Golf may have a reputation as a sport for older Americans, but the numbers tell a different story. According to a 2013 National Golf Foundation Survey, the demographics of golf break down as follows: 11% of golfers are members of the Silent Generation (born before 1946), 27% of golfers are Boomers (born 1946-1964), 27% of golfers are members of Generation X (born 1965-1979), 29% of golfers are members of Generation Y (1980-1999) and 6% of golfers are members of Generation Z (born after 1999).
To get a sense of what a golf trip costs, take the readership of Links Magazine, a golf publication, as an example. According to a 2015 Links report, Links readers have an average annual spending on golf travel of $3,965, out of a total spending on all travel of $10,560. 52% of the Links readers surveyed said they planned to take between 4 and 9 golf trips in the next three years.
For the sake of comparison, consider the results of a Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey on U.S. travel spending between 2005 and 2011. For consumers who reported having spent money on travel, expenditures on travel for pleasure averaged $4,700 in 2011. Many Americans do not travel at all.
The majority of rounds played, whether at a private country club or via discounted tee times, are by people who make a good amount of money. The average annual income of avid golfers is over $80,000, which is well above the national average of the U.S. Over half of golfers who regularly practice have a college degree, 40 percent are involved in management, and over 90 percent of golfers own homes. Golfers are also known to spend an average of 54% more money than any affluent traveler.
Sources: National Golf Foundation, US Census Department
Date research was conducted: December 1, 2015
