Analysis Of The Current Development Status Of Golf

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Analysis Of The Current Development Status Of Golf

September 30, 2025

Golf integrates the attributes of competition, leisure and social interaction, and shows a diversified development trend worldwide. In recent years, it has undergone profound changes in aspects such as the structure of the participating population, the establishment of the competition system, and the expansion of industrial scale, demonstrating vigorous development vitality.

Golf was once labeled as a “noble sport” due to its relatively high participation threshold. However, with the development of the social economy and the popularization of sports concepts, this situation is gradually changing. In August 2016, the General Administration of Sport of China and The State Council jointly issued the “13th Five-Year Plan for Competitive Sports”. Incorporating golf into the fitness and leisure industry system has laid a policy foundation for it to reach the general public.

As of 2022, the number of participants in golf in China has reached 975,000. People from different social strata and occupations have begun to get in touch with and engage in this sport, bringing it from a niche field to the perspective of mass leisure sports. Take Hebei Province as an example. About 6,000 people in this province participate in golf. Every year, over a hundred activities such as competitions, training sessions and visits are organized, and 150,000 domestic and foreign tourists are received. It fully demonstrates the popularization and development of golf at the local level.

Since golf became an Olympic competitive sport, the interest of teenagers in it has increased significantly. In China, various youth golf events have emerged one after another. It provides a stage for young golf enthusiasts to showcase their skills and effectively promotes the younger generation of golf consumers.

According to the “China Youth Golf Development Report (2023)”, As of 2023, the number of registered junior golfers in China is nearly 126,000, among which the active population is approximately 84,800. In 2023, the China Golf Association held a total of 648 youth points events, with a cumulative participation of nearly 29,000 people. Guangdong Province holds the largest number of youth golf events, accounting for approximately one fifth of the total number of events in the country.

Data shows that the proportion of golf consumers aged 18 to 29 in China has reached 18%. Internationally, many young golfers have emerged, injecting new vitality into the sport of golf.

Grand Slam events:

Standing at the forefront: The Masters Tournament of the United States, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship, as the grand Slam events in the golf world, have always been the focus of attention for golf fans around the world. These events have a long history, gathering the world’s top players and representing the highest competitive level of golf.

Take the Masters Tournament in the United States as an example. It is held annually at Augusta National Golf Course in the United States. Its unique venue environment and strict qualification restrictions endow the event with a strong sense of mystery and appeal.

In 2024, the total prize money of the Masters Tournament in the United States reached as high as 185 million US dollars. The championship prize money is 3.33 million US dollars, topping the list among the four Grand Slam events. In addition, the champion can keep the champion jacket permanently. This honor symbol has become the goal that many top players strive for, further enhancing the unique charm of the event.

Tour System: Continuous improvement:

The PGA Tour of the United States and the European Tour occupy important positions in the global golf event system. The PGA Tour holds approximately 45 regular season events in the United States each year, with the total prize money for each event ranging from 5 million to 5.3 million US dollars. The event was live-streamed through multiple channels such as TV and the Internet, with audiences all over the world. The sponsors included well-known brands from various fields such as finance, automobiles, and technology.

For example, PGA Tour has a long-term cooperation with the financial giant jpmorgan Chase. Jpmorgan Chase not only sponsors some events as the title sponsor. It is also achieved through holding high-end fan events and launching exclusive financial products, etc. Deeply involved in the commercial promotion of the event, it has achieved mutual benefit and win-win results for both the event and the brand. The European Tour has the largest number of events each year, approximately over 50. The total prize money ranges from one to two million US dollars, and the events are held all over the world. These Tours offer professional players abundant competition opportunities and generous bonuses, greatly enhancing the commercial value and international influence of golf.

In addition, the emerging LIV Golf Tour has risen rapidly thanks to its high prize money and unique competition system. This tour adopts a combination of team and individual events, with a total prize money of up to 25 million US dollars for each event, attracting many top players to join. It brings new competition and challenges to traditional Tours and promotes continuous innovation and transformation of the entire professional golf event system.

Emerging Events:

Emerging: In addition to traditional Tours, a number of regional and thematic professional events are constantly emerging and growing. The Asian Tour is dedicated to discovering golf talents in Asia and promoting the development of golf in Asia. The event has covered many countries and regions in Asia, providing local Asian players with the opportunity to compete on the same stage as international experts. It also attracted many top players from Europe and America to participate, enhancing the competitive level and international attention of the event.

In 2024, the Asian Tour and the DP World Tour reached a strategic merger. The merged event will have a stronger ability to integrate resources and a broader global influence, reshaping the landscape of professional golf events.

For intermediate level players, they have successfully passed the novice stage of golf. The speed and strength of the swing have been significantly improved compared with the beginners, and the control ability of the ball has also advanced to a new level.

Domestic events:

Rich and diverse: In China, various amateur golf championships and open tournaments are actively held in different regions. The China Amateur Golf Tour holds regional events in many cities across the country every year, attracting a large number of amateur players to participate. In 2024, the tour will host a total of 10 events, with over 1,000 participants. The event has set up different age groups and handicap groups, fully considering the participation needs of players of different levels, and its influence has been increasing year by year.

