Golf Popularity By Country (Full Breakdown)

 

You may be quite familiar with the fact that golf is very popular in the United States.

In most areas of the country, there are at least a few golf courses, both private and public.

Even with all the talk the USGA has had about the number of golfers in America starting to decrease, the country is still saturated with golfers.

If, however, you are wondering if the United States has the most golfers in the world, you may want to think again.

Golf is extremely popular across the entire world, and it’s important to realize this if you are looking for some great golf destinations to travel to and enjoy.

Here are some of the top countries for golf in the world.

These countries have more golfers per population than any of the others out there.

 

Golf Popularity By Country (Full Breakdown)

 

1. Ireland

 

Ireland is not a very large country, but if you live there, chances are you love golf.

The golfers in Ireland are known for playing in terrible weather conditions, and they are also known for the fun they have on the course.

Irish golfers are good players who need to know how to manage a lot of different weather conditions.

The golf courses in Ireland are beautiful, and the country boasts some of the oldest in the world.

This certainly helps to bring tourists to Ireland each year to increase the tourist income for the country as well.

Overall, if you are a golfer in the United States and you want to visit a country where other people feel as strongly about the sport as you do, Ireland is a perfect place to go.

 

2. Canada

 

Canada is the second most popular country for golf.

There is one thing that we can say about Canada, and that is that, in general, people in Canada have a higher income and a bit more success than in other countries.

Overall, you will notice that those who can play golf more often and are able to afford to spend time on the golf course tend to have quite a bit more money than others.

The game of golf is expensive, but those who love it don’t care how much it costs.

In addition to having enough people who can afford the game, Canada also has some very beautiful golf courses.

The natural landscapes in Canada set up wonderfully for golf, and people enjoy playing courses that have both mountain and water views.

Mike Weir is a very famous Canadian professional golfer who made Canada proud with his successful golf career.

Weir is known for his consistency and the fact that he is one of the few professional golfers who is also a lefty.

Being a lefty and being Canadian sort of helped Weir make a name for himself on the PGA Tour.

 

3. United Kingdom

 

Just like Ireland, the UK has plenty of golfers who enjoy the sport.

Those who live in the UK will probably try to convince you that golf is a bigger deal there than it is in Ireland.

The countries tend to go back and forth a bit when it comes to golf history and current golf competitiveness.

The UK is another spot where you will need to learn to play in a variety of conditions.

One factor that players need to learn to play with is a constant wind.

The players in the UK know how to hit shots that stay below the wind and stay out of trouble.

This is not all that easy to do, but they have learned a different style of golf than we play in America.

 

4. United States

 

It took us a little bit, but we did get to the United States.

Many people who are golfers in the United States think that this country is the most popular place to play golf.

This is, however, not the case as you must remember there are many areas of the country where golf is hardly a thing to do.

When you go to places like California or Florida, you will see people playing golf all day, every day.

These are the areas where golf is very popular, and the majority of the population is interested, but it does not mean that all people in the US like golf.

Overall, for the size of the country, the United States certainly takes golf seriously.

Also, the PGA Tour, which focuses most of its tournaments in the United States of America, is the tour that many golfers from all over the world want to play on.

Even though the European Tour has grown in popularity, so much of the fame, fortune, and attention are focused on the PGA Tour.

It takes golfers a long time to earn their way onto this Tour and get the chance to travel around the United States and play professionally.

However, making it to the PGA Tour is quite a long and difficult process.

The USGA and the PGA of America are continually looking to expand the game of golf and make it a more welcoming sport for all players.

 

5. South Africa

 

South Africa often surprises people as being one of the top countries for playing golf.

However, if you research a bit more and learn about the country, you will be surprised by what big deal golf is in South Africa.

The golf courses are incredibly beautiful, and there is a lot of land in South Africa, so more courses are being built every year.

In addition, the people in South Africa take their golf rather seriously.

They are interested in playing as often as possible and enjoying what their country has to offer from a golf standpoint.

Several famous golf professionals have come from the South Africa area.

One of the most famous is Gary Player.

When you think of Gary Player, the names Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer probably also come to mind.

Golfers like this have shaped the way the game of golf has grown and strengthened through the years.

If you want to take a unique and beautiful golf trip, South Africa is the place to go.

 

6. Australia

 

Australia has great views, a wonderful climate, and some really great golf courses.

Therefore, it is no surprise that this country comes in the top ten of the most popular countries to play golf.

The most famous golfer from Australia is Greg Norman.

He has created a culture that is all about Australian golf, and it has completely changed the world of golf in Australia.

