The average number of golf rounds played in the U.K. increased by 14 percent in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest findings by Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS). The research company already pointed to an encouraging stabilization in golf participation last year. The relatively mild temperatures and drier weather in January led to an increase in the number of rounds played that month in all regions of the U.K., other than Scotland. The increase reached more than 30 percent in all regions in February, due to much drier weather and despite the start of the Cricket World Cup. Then again, the dramatic culmination of the Six Nations rugby campaign in March, paired with relatively cold and wet weather, contributed to lower monthly participation in all regions other than the north, where the number of rounds increased by 5.7 percent. SMS voiced hopes that the return of The Open to St Andrews in July will stimulate the number of rounds played in the run-up to the event.

Topics