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The golf boom is being fueled by women, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Game insiders say it’s no coincidence that women are leading golf’s resurgence. Organizers have poured money into youth programs, recreational golf experiences like Top Golf are popping up, and governing bodies have taken steps to upgrade a woman’s experience at the pro level, with more major championships taking place at the same famous courses that the men play on.
“We are trying to make an investment in the elite end of women’s golf so that those women can inspire the next generation of women,” says Fred Perpall, the president of the United States Golf Association. “But we’re also investing down through the pipeline.”
While golfing has been on an upswing since the early days of the pandemic, one of the lasting effects of that rise has been on the women’s side: 60% of the post-pandemic golfer growth has been women and girls, according to the National Golf Foundation.
The increase in participation isn’t translating to more women on the greens, however. Since 2019, women’s golf participation in the U.S. has increased 45% from 10.2 million to 14.8 million, but most of that jump has been through off-course experiences, which includes driving ranges, simulators and venues such as Topgolf. In fact, beginning in 2022, off-course participation among women actually exceeded traditional golfing for the first time.
