2024 Market Overview for UK & Ireland
At a Glance
- A record year of green fee revenue for golf course operators with average visitor income reaching £170k.
- An 11% uplift on 2023 derived from a strong second half to the year.
- Green fee and average booking prices are up by 4% YOY.
- Demand plateaued with similar levels of web traffic to 2023.
2024 has delivered a year of double digit growth for the UK and Irish golf industry, with the average golf club generating an 11% increase in casual visitor revenue. Despite the very wet start to the year and challenging conditions for golf course operators, the level of demand over the peak season increased to record highs, and after a relatively strong final quarter, this was the best year ever for green fee revenue, eclipsing the previous best in 2020 by 8%.
The average golf course benefited from green fee income of £170,462, that was made up of 68% online revenue, and 32% offline. The online sales have been the main driver of the growth with a 15% YOY uplift to £112,065, while the offline revenue still grew, but at a slower pace of 5% to £58,397.
The uplift in average green fees has been one of the key growth drivers throughout the year with a 4% rise to £28.04 per person for the whole year. This is slightly above the inflation rate and has resulted from many golf course operators passing on increased costs to the customer, and a general acceptance of higher prices for many consumers. As a result, the average sale price has grown to £60.94 per booking which is also a 4% uplift with group sizes for casual bookings remaining the same at 2.17.
Overall, the level of web traffic stayed the same as 2023 with the average golf course booking engine being visited by 15,615 users over the course of the year. Those that were browsing were more likely to go on and make a booking as the conversion rate increased to 10% for the year, illustrating the continued transition to online sales as the main form of green fee revenue.
2025 promises to get off to an excellent start if weather conditions do not hinder progress. The first two months of the winter season have delivered a 32% uplift on last November and December owing to the extremely wet weather in the latter part of 2023, so there is the likelihood that courses will be well ahead at the start of the summer. The level of demand in high season shows that appetite from visitors remains high, and with a considered approach to both pricing and marketing, UK and Irish golf courses will continue to prosper from significant growth in this area.
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