3 Shifts We’re Watching Across Golf
Golf continues to evolve in how and where people experience the sport. Participation is growing, new ways to play are creating additional entry points, and technology continues to influence the experience both on and off the course.
Here are three shifts we’re watching and some of the ways they’re showing up across golf
Shift 1: Golf is Expanding Beyond the Golf Course
The traditional course is no longer the only place people are experiencing golf. Simulators, entertainment venues, tech-enabled driving ranges and other off-course formats are creating more ways to play and engage with the sport.
The numbers show just how significant that broader golf ecosystem has become. In 2025, 48.1 million Americans played golf on- or off-course, including 19 million who participated exclusively in off-course golf activities. Overall U.S. golf participation has grown 41% since 2019. Source: National Golf Foundation
More ways into the game
Off-course experiences are expanding the ways people can engage with golf while complementing the traditional game. They can also serve as entry points into on-course participation. NGF identifies off-course formats such as entertainment venues as an important way for participants to gain familiarity with golf before visiting a course for the first time. Source: National Golf Foundation
That means someone's relationship with golf may begin in very different places: on a course, at a driving range, in a simulator or at a social entertainment venue.
Why this matters across the game
More ways to experience golf create more ways for people to develop a relationship with the sport.
How those different entry points influence participation, expectations and engagement over time is one development worth watching across the industry.
Shift 2: Golf’s Participant Base Continues to Evolve
Growth isn't only changing how many people participate in golf. The makeup of that participant base continues to evolve as well.
Women and girls are an important part of that story. In 2025, more than 8.1 million women and girls played on-course golf, the highest number on record. That's a 45% increase from 2020, and women and girls accounted for 52% of the net gains in on-course participation over that period. They now represent 28% of on-course golfers, also matching a record high. Source: National Golf Foundation
Young adults also represent a significant part of today's golf population. There are 6.3 million on-course golfers ages 18 to 34, making young adults one of golf's largest customer age segments. More than 7 million additional young adults currently participate exclusively off-course. Source: National Golf Foundation
More participants bring more perspectives
The evolution of the participant base extends beyond age and gender. NGF reports that golf's participant base has also become increasingly diverse in recent years, with participation among Asian, Black and Hispanic golfers growing alongside the broader increases in the game.
As the range of people participating in golf expands, so does the range of experiences, preferences and perspectives surrounding the sport.
Why this matters across the game
There isn't one definition of today's golfer.
Different participants engage with the sport in different ways, and what matters to one group may look different from what matters to another.
How those perspectives influence the products, experiences and communities surrounding golf is worth watching.
Shift 3: Technology Is Becoming More Integrated Into the Golf Experience
Technology continues to influence how people play, practice, improve and engage with golf.
Launch monitors, swing sensors, performance apps, simulators, wearables and connected tools give golfers more ways to interact with their games. AI is also creating new applications across areas such as performance, equipment, operations and engagement.
More technology, more applications
For players, technology can provide additional information about performance and create different ways to practice, play and engage.
For facilities and businesses, the applications can look very different, from operations and planning to customer engagement and facility experiences.
Innovation is also showing up in the products golfers use and wear, including equipment, materials, apparel and performance technology.
Why this matters across the game
The interesting question isn't simply whether golf will use more technology. It's where different technologies add meaningful value and how those applications continue to evolve.
For one golfer, that might mean a different way to practice. For another, it could mean deeper performance data or another way to engage with the sport. For a facility or business, the opportunity may look entirely different.
That range of applications makes technology another shift worth watching from multiple angles.
Where These Shifts Intersect
New ways to experience golf are creating additional entry points into the sport. The participant base continues to grow and evolve. Technology is creating more ways to play, practice, operate and engage.
And there is overlap between them. NGF's research, for example, shows particularly strong off-course participation among younger adults, while off-course formats continue to serve as an entry point for people exploring the traditional game.
How these shifts develop, where they intersect and how much influence each ultimately has will look different across the industry.
That's what makes them worth watching.
Which of these shifts are you seeing most clearly in your part of golf?