What Does The Average Golfer Look Like

When you visit your local golf course, you can look around and see who else is striding the fairways or resting in the clubhouse and come up with a picture of what the average player looks like. 

But it may not be an entirely accurate reflection of the national population. England Golf recently unveiled a fascinating series of statistics that offered a view into the typical member of a golf club, revealing how old they are and even what handicap they possess.

If you want to see how you compare to the average golfer - then read on! Perhaps you will be surprised.

How Many Golf Clubs & Golf Club Members Are There in England?

According to the England Golf stats, there are 1,735 golf clubs in England, averaging 49.8 per county. Yorkshire (181) and Lancashire (141) are far and away the regions that boast the most venues.

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But what about the number of members? There are over 730,000 golf club members in England, with the county average being 21,408. Unsurprisingly, Yorkshire (70,926) and Lancashire (49,990) are top of the table, but Surrey isn't far behind at 47,779, showing the strength of clubs in that part of the country.

If you're a golf club member in Cambridgeshire, then you're part of a group that consists of just 9,617 (at 19 clubs), while there are 2,825 registered members on the Isle of Man at eight clubs.

How Old is The Average Golf Club Member in England?

It's often said that golf is a sport that is suited to those with more time and spending power, which means that it will perhaps always favour an older demographic, but showing the growing popularity among younger people, the average age of golf club members, both male and female, has decreased in England.

The average male golf club member is now aged 53.78, with female members coming in a little older at 62.98. This means that - overall - the average age of club members has been reduced from 56.18 to 54.99.

Nationwide, it's fairly consistent, but the oldest counties are Devon (56.76) and Dorset (56.93), with the youngest being found on the Isle of Man (51.37) and in Middlesex (52.66).

What is The Average Handicap of a Golf Club Member in England?

This is probably the stat that you're most keen to see - discovering just how your own game compares to other golfers. The average Handicap Index of golf club members in England is 18.62, with men being 17.38 and women at 28.09, meaning that if you're a male with a handicap below 18, then you're ahead of the curve.

It's also been broken down into counties, which offers an intriguing picture. We said that the Isle of Man had the youngest golfers, and they also apparently have the best with an average Handicap Index of 16.84. Nottinghamshire isn't far behind at 17.46, just ahead of Durham at 17.47 and Surrey at 17.54.

The three regions with the highest average Handicap Index are Suffolk (19.82), Norfolk (19.92) and Devon (20.16).

If you're a golfer in England, then you should have a little fun comparing yourself to other players in your area and beyond. 

You can extrapolate much from these figures, but ultimately the main takeaways are that membership remains strong and that a slight drop in age could be a sign of things to come. 

Let's see what unfolds across the golf club scene in 2025!

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