Norman is fun to watch, he has created a massive golf company, and he certainly has put Australia on the map as one of the best golf countries in the world.

Golfers in Australia enjoy playing golf and exercising, so walking golf courses has become quite popular in Australia.

These golfers are a bit more outdoorsy than you will find in other areas of the world.

They will likely find that walking and playing is the best way to enjoy the game in Australia.

Get ready to enjoy a bit more of nature when you head to Australia for your next round of golf.

 

7. New Zealand

 

New Zealand is not a very large country, but the people who live there are very interested in the game of golf.

One of the great things about New Zealand and some of the golf that you can play there are the views that you can get.

New Zealand is a beautiful country.

In addition, many of the more famous golf courses are on the ocean with tremendous views.

There is a distinct season in New Zealand, so there are some times of the year when the weather will be better than others.

If you were planning a golf trip to New Zealand, make sure that you know when you are planning to go.

Avoid the winter months of June to August, if possible, to try and make it easier to get more rounds of golf in.

A golf course named Tara Iti is a Tom Doak design that is about one hour from Auckland.

This golf course has some of the most famous views in golf, and you will be incredibly impressed by what you can see as you make your way around the course.

New Zealand is a bit expensive overall, but most find it worth seeing this type of golf.

 

8. Denmark

 

Another surprising country on the top ten list is Denmark.

Denmark has more than 190 golf courses, and considering the size of the country, this is certainly plenty of room for golfers to find a spot to play.

The golf courses in Denmark range from very high-end private courses to affordable public golf courses.

There is no question that you will be able to find an option to suit your needs in Denmark.

More and more professional golfers are coming from the Denmark area.

These golfers are hard workers who tend to have very clean and neat playing styles.

Hitting fairways, making putts, and getting top-tens in golf tournaments seems to be the way of the Danish golfer.

 

9. Finland

 

There are 160 golf courses in Finland.

For the size of the country, you can see how important the game of golf is to Finnish golfers.

Golf has been on the rise for many years in Finland.

Not just with the shortage of outdoor activities and the Covid pandemic, golf had been growing prior to that.

In Finland, golfers are going to find that they will have to learn to play in a bit of rain.

This area of the world tends to have frequent rain, and that can be a bit more difficult to play in if you are not used to it.

Overall, Finland is a great country and one worth checking out if you are looking for another country where golf is popular and fun.

 

10. Switzerland

 

To round out the top ten, we have Switzerland.

Switzerland is a country with around 100 golf courses but more than 100,000 golfers.

Switzerland has the advantage of having some significant elevation changes throughout the country.

This makes golf even more enjoyable because of how it can make golf courses look and act.

The country of Switzerland has not produced too many PGA Tour Professionals, but there are plenty of people in Switzerland who are great at the game and are enjoying their path to success.

Overall, Switzerland is a beautiful place to visit not just for golf but to see the landscape, architecture, and more.

Plan a trip to Switzerland and call it a golf trip, but you will want to leave time to do some other things while you are there.

 

What Makes Golf Popular In A Country?

 

Now that we have given you some insight into the countries where golf is so popular, you may wonder how and why golf becomes popular.

There are a few reasons that you will notice golf becoming more popular.

One of those reasons is the access to golf in the country.

Some countries will only have just a few private country clubs, and this makes it hard for golf to become popular.

These are the areas where you will see that only the rich can really play the game.

Golfers who enjoy the game are going to have to know that golf will take a bit of an investment.

This is another reason that golf gets popular in a country.

People end up having money to commit to the game, and it makes them get into the game.

When you don’t have as much discretionary income, golf is a hard sport to get into.

Another thing that makes golf popular at times is the professionals who play on the PGA Tour and the attention they bring to the country.

In America, you don’t even have to like golf to start to get into tournaments like the Masters and the US Open.

There is so much history and hype surrounding these events that it gets people interested in the sport and makes them want to play on their own time.

Many people think of something like the Masters as being just like a Super Bowl or a World Series.

These are the events that get people started in the game and then hold their interest for years to come.

Overall, golf tends to increase and decrease in popularity based on the times and the people who are involved in the game.

Golf has been around for many years, and it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

 

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have a better idea as to where the game of golf is most popular.

Golf is undoubtedly a worldwide sport, and there are also small pockets of the world that have areas that have a high concentration of golfers.

However, for golf to be a popular sport across an entire country, it takes a bit more as far as volume is concerned.

As you have seen with all top ten of these countries, the number of golf courses that they have in the country also plays into the equation.

To become a golf country, you need to give the residents of the country plenty of space to play the game for an affordable price.