The 2021 European Golf Participation Report showed an encouraging increase in the number of registered players across the continent over the last two years.
Although this growth in participation is encouraging, it seems there may still be room for improvement when it comes to bringing new female players into golf in Europe.
According to the report, there are 4.32 million golfers registered with the EGA’s 49 Member Federations. 1.04 million of them are female. Not counting juniors, a total of 26% of registered (adult) golfers are female.
Which countries in Europe are leading the way when it comes to female participation?
Germany has the highest absolute number of female players in Europe with 221,865. The country also has a much higher percentage of female players (36%) compared to the European average.
Sweden (129,949) and the Netherlands (123,537) are second and third for the highest number of registered female players, while France (98,265) and England (90,607) are fourth and fifth respectively.
Despite having the most registered players in Europe and the fifth most female players, only 14% of England’s golfers are female.
In terms of relative percentage of female golfers, Austria is the leading nation in Europe. 38% of the registered golfers in Austria are female. Liechtenstein (37%), Germany (36%) and Switzerland (36%) are close behind.
Altogether, 13 countries in Europe have 30% or more golfers who are female.
Since the 2019 European Golf Participation Report, a net additional 13,112 female golfers were newly registered across the EGA’s member federations.
Over the same period, the percentage of adult registered golfers who are female fell very slightly from 27% to 26%. This means that the vast majority of the newcomers (>73%) to the sport in Europe in the last two years were men.
Is low female participation a concern for European golf? What could golf clubs and golf federations do to attract more women into the game?
For more insights into European Golf Participation, the complete 2021 report can be downloaded through the link below:
