of fabulous new activations for Canadian golf fans and there’s nothing quite like seeing our guys, like the top-ranked male Corey Conners, tee it up in person. Get your tickets here.

PRESIDENTS CUP HOPEFULS

Speaking of Corey Conners! Both he and childhood friend – and long-time Golf Canada National Team member – Mackenzie Hughes are in the conversation to be part of the International Presidents Cup team at Quail Hollow come September. Mike Weir is back as an Assistant Captain, and if Hughes and Conners both make the team it will be the first time in history with multiple Canadians on the squad. 

NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR

We say it often enough, but the top brands in golf continue to put out amazing gear to help you look, feel, and play better year after year. The Titleist Pro V1 (and Pro V1x) continue to be the No.1 ball in golf, while Puma and Levelwear are set to make clothing drops that are fit for the fairways or streamlined for the streets. Look in your bag or your closet to see what might need replaced in the new year and you won’t be disappointed at what’s on offer now, or what’s to come. 

FIRST TEE LAUNCHES IN CANADA

In concert with the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada was thrilled to put in motion the launch of the First Tee – Canada in 2021, with a targeted growth strategy for next year and beyond. The commitment from golf’s key stakeholders in Canada will allow for the next generation of divot-diggers to be able to thrive in any environment. With a big thanks to the Golf Canada Foundation and some key donations through this year, it’s an exciting time to be a youngster involved in golf in this country. 

ROAD TRIP! 

If the last two golf seasons have shown anything to Canadians, it’s that we have a lot of darn good golf courses in this country. Whether you’re looking for a hidden gem somewhere in Saskatoon, keen to combine golf and wine in Niagara, ready to heed the call of the mountains in Canmore Kananaskis, hot for history in Quebec City, or finally ready to check that bucket-list item off your list at Cabot Cape Breton, there’s no better time that grabbing some friends and safely hitting the road, or the skies, to explore what kind of great golf is on offer in this country. Find your course here.

CLUB COMPETITIONS

Perhaps the last two years have been restrictive in terms of who can play and when, but with more safety measures installed at clubs across Canada it’s likely you might have the opportunity to get those competitive juices flowing once again. Maybe you want to test your mettle at your club, or tee it up at a provincial tournament? Or maybe you can finally bring your friend to your place for a thrilling member-guest experience? Whatever the event may be, we’ve got our fingers-crossed that there will be more opportunities in 2022. 

GOLF’S GROWING POPULARITY

Whether there was play at a local muni, a nine-hole layout, or a championship 18-hole track, 2021 saw more Canadians teeing it up than ever before – this after a record-setting year in 2020. As Golf Canada continues its commitment to inclusion at all levels, don’t be surprised to see more people from all backgrounds enjoying the game more in 2022. A safe space means more enjoyment for all. 

ALWAYS TRYING TO GET BETTER

Even Tiger Woods, the greatest modern player in history, is trying to chase improvements on the course. While Woods’ return – of which we saw a tease of in December – is something itself to look forward to in 2022, take a page out of Woods’ book and keep working on your own game. The opportunity to improve (be sure to speak with a PGA of Canada professional!) is something that makes golf a game for a lifetime, and a new year means more time to try to shave a few strokes. Trying to get just a little bit better next year is something that carries many Canadians through wintertime. To keep detailed stats on your game, give Golf Canada’s free mobile app a try.

TORONTO—The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced December 28 it will hold 2022 Qualifying Tournaments at seven separate sites over a six-week period, beginning in mid-February and concluding in late-April. While the global pandemic made it difficult for PGA TOUR Canada to conduct its season as it had since its 2013 inception, the Tour did play a series of eight tournaments for players living in Canada this past summer on top of a set of four events it held in 2020. The 2022 campaign will be the first full season in two years that features a complete complement of members.

Registration for the tournaments begins January 4, 2022 at noon EST. Players can access the registration site here.

“It is so exciting to look forward to next season and everything that is in place for a very successful 2022,” said Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director Scott Pritchard. “In years past, we’ve been fortunate to have so many players interested in qualifying to compete on PGA TOUR Canada. We anticipate the demand will be similar to what we have experienced in the past as players know the caliber of competition PGA TOUR Canada offers.