In addition, many enterprises take advantage of the golf event platform to carry out business exchanges and brand promotion activities. For instance, a well-known car brand has held amateur golf invitational tournaments for many consecutive years, inviting corporate clients and partners to participate. Integrate brand display, product experience and other links into the event. It not only enhances customer stickiness but also improves the brand image.

International Events:

Exchange and Integration: Internationally, numerous well-known amateur golf events provide a platform for cross-border exchanges among amateur players from various countries, which is conducive to the discovery and cultivation of potential golf talents. By participating in international amateur events, players can broaden their horizons. Understand the development trends of international golf and improve one’s own competitive level.

Meanwhile, these events have promoted the exchange and integration of golf cultures among different countries and regions. Take the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship as an example. Every year, it attracts top amateur players from many countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific region to participate.

During the competition, there will also be golf cultural exchange activities, youth golf promotion projects, etc. Make positive contributions to the popularization and development of golf in the Asia-Pacific region. For events such as the World Amateur Golf Team Championship, teams are formed by country or region to participate. It has enhanced sports exchanges and cooperation among countries and promoted the development of golf in the global amateur field.

Innovative Model:

Stimulating Vitality: With the popularity of golf, the organizational forms and competition models of amateur events are constantly being innovated. Some events adopt a combination of online and offline models. Contestants can sign up, view event information and participate in virtual competitions through online platforms. Holding actual stadium matches offline has expanded the scope of event participation and improved organizational efficiency.

Some events have launched fun golf events, featuring novel and interesting competition rules and challenge items such as night golf and obstacle golf. It has attracted more non-traditional golf enthusiasts to participate, injected new vitality into amateur events, and made golf more accessible and interesting.

The golf equipment market covers categories such as golf balls, golf clubs, golf clothing and other accessories. Its market demand is closely related to the scale of the golf sports industry. Take the Chinese market as an example. The market size of golf equipment reached 3.77 billion yuan in 2019. Due to the impact of the epidemic, it dropped to 3.058 billion yuan in 2020.

As the impact of the epidemic subsides, the market gradually recovered from 2021 to 2023. The market size reached 3.626 billion yuan in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 5.35%. It is expected to exceed 4 billion yuan in 2025. In terms of product categories, golf clubs and golf clothing are mainstream consumer products. In 2023, golf clubs accounted for 40.73% of the supplies market in China, while golf clothing made up 38.58%.

Globally, the scale of the golf equipment (including footwear and apparel) industry has been continuously growing. The global golf equipment market size was 13.26 billion US dollars in 2024 and is expected to increase to 18.66 billion US dollars by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 4.36% from 2024 to 2032.

Golf course construction and Management:

Moving towards Standardization: As the core carrier of golf, the construction and management of golf courses are constantly evolving and changing. In China, the early construction of golf courses was closely related to real estate development. Problems such as excessive expansion and illegal construction once emerged. Since 2014, the state has successively introduced policies to strictly control the construction of sports stadiums. The industry has entered a stage of adjustment and development, and the number of stadiums shows a downward trend.

During this process, the construction and management of the stadium gradually became standardized. The newly-built stadium pays more attention to reasonable planning and ecological protection. The design is more diverse to meet the needs of players of different levels. For instance, some golf courses make full use of the natural topography and landforms during construction to create distinctive hole layouts. At the same time, environmentally friendly lawn maintenance technologies are adopted to reduce the impact on the environment.

Related service industries:

Diversified expansion: Centering on golf courses, a series of related service industries such as golf training and golf tourism have emerged. The golf training market is constantly expanding, and the number of professional training institutions and coaches is continuously increasing. Provide systematic teaching services for beginners and advanced learners. Golf tourism is gradually emerging. Many golf enthusiasts choose to travel to well-known golf courses at home and abroad to play golf and experience the golf culture and course characteristics of different regions.

Some tourist attractions combine golf with the local natural scenery and cultural landscapes. Launch a rich variety of golf travel packages to attract a large number of tourists. For example, Hainan relies on its superior climatic conditions and high-quality golf course resources. It has become a popular golf tourism destination in China, receiving a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year.

Golf has shown a positive development trend in terms of the number of participants, the event system and the industrial scale. Despite facing challenges such as standardized management of golf course construction and further lowering the participation threshold during the development process.

However, with the continuous development of the social economy, the support of sports industry policies, and people’s pursuit of a healthy and leisurely lifestyle. Golf is expected to gain broader development space in the future and occupy a more important position in the global sports field.

FAQS

Advanced players can explore four or five-layer options to enhance their performance.

Beginners might find multi-layer balls harder to control, while more experienced golfers can benefit from the added complexity.

Additionally, wet conditions may call for balls that offer better traction and control.

Regular players may want to change balls every few rounds, while casual players can go longer.

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