After more than 25 years of growth, Europe’s golf markets experienced their first significant recession in 2010. This decline continued throughout 2013, reaching its lowest point in 2014. The drop in the number of federated players since 2010 can be attributed in part to the economic downturn, but perhaps also to lifestyle changes. In today’s world we have many other options.
KPMG Golf Advisory Practice has launched the fourth edition of its Golf Participation in Europe report, providing insights and analysis of current supply and demand trends in the European golf industry over the past two years. KPMG has surveyed 33 European golf markets, providing insight into golf on the continent.
In more than half of the European countries included in this report, the number of federated golfers has declined through 2014. This includes key golf markets such as England, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Wales, Austria and Italy. Overall, the decline in the number of federated players in Europe has been approximately 1.8% of the total, a volume of close to 77,000 golfers.
Only two well-established golf markets, Belgium and Switzerland, recorded increases in golf demand in 2014, the report finds. Central and Eastern European markets did not register the kind of drop in golf demand or supply as their Western neighbors. Significant increases in golf participation were recorded in Poland and Greece, and moderate growth was recorded in the more established central European golf market, the Czech Republic.
As before, the European golf family continues to be dominated by male golfers, who accounted for an estimated 66% of all European golfers in 2014. Female and junior golfer participation, however, was again discrete in 2014, with approximately 25% and 9% of all federated golfers respectively.
“We believe that the recent tentative upturn in the European economy and the continuation of initiatives aimed at attracting new members – which we address in this report – will have a positive impact on European golf in 2015, says Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice (EMEA).
“Along with other research published regularly on golfbenchmark.com, this study aims to provide golf associations, golf clubs, investors, developers and other industry stakeholders with an overview of current trends across European golf markets.”
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPAIN
Spain is the sixth country in Europe in number of federated golfers, with 7% of the total volume, and is the seventh in number of courses. Spain is in the range of the ratio between 600 and 900 golfers per golf course, together with France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Denmark. The distribution of golfers in Spain is 63% men, 25% women and 12% juniors, being our country the fifth European country by total number of junior golfers.
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