“We look forward,” Pritchard continued, “to hosting players at each of these seven outstanding courses as they begin on their paths to reaching the PGA TOUR.”

Six of the Qualifying Tournaments will be in the United States, with one in Canada. The qualifiers begin with two in Florida (Weston and Howey-in-the-Hills). The Howey-in-the-Hills tournament will be held simultaneously with the event in Dothan, Alabama. Following those three tournaments, the Tour moves west in April for qualifiers in Arizona (Litchfield Park), California (San Jacinto) and Washington (DuPont) before playing its final qualifier in Canada at a familiar site, Crowne Isle Resort and Golf Club, in Courtenay, British Columbia.

The seven, 72-hole, no-cut Qualifying Tournaments will all be Tuesday-to-Friday events and take place on the following dates and locations:

“What’s heartening is we are familiar with each one of these venues, and they are all high-quality golf facilities that have either hosted previous PGA TOUR Canada qualifiers or other PGA TOUR International Tour qualifiers,” Pritchard added.

A year ago, Colombia’s Camilo Aguado earned PGA TOUR Canada status and ended up playing on the Forme Tour after capturing medalist honors at The Club at Weston Hills’ Qualifying Tournament.

Mission Inn Resort and Club’s El Campeon Course is a well-known site for both Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Qualifying Tournaments. It has previously hosted five PGA TOUR Canada qualifiers, with Luis Gagne (2021), Isaiah Salinda (2020), John Coultas (2019), Dawson Armstrong (2018) and Jake Knapp (2017) emerging as medalists.

The RTJ Golf Trail at Highland Oaks is familiar with PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournaments, twice a host venue. Previous medalists are Keenan Huskey (2021) and Cameron Young (2020)—Young a rookie on the 2021-22 PGA TOUR.

Jeffrey Kang was the medalist earlier this year, in March, when he won the Qualifying Tournament at Soboba Springs Golf Course in San Jacinto, California, the first time the course served as host. Arizona’s iconic Wigwam was where amateur Clay Feagler was the medalist just a few weeks before his Pepperdine team won the NCAA Championship. The Home Course in the Tacoma suburb of DuPont also was a first-timer, in June, with Canadian Callum Davison the medalist. Davison holds 2022 PGA TOUR Canada status via his Points List win on the series of Canada-based events this past summer.

The Qualifying Tournament season concludes at Crowne Isle Resort and Golf Club, a six-time PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament host. Previous medalists were Andrew McCain (2019), Jake Shuman (2018), Horacio León (2017), Aaron Wise (2016), Eric Onesi (2015) and David Bradshaw (2014).

“We will be following the sun early in the year then make our way to the warm West Coast of Canada for the final qualifier—at Crowne Isle—in advance of the start of our regular season schedule,” Pritchard continued. “What I like about this schedule is the variety of the courses where we will be holding tournaments and the unique challenges they will present to the players.”

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada will announce its complete regular season schedule in early 2022. Players who qualify for PGA TOUR Canada and then finish in the top five on the Points List earn Korn Ferry Tour status for the following year.

OAKVILLE – (Golf Canada) – Some golfers claim their favourite aspect of the game is recanting highlights (and maybe even some lowlights) with friends following a round of golf. 

Now, members of Golf Canada and their respective provincial golf association who track their games with Golf Canada Score Centre can do just that… digitally.

Introducing Golf Canada #MyGolfYear – a retrospective of a member’s golf year generated by the scoring data posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre in 2021.

Statistics on the graphics include total best round, number of holes played, distance played and most-played golf courses. 

Golfers who posted scores using hole-by-hole method will see additional statistics added to their graphics, including total number of pars, birdies or better and holes-in-one.

Golf Canada is encouraging members to share their graphics with friends via email or post them to their favourite social networking platform using the hashtag #MyGolfYear. Below are just a few examples shared since the inaugural campaign launched.

NOT A MEMBER? JOIN GOLF CANADA AND START TRACKING YOUR GAME

Calgary, AB – Canadian Pacific (CP) is proud to announce that fundraising efforts over the past two years for the CP Women’s Open (CPWO) have helped raise more than $2.8 million to support important equipment purchases and research at BC Children’s Hospital, along with an additional $557,000 for Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital.

