Breakthrough athletes such as Tiger Woods and, in more recent years, prodigious talents such as Rory McIlroy have helped change long-standing perceptions of the sport, drawing huge crowds all around the world.
To put this in some context, the Ryder Cup is poised to attract 600 million television viewers when it gets under way at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome later this month – the first time the event has ever been held in Italy.
This new-found passion for golf has created a distinct, lucrative market opportunity for agents, albeit a potentially intimidating one for new entrants keen to tap demand.
According to consultancy firm Future Market Insights, golf tourism globally is expected to be worth some $23.3 billion (£18.5 billion) by the end of the year, of which $3.3 billion (£2.65 billion) will be sold in Europe alone.
Research led by Scotland’s historic Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew’s and published earlier this year, meanwhile, found participation numbers in the UK and Ireland had exceeded pre-pandemic levels by the end of last year, while 20% of adult golfers playing on nine- or 18-hole courses in 2022 were female, up from 15% in 2019.
“From a travel industry perspective, golf tourism is one of the biggest and fastest growing sectors,” Dave Griffiths, events manager at International Golf Travel Market (IGTM), told TTG.
‘Daunting prospect’
Only a small number of agents, though, have begun to exploit the full earning potential of golf tourism, which Griffiths puts down to perceived barriers to entering the market, such as the specialist knowledge required to make bookings.
“Golf is still probably seen as a niche sport, so if you don’t understand it, then getting involved in it becomes a daunting prospect,” he said.
Patrick McCaghy, managing director of London-based golf tour operator Golf Travel Group, agreed. He said for agents, the prospect of booking their clients on golf holidays was still “a little bit arduous”.
Not Just Travel homeworker Simon Evans told TTG some agents were also worried about looking foolish in front of their clients due to a lack of knowledge. "I think there’s a concern among agents that customers will know more than they do about golf, so they’re worried about saying the wrong thing,” he said.
Carolyn Park, director of Bristol-based specialist golf operator Tee the World, added agents also fear competition from big names like Jet2holidays, which promotes its golf offering online and on TV.
“What agents find is they get a lot of clients who play golf, but only book general holidays with them because the specialists [golf operators] have more visibility,” she said.
Think about non-golfers too
Nevertheless, golf tourism experts believe the business opportunities for agents willing to dip their feet into the market are immense, with golfers, on average, spending more on their breaks than general leisure tourists.
“Golf tourists effectively spend two-and-a-half times more than any leisure tourists at a destination," said Griffiths. "They also stay for longer – usually for four-and-a-half days compared with three-and-a-half days for leisure travellers – so it has a knock-on effect for shops, restaurants and bars.”
Fiona Field, director of Hertfordshire-based agency Travel Designed, told TTG the market was ripe with opportunities as golfers often travel with non-golfers keen to enjoy the destination every bit as much for other pursuits.
“Sometimes, half of my clients will be non-golfers,” Field added. “So we’re looking at many destinations that can cater for golfers but also for their partners so they can equally enjoy their time away.”
In terms of destinations, while the US, Spain and Portugal remain among the most sought-after due to the number of quality courses available, destinations such as Turkey, Bulgaria and Ryder Cup host Italy are becoming increasingly popular.
Italy will host the tournament from 29 September to 1 October, and is hoping for a boom off the back of it. "We have beautiful courses from north to south so we’re trying to promote them,” said Flavio Zappacosta, UK and Ireland head at the Italian National Tourist Board.
‘Sportswashing’
But while Europe and North America have long had a head start, destinations in the Middle East such as the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are making a concerted play for a share of the global golf tourism market, albeit not without some dissent.
“Dubai is really the driving force," said Griffiths. "Everyone else [in the Middle East] is seeing the opportunities being driven from Dubai, and they are looking to either match it or adapt to it."
Saudi Arabia is without doubt the most visible investor in golf. In 2021, it founded its own tour, LIV, with funding from the country’s Public Investment Fund to challenge the US-based PGA Tour, resulting in a sensational – and controversial – merger earlier this year after two years of bitter rivalry.
Critics have decried the move as another effort by Saudi Arabia to "sportswash" its image, and present a narrative that swerves the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance and documented human rights abuses.
