We would love your feedback in our latest survey focused on golf courses you played in 2023 and where you may play in 2024. read more ...

Following our most recent survey, which focused on winter golf and 2024 membership, Derek Clements reports on the results reviewing the information around golf club membership and whilst the membership data is fairly positive and not dissimilar to previous years, there could be some challenging times ahead for some golf clubs. read more ...

Record levels of rainfall and frequent storms have been a recurring theme of late, and the impact has been keenly felt by our beloved courses and those of us who play them. We wanted to connect with golfers directly to gather their feedback and hear about their experiences and what the inclement weather has meant for their game. read more ...

We would love your feedback in our latest survey focused on golf over the winter in 2023/2024. read more ...

The traditional model of golf club membership has retained its place at the heart of the game, but there is a nagging question about whether it's the most suitable way to conduct business as we look towards the latter half of the third decade in the 21st century. read more ...

Whether you are currently a member or have been in the past, there is no question that golf clubs remain at the heart of the sport, serving as the bedrock that supports the recreational game. However, there are clearly some issues that clubs need to address. And here are the specific areas that you most wanted to see golf clubs tackle in 2024. read more ...

Perhaps more than anything, the overriding concern among golf club members this year is cost and the general unease around the rising expense that many are facing to maintain their current subscription at a club in addition to the lofty barriers that may prevent newer players from joining in the first place. read more ...

Our most recent survey focused on the consumer spending habits of over 1,600 avid golfers, comparing data from the 2023 survey with data previously captured 5 years ago in the 2018 annual Golfshake survey.   read more ...

Golfshake conducted a survey on golf club membership, gathering data and insights from 4,000 regular golfers over a ten-day period in 2023. Following the publication of eight articles we have now compiled a comprehensive overview of the data, analysis, and feedback. These include insights on the resurgence of waiting lists and joining fees at golf clubs, the value for money of golf club memberships, and the likelihood of renewing memberships in 2024.\ read more ...

Your response to our recent membership survey reveals that the landscape has changed in recent years. The boom that followed the COVID lockdown has seen both waiting lists and joining fees making a gradual comeback across the game. read more ...

Visitors are the lifeblood of many golf clubs around the UK. In our recent membership survey we asked what clubs could do to attract new visitors. You have plenty of views on this subject and they break down into a number of categories.
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It's that time of year when subscription renewals and reminders will be arriving. We asked thousands of club members if they were planning to renew their memberships in 2024 and the results were fascinating, including a significant number of golfers who remained undecided about their plans. And they told us why. read more ...

In this digital age where effective communication is essential for all businesses, many golf clubs have improved massively in recent years, but our latest survey has also shown areas that require improvement to benefit both members and visitors. read more ...

We would love your feedback in our latest survey focused on golf equipment in 2023 and the golf gear that you use. read more ...

Do golf club memberships represent value for money? Our latest survey revealed that one of the biggest concerns you have is the cost of playing the game. We take a closer look at how valuable becoming a member can be and just what it means to the clubs themselves. read more ...

We wanted to know what you think clubs need to do to attract more members and what you see as the problems facing clubs when it comes to recruitment. These comments were submitted by non-members as they described their suggestions regarding the issues that clubs need to address. read more ...

The wider golf landscape is finally beginning to settle back into something resembling normality following the impact of the pandemic, which ushered in a rapid and unexpected boom in participation but also membership numbers at clubs around the country. But now, with cost of living pressures remaining and the opportunities presented by lockdowns a thing of the past, the game has to assess how best it can both retain and recruit members. read more ...

We would love your feedback in our latest survey focused on your plans for golf club membership in 2023/2024 - will you be renewing, joining, leaving or simply just enjoy playing nomadic golf. read more ...

From our most recent annual survey it became abundantly clear that many of you believe that much work still needs to be done in order to successfully grow the game and attract more people to golf. Our sport talks a good game but does it deliver? read more ...

The World Handicap System was introduced in Britain amid much fanfare more than two years ago. It was supposed to end the debate once and for all. But many of you still have serious issues with it. In our recent annual Golfshake Survey it once again turned out to be a thorny subject for you. read more ...

There is much uncertainty surrounding the ongoing cost of living crisis, which has seen a dramatic rise in energy costs, food prices, and an increase in other expenses. Just how could this impact your golf? That was among the concerns that we saw raised by the many respondents to the recent Golfshake Survey, who have questions and worries regarding the state of their club membership and wider green fee costs. read more ...

It's undoubtedly the topic that has overshadowed professional golf for the past year, it has driven bitter wedges between Ryder Cup icons and seen recent major champions tumble down the world rankings, but as it enters its crucial second season, what exactly do fans of the sport REALLY think about LIV Golf? read more ...

What is the current state of golf club memberships ahead of the 2023 season? We all know that golf enjoyed a massive boom during the height of the pandemic, but does the picture remain quite so optimistic this year? Our latest survey has offered some fascinating insights. read more ...