“CP is honored to support BC Children’s Hospital in their critical efforts to improve cardiac care for children,” said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. “For two years in a row, due to the pandemic, we have not been able to hold the CP Women’s Open, but that has not diminished the incredible generosity of the community. We are grateful for the community’s ongoing participation and support, and look forward to bringing the CPWO back once it is safe to do so.”

The funds will go toward cardiac ultrasound machines, research supporting the catheterization program and two graduate students who will conduct full-time pediatric cardiac research. 

“When we set out on our quest to transform cardiac care for kids in BC, we knew we couldn’t do it alone. That is why we are so grateful for the support of partners like Canadian Pacific,” said Malcolm Berry, President and CEO of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We want to extend a huge thank you to CP for being with us every step of the way. From securing innovative equipment to advancing ground-breaking research and training, this partnership has helped us take significant steps forward to ensure that heart disease doesn’t stop children from living full, healthy lives.” 

“Every day at the Heart Centre, we see first-hand the transformative impact of CP’s longstanding support of children facing health challenges because of their heart condition,” said Dr. Shubhayan Sanatani, Head, Division of Cardiology at BC Children’s Hospital. “Many of the strides we’ve made have become possible through CP’s generosity. Thank you, CP, for helping us transform cardiac care for kids in BC.” 

CP also raised more than $557,000 to support its community partner Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital Foundation. These funds will support a renovation and equipment for a new cardiac department at the hospital. 

“The Royal Inland Hospital Foundation is honoured to be the community partner of CP and would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for helping to raise over $557,000,” said Heidi Coleman Royal Inland Hospital Foundation CEO. “Through the matching initiatives they have provided us, we were able to double our impact at Royal Inland Hospital. Through CP’s contribution, we will enhance cardiac care within the Thompson Cariboo Health Service Area.”

Since assuming title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, CP has helped raise more than $16.85 million to support children’s heart health in Canada. 

“CP’s continued commitment to a make a difference and leave a meaningful legacy in the name of the CP Women’s Open has been extraordinary,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “We are so proud to witness first-hand the special impact of CP on the lives of countless Canadians, and we are thrilled that the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Royal Inland Hospital, and the Vancouver community at large will benefit from their incredible generosity.”

The 2022 CP Women’s Open will be played in Ottawa at the Ottawa Hunt Club from August 22 – 28, 2022.

TORONTO – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) is proud to announce the golf story of the year, as well as the various Player of the Year awards for the 2021 season.

“GJAC is pleased to recognize Canadian professional and amateur golfers again this year with our year end player and Canadian golf story of the year awards,” said Rick Young, President of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. “While the game posted record participation numbers it also faced another season of unique challenges due to the pandemic. That included a second straight year of cancellations to the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open, rising operational costs and supply chain issues.”

Without further ado; here is the story of the year and Players of the Year for the 2021 season.

2021 Golf Story of the Year

Covid-19 affects golf both positively and negatively. Both the men’s and women’s Canadian Opens cancelled for the second year in a row but golf courses report record number of rounds played.†

Male Professional of the Year – Corey Conners

• Currently ranked #37 in the world.
• Finished T8 at The Masters.
• Collected 13 top-20 PGA TOUR finishes
• Qualified for the TOUR Championship based on Fedex Cup standing

Female Professional of the Year – Brooke Henderson

• Won her 10th career LPGA Tour event at the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open
• Was the runner-up at the ShopRite LPGA Classic
• Finished the season with 12 top-20 finishes.

Male Amateur of the Year – Noah Steele

• *Turned Pro in November
• 2nd at the Azalea Invitational
• Won the Osprey Valley Open as an amateur and came 2nd at the Brudenell River Classic (both Mackenzie Tour Events)
• WAGR before turned pro: 188, WAGR at start of 2021: 129

Female Amateur of the Year – Monet Chun

• *Currently Sophomore at Michigan
• 5 top-15 finishes in her NCAA debut season, including T2 at the Columbus Regional
• Named Big Ten Freshman of the year
• Finished T2 at the Porter Cup and 2nd at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, which included a course record of 64 in the final round
• Current WAGR: 187, WAGR at Start of 2021: 736

Golfers aiming to earn a coveted place in The 150^th Open at St Andrews will have opportunities at 16 professional events in 11 countries that make up The Open Qualifying Series in 2022.

