The face of golf might have changed more in the past five years than the previous 50 – at least according to the National Golf Foundation. The NGF, based in Jupiter, FL., says golf’s latest participation numbers “reveal unprecedented diversity” in the game.
Year-end data for 2024, according to the NGF, shows that more than one-quarter of green-grass golfers in the U.S. are women and girls or “People of Colors”, distinct but overlapping segments that have historically been underrepresented in the sport.
NGF members can find more information on these segments and more in the newly released Golf Participation in the U.S. Report.
The NGF says golf’s growth has been especially pronounced in recent years. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a net increase of 2.3 million females and 2.1 million golfers of color playing on course. Women and girls, the NGF says, “have been particularly impactful” in driving the sport’s post-pandemic growth, accounting for approximately 60% of the net gain in green grass golfers since 2019. The female golfer population has now reached nearly 7.9 million – an all-time high.
This representation, the NGF says, is a “significant lift” compared to 2012, when females accounted for 20% of on-course golfers. That lower proportion coincided with the aftermath of the Great Recession, when many households faced tighter finances and an increase in two-income families, leading to reduced free time and less discretionary spending on pursuits like golf.
The NGF says the growth in racial and ethnic diversity has been even more dramatic, “when viewed over a longer period.” In 2024, according to the NGF, there were almost seven million Black, Asian and Hispanic on-course golfers, also a record total. This stands in contrast to 1990, the NGF says when People of Color represented 8% of green grass golfers. By 2000, in part because of the emergence of Tiger Woods, according to the NGF, this representation rose to 16%.
The ongoing shift, the NGFsays, “mirrors broader demographic changes in the U.S. population, which continues to become increasingly diverse in terms of racial and ethnic makeup.” In 2000, for example, the NGF says People of Color represented 30% of the U.S. population age 6 and older. Today, that proportion has eclipsed 40%.
The NGF says golf’s off-course-only participant pool is even more diverse. Females comprise 43% of the over 19 million Americans who play off-course forms of golf exclusively, while People of Color make up 45% of this group. Introductions and engagement away from the golf course, according to the NGF, have been shown to benefit the traditional game, as recent years have seen record or near-record numbers of beginners getting out on a golf course for the first time. This is, in part, the NGF says, is because of the “comfort and competency” gained at golf entertainment venues, in an indoor simulator, or at a tech-enabled range.