Women account for more than half of US golf’s post-pandemic growth, pushing female representation to a record high and reordering the addressable market for equipment, apparel, and instruction brands.
Data from the National Golf Foundation (NGF) published May 28 shows female on-course participation in the United States rose to 8.1 million in 2025, the highest level on record.
Women and girls accounted for 52 percent of net new on-course golfers since 2020, lifting female participation by 2.5 million over five years, a 45 percent increase. Male participation also rose, adding 2.3 million players over the same period, up 12 percent.
| Female on-course golfers — US participation | ||
| Post-Great Recession and post-pandemic comparison (millions) | ||
| Golfers (M) | Change | |
| 2006 — pre-recession peak | 7.1 | – |
| 2012 — recession floor | 5.0 | -30.0% vs 2006 |
| 2019 — pre-pandemic | 5.6 | +12.0% vs 2012 |
| 2025 — new high | 8.1 | +45.0% vs 2019 |
Source: National Golf Foundation, May 2026. On-course participation, United States.
The growth has changed the makeup of the on-course golfer base. Women now represent 28 percent of US on-course golfers, up from 20 percent in 2012. The rebound followed a sharper post-crisis decline for women than for men.
Female participation fell 30 percent between 2007 and 2012, versus an 11 percent drop among men, as economic pressure and time constraints weighed more heavily on women, according to NGF analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics trends.
Participation began recovering after 2012 and accelerated from 2020, as pandemic-era behavior shifts and off-course formats such as simulators, indoor ranges and entertainment venues lowered barriers to entry. The previous female on-course record was 7.1 million in 2006.
The NGF data suggests women are overrepresented among new entrants, returning players and off-course participants, and are increasingly likely to convert from off-course play to on-course rounds.
Whether that translates into sustained retail and instruction demand will depend on retention. The NGF points to welcoming on-course environments, targeted programming, gender-specific instruction and fit-for-purpose equipment and apparel as key levers to keep new players in the game.