One of the most encouraging findings from our 2022 Golfshake Survey shows that 48% of you saw your handicap fall last year. So, how did these golfers manage that? It seems pretty obvious to say but it appears that you get out of the game what you put into it. read more ...

What draws golfers back to play a golf course and what makes those same golfers recommend that course to others? This is a topic that we have covered in the past on several occasions, but following the 2022 Golfshake Survey we wanted to take another look and highlight the most important factors. read more ...

LIV Golf was a massive story last year and remains a talking point going into 2023. We wanted to find out more about how many golfers have watched those events and how the demographic of that audience compares to the overall picture of golf fans who view tournaments on TV and attend in person. read more ...

Ahead of the 2023 golf season, what is the current state of the game? These have been strange times for golf, with the sport enjoying a well-documented boom during the pandemic. So how are things looking now? The results are in for the Golfshake Survey, with more than 3,500 of you responding to tell us about your lives on the golf course. read more ...

What makes a good golf course? What makes you want to return? What lives long in the mind and makes you want to tell everybody you know? It may surprise you to learn that, according to Golfshake subscribers, the thing we all want is a proper challenge. read more ...

We all know what makes a good golf course and a decent golf club. There are all sorts of reasons that we want to visit courses other than the ones of which we are members. Sadly, you tell us that there are still many courses and clubs that you visit once and decide never to return. read more ...

Golf has seen many positives from the boom in playing numbers that coincided with the global pandemic. And the good news is that UK golf clubs seem to have got their act together and put the needs and demands of their members first. read more ...

As life has slowly got back to something like normality, Golfshake subscribers generally got out there and played more rounds of golf than they had previously. But how do you compare to the playing habits of both club members and nomadic golfers? read more ...

With the cost of living rising, so too are green fees. As they continue to rise, many Golfshake subscribers have told us that they feel like they are being taken advantage of by golf clubs and venues. But where does it end? read more ...

Despite the dramatic increase of members seen during the past two years, there are three main reasons why many golfers still decide not to join a golf club and, on the face of it they are pretty obvious, as discovered by the recent Golfshake Survey. read more ...

We can say, without fear of contradiction, that no subject within the game of golf has exercised the minds quite like the introduction of the World Handicap System. However, there is some encouraging feedback. There are growing signs that we are learning to live with the WHS, although the slope rating system continues to cause some confusion. read more ...

When visiting golfers make their way to a new course for the first time, the welcome they receive can set the tone for the day ahead. A positive, friendly greeting can enhance the experience, whereas poor interactions can sully the memory of even the finest venues. But just who is the face of your golf club, the person charged with delivering that interaction? read more ...

It's a reality of the times, but successful digital marketing and communication is now essential for golf clubs to thrive and deliver an experience that benefits members and visitors alike. This is something that begins with a quality, informative and engaging website. read more ...

There are many contributing factors to determining the quality of a golf experience, but there are clear standouts in the minds of golfers when they assess the merits of a course they have just played. Looking to understand what makes a course memorable, we surveyed 950 keen golfers this winter, asking them to identify the best venue they had played this year. read more ...

Research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) confirms something we already all knew - golf is enjoying a huge increase in popularity.  With 5.5 million news players participating in the game over the past fives years. read more ...

One of the more surprising findings from our recent survey was that it has emerged that although golf clubs are open to visitors, a large number of non-members are actually finding it difficult to get a game, something that suggests encouragement for membership numbers, but a fact which could become an issue longer-term. read more ...

Golf continues to enjoy a boom and while huge progress has been made in many areas it is clear that much still needs to be done to ensure that golf clubs capitalise on the upsurge in interest. In our most recent survey, we asked golfers to tell us about the way their clubs communicate with them. We wanted to understand how clubs engage with golfers and what they need to do to improve the experience and attract more visitors. read more ...

This has been an extraordinary time for club golf, with most having seen an increase in membership, some having introduced waiting lists and a few bringing back joining fees. So with everything looking rosy in the garden, you would expect UK golf clubs to have stepped up to the plate when it comes to the way they treat and communicate with their members. But have they? read more ...

It is well enough documented that the past couple of years have witnessed an unprecedented number or people either returning to golf or taking it up for the first time.  So it seems like the perfect time to examine why some people walk away from the game. read more ...

We have recently seen a lot of controversy regarding rising visitor green fees and also increased membership prices at clubs, but the game may still be cheaper than you think. We take a closer look at how golf compares to other leisure activities and assess the value that green fees and memberships offer. read more ...

Last year's introduction of the new World Handicap System was a significant moment for the game, a process that was engineered to make the sport fairer and more accessible. But now, essentially a full season into the new era, how successful has that been and has the everyday golfer embraced the WHS? read more ...

When golf resumed after lockdown, tee times were effectively like gold dust. The majority of clubs were only opening for members, meaning that the nomadic golfer was truly stuck in limbo. But as clubs prioritised their members, was it surprising that visitors were left out in the cold?  read more ...