Three players have already booked their places through the Joburg Open, the first event in the Series which was played in South Africa last month. The SMBC Singapore Open will be the next chance for golfers to qualify for the milestone championship at the home of golf when it is played at Sentosa from 20-23 January.

A minimum of 46 places in The Open are available through the Series, which provides golfers with opportunities to qualify at events around the world on the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour, Korean Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “We have worked closely with our colleagues at the leading professional tours to agree an exciting schedule of events through which golfers can qualify for The 150^th Open at St Andrews. There is a real desire among players to be part of this historic occasion at the home of golf and this will undoubtedly spur them on to secure a sought-after place in the Championship next year.”

For the first time, the New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia will feature as part of the Series when it is played at Millbrook in Queenstown from 31 March-3 April. Three qualifying places will be offered at New Zealand’s national championship.

On the PGA TOUR, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and John Deere Classic will each have three qualifying places. Two places will be available at the RBC Canadian Open, while the last qualifying place in The 150^th Open will be confirmed at the Barbasol Championship on the eve of the Championship.

The Genesis Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour for the first time, will carry three qualifying berths. Three places at both the Irish Open and Dutch Open on the DP World Tour will be available.

Four places will be on offer at the Mizuno Open in Japan and two places at the KOLON Korea Open.

Regional Qualifying events will take place at venues throughout Great Britain and Ireland on 20 June.  A minimum of 12 places will then be available at Final Qualifying events taking place at Fairmont St Andrews, Hollinwell, Prince’s and St Annes Old Links on 28 June.

The R&A has also published the list of exemptions that will be used to confirm the field for The 150^th Open at St Andrews. Please visit TheOpen.com for more information.  

After eight gruelling rounds, the 2021 LPGA Tour Qualifying Series has come to an end. In all, 46 players, including Canadian Maddie Szeryk, finished at -4 or better to secure Tour status for 2022.

Szeryk shot a personal-best 4-under 68 in the final round of the Q-Series with crucial birdies on her final two holes to finish T35. The 25-year old – who has played on the Symetra Tour since 2019 – competed in 18 events during the 2021 season with a best finish of T22 at the Copper Rock Championship in April.

Szeryk will join fellow Canadians Brooke Henderson and Maude–Aimée Leblanc on the LPGA Tour circuit next season, which will include the 2022 CP Women’s Open, August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Two other Canadians who advanced to the final four Q-Series rounds, missed out on the top-45 and ties cut line. Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont. finished T68, and Hamilton native Alena Sharp finished T69. Both women will receive Symetra Tour playing status for the 2022 season.

Over the course of the two-week tournament, 110 LPGA Tour hopefuls competed in two 72-hole stroke play events with the low 70 players and ties cut after week one. Scores then carried over into week two held at Highland Oaks Golf Course in Dothan, Ala. from Dec. 9-12.

After the conclusion of all eight rounds of the Q-Series, players who finished inside the top 45 and ties received LPGA Tour membership and playing status for the 2022 season. Players finishing outside the top-20 and ties also received 2022 Symetra Tour playing status.

For complete results and full leaderboard click here.

The golf industry in North America is growing in new and exciting ways. Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, today announced a multi-year agreement with Golf Canada, the National Sport Federation representing more than 271,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country, allowing both participating golf courses and golfers to share certified Golf Canada handicap data across both platforms.

Lightspeed Golf empowers courses to manage an entire facility from a single platform, synthesizing systems for daily operations, tee sheets, on-site hospitality and retail, and online booking. The integration of Lightspeed Golf’s commerce platform with the Golf Canada Score Centre will provide a solution for more Canadian golfers to maintain an Official Handicap Index, leveling the playing field for participants across Canada.

“We are both excited and honoured to be partnering with such a revered Canadian organization,” said Lightspeed Golf GM David Hope. “This platform integration will streamline operations for golfers and course operators alike, enabling improved handicap integrity and reporting. We look forward to working with Golf Canada to grow the game through educational content and putting intuitive technology in the hands of both golfers and golf course operators.”

