The number of registered golfers in Europe is up in 2013. Twenty years of stable growth was followed in 2011 and 2012 by market downturns. The recent increase is partly attributable to significant increases in players in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
This information comes from a new report, “Golf Participation in Europe 2013” from KPMG. Other highlights of the report include:
* Player participation in Germany is up 1.7%, the Netherlands 1.8% and France 1.1%.
* Declines have most notably been seen in Spain (-3.5%) and Norway (-3.4%).
* Among emerging golf markets, the biggest growth in demand in seen in Lithuania, Bulgaria and Serbia.
* Male golfers make up 63% of all registered golfers in Europe, followd by women (23%) and junior golfers (14%).
* There is a slight increase in number of golf courses (0.4%). New courses opened in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.
The entire report from KPMG can be found here.