The July heatwave may have kept golfers off the course, but they more than made up for it in August with member rounds exceeding 2.7 million across the UK & Ireland according to new data from 1,500 golf clubs published by BRS Golf. August was the strongest month for member participation this year, outperforming July for the first time on record as temperatures soared to in excess of 40 degrees in some parts of England. BRS Golf data from 2022 shows that the effects of the golfing boom precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic are still with us.
7.4 million member rounds were played in Q3 2022, a five per cent increase on Q2 this year, but a one per cent decrease year-on-year. Over the first nine months of 2022, BRS Golf facilitated 19.6 million member rounds, and with no lockdowns to reduce member play or post lockdown booms to inflate it, member rounds this year are 1.8 million ahead of 2021; 2.5 million ahead of 2020 and 8.7 million ahead of pre-covid levels in 2019.
This represents ten per cent growth year-on-year; 15 per cent growth on 2020 and 81 per cent growth on 2019. The sample set of golf clubs has remained stable over the last few years, with no material change in the numbers to affect the data.
Member rounds by nation were England with 9.65 million; the Republic of Ireland with 4.3 million; Northern Ireland with 1.4 million; Scotland with 3.2 million and Wales with 1 million.
Taking a more granular look at the biggest market, England, shows there has been growth in member rounds across the board. Using 2019 as the base line, BRS Golf has recorded a 79 per cent growth in rounds in the Midlands; 85 per cent growth in the North and an impressive 102 per cent growth in the South of England. This equates to in excess of 1.7 million rounds in the North; 1.4 million in the South; and over 1.3 million in the Midlands.
The level of registered BRS Golf members has seen a steady increase even before the pandemic, with spikes in members joining in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The levels of registered members have remained pretty constant at around 677,000 over the last few months. This metric is something golf clubs will be keeping a close eye on over the coming months as the cost of living crisis continues to impact households across the UK & Ireland. To help clubs with member retention, BRS Golf provides a suite of technology that allows clubs to drill down into member participation reporting, create customised payment cycles and subscription offers, and enable flexible membership solutions.
From a visitor golf perspective, GolfNow has seen a similarly strong 2022, with demand for visitor tee times consistently high. Over the first nine months of the year GolfNow has generated £8.85 million in visitor green fee revenue and over 360,000 course rounds for its club partners. The online tee time giant has now reported six consecutive months with in excess of £1 million in additional green fee revenue generated for clubs on the platform, and is working with 1,413 course partners, accruing £8.85 million in green fee revenues for clubs.