The platform integration will help more golfers track their scoring history and demonstrated ability on the golf course, allowing both golfers and course operators to see handicap data when booking tee times and navigating tee sheets.

“Golf Canada is extremely pleased to be aligning our Score Centre with Lightspeed Golf,” said Golf Canada Director of Membership Ryan Logan. “This platform integration will open up new opportunities to grow our membership-base across Canada and will further support our member clubs in providing a more streamlined and enhanced golfing experience.”

Golf in Canada continues to show growth and resilience through the past two seasons impacted by the pandemic. In 2021, a record 9.3M scores were posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre, a 19% increase from 2020 and 27.5% increase over 2019, and Lightspeed Golf customers reported a 23% increase in rounds played from 2019 to 2020. Lightspeed Golf customers are growing and modernizing their businesses, attracting younger patrons and more diverse golfers, and re-thinking their business models to diversify their revenue streams.

“Golf is booming right now, but even before that our rounds were continuously up every single year over the past five years,” said Lightspeed Golf customer Jenifer Wright, GM of Westwood Plateau Golf. “We’re making changes to get new people into golf and we’ve been really impressed with every integration Lightspeed has come out with. We can’t wait to see how this platform integration with Golf Canada will benefit our course and players.”

(St. Andrews, Scotland) – New research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) show golf has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity worldwide since 2016 with over five-and-a-half million additional golfers taking up the sport.

The measure includes club members and non-member independent golfers playing nine or 18 holes and users of driving ranges in markets where course availability is limited.

The new figure reflects a positive trend in golf in which participation levels are now rising worldwide after a period of decline. This was recently highlighted in the 2021 European Golf Participation Report, which highlighted that over 10.6 million golfers now enjoy playing full-length courses on the continent – a healthy increase from the 7.9 million last monitored in 2016.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Golf is enjoying a real boom in popularity at the moment and we are seeing substantial increases in participation in many parts of the world, particularly in the last two years when the sport could be played safely outdoors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The new figures are very encouraging but we need to work together as a sport to make the most of this opportunity by retaining those people who have returned to golf or tried it for the first time. We can achieve this by offering a variety of attractive and flexible options that encourage golfers to play more regularly and enjoy its many health and wellbeing benefits with family and friends.”

SMS collected participation data reported by national federations in different regions around the world, using nationally representative studies and expert estimates to calculate the global number of total golfers.

Regions experiencing the largest rises include Asia (20.9 million to 23.3 million); Europe (7.9 million to 10.6 million – driven largely by Great Britain and Ireland 3.6 million to 5.7 million); and North America (29.9 million to 30.6 million).

The research figures indicate the growth trend began before Covid-19 and then accelerated during the pandemic as the popularity of golf grew due to golfers being able to socially distance in a safe outdoor setting and stay active to boost their physical and mental health.

In Great Britain, the number of adults playing a nine or 18-hole course began to gradually increase before the onset of Covid-19, rising from 2.5 million in 2017 to 2.8 million in 2018, then to 3 million in 2019, before surging to 5.2 million in 2020.

Following the easing of lockdown restrictions, The R&A sought to carry out additional research into this rise in demand and how different types of golfers were engaging with the sport.

The Post Covid Opportunity Research, along with findings from Bayfirth Research, details experiences of golfers during the pandemic, motivations for playing and long-term plans for the future. Among new golfers, 98% of those interviewed identified they are enjoying playing golf and 95% see themselves playing golf for many years to come.

The research also outlined recommendations clubs can take to retain new players, including feeling welcome and valued; a friendly culture and relaxed atmosphere; participation options based on ability and experience; good customer service; having an efficient booking system; the quality and maintenance of the course; and, importantly, playing in an encouraging environment.

The R&A also launched a Covid-19 Support Fund to help golf deal with the impact of the pandemic, with the £7 million funding package largely aimed at national federations and other affiliated bodies in Great Britain and Ireland.

Further support for national federations is set to come in 2022. The R&A is creating a series of new assets to help market and promote the sport so that more people are encouraged to take up golf and existing golfers are retained.