More than one in two golf clubs now offer nine-hole green fees

By Alistair July 14, 2019 15:38 Updated

For the first time ever, more than one in two golf clubs in England now offer nine-hole green fees, according to England Golf.

Data has shown many people are put off golf because the time it takes to play 18 holes is considered too long, and now 52 per cent of clubs in England have provided the ability to pay for and play nine holes.

Some 18-hole clubs even market themselves now as facilities that offer two loops of nine holes.

The figure is revealed in England Golf’s annual review of 2018, which also finds that 69 per cent of English golf clubs want to attract more women members.

Reflecting on the year in his foreword, England Golf CEO Nick Pink said that his organisation and clubs have been working hard to attract the game to more women and children.

“We extended the opportunities for club players, particularly beginners and returners, with our partnership with the European Tour  and the introduction of our GolfSixes tournament,” he wrote.

“We continue to work hard to refresh and improve the image of golf. This paid dividends when we led the first Women and Girls’ Golf Week, an online and social media campaign to unite the industry and highlight the fantastic female side of the game. The results and reach were outstanding and reflect the enormous interest in developing the women and girls’ game and, in turn, family golf.

“For example, almost 70 per cent of our clubs want to attract more women members and we  are helping to support their ambitions. The Girls Golf Rocks campaign, which we run jointly with the Golf Foundation, has proved hugely successful in attracting new girl players and it is pleasing to report that over 1,600 attended taster sessions during 2018.

“Get into Golf was another example of our bold approach and we relaunched the campaign with a modern look which was designed to shake up ideas of the sport and inspire more people to have a go.”