By Brian Keogh
Golf in Ireland is experiencing a significant resurgence, characterised by growing membership numbers, improved financial stability and a marked increase in female participation.
At least, those are the key takeaways from the latest Golf Ireland National Club Survey 2025, conducted by Sporting Insights.
The comprehensive report, which gathered responses from 261 clubs across the island between December 2025 and February 2026, provides a detailed health check of the sport at the club level and benchmarks current metrics against the 2022 survey.
According to the report, 81 per cent of clubs are financially stable or profitable, up from 79 per cent in 2022.
Notably, the proportion of clubs operating at a financial loss has dropped from 15 per cent to just 10 per cent over the same period.
The challenge for most is that the cost of running a golf club has risen.
While median income has grown by 7 per cent to €631,000, median outlays have surged by 12 per cent to €565,000.
Staffing costs are the primary driver of this expenditure, now accounting for 37 per cent of club outlay, up from 31 per cent in 2022.
The good news is that membership is thriving with an impressive 72 per cent of clubs reporting an increase in membership numbers over the last 12 months. The average increase is 