GOLF has never been more popular in this country.
And now our juniors are getting the ‘bug’ as well.
With the biggest population, it’s hardly surprising that NSW is leading the way with more than 4.6million rounds of golf played in the Premier State in 2023.
That was an amazing 28.2 per cent increase on the 3.59 million rounds in 2022.
The self-confessed ‘home of Australian golf’, Victoria had a 9.1 per cent increase from 2.8 million in 2022 to 3.057 million in 2023.
And Queensland, where you can play year-round, has 2.19 million rounds, a healthy increase if 18.2 per cent on the 1.855 million rounds played the previous year.
The exciting part for golf administrators in this country is the number of juniors getting out on their local golf courses.
Again, NSW led the way with 60,185 juniors, that’s golfers 18-years-old and younger, teeing it up in 2023 which was an exceptional 52.3 per cent improvement on the 39,519 juniors who played rounds in 2022.
Even Tasmania is getting into the act with their juniors: with their 5,165 rounds in 2023 a handy 54.2 per cent increase from the previous year.
What is really impressive and makes the fight to keep all our golf courses intact even more poignant is that there were 12 million rounds of golf played around this marvellous country in 2023.
This boom really began when COVID-19 hit and it seems so many more Australians have decided the golf course is the place to be and continued to get out and play now that the pandemic is not such a threat.
Golf Australia Head of Clubs and Facilities Matt Chesterman is one who is excited about the number of competition rounds played.
“This number is the biggest number we can speak to here at Golf Australia, and it is an extremely important one,” said Chesterman.
“Not only does it demonstrate that interest and love for golf is still on the rise, but it shows how important golf is to Australians and how committed they are to the game.
“Each year, more and more Australians are beginning their journey in golf, learning the game and progressing through to joining a club and playing competition rounds as well as social golf.
“This continued growth highlights what is being achieved via the Australian Golf Strategy as we seek to have more Australians playing more golf and enjoying all the benefits that the game brings.
“To report a 39 per cent increase in junior competition rounds in 2023 compared to the year before is also incredibly exciting,” said Chesterman.
“Golf is a game for life, and it is proving to be a sport that is attractive to Australians of all ages.
“We are pleased to see more and more golfers beginning their lifelong relationship with the game at a junior level.”
While golf looks to be in a healthy state overall, one region where golf is really going gangbusters is Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, with there not complaining, but definitely feeling the squeeze.
The region’s population has risen 30 per cent in the past 10 years where the population is projected to soar past 500,000 by 2040.
According to, Golf Australia’s Clubs and Facilities Manager Andrew Leventis, thousands of emigres from south of the Queensland border were moving to the coast every year, and many of them were keen golfers.
“At a recent district meeting it was discussed among the managers present, that many were fielding enquiries from golfers moving to the Sunshine Coast with the impression they should be able to obtain a membership at any course of their choice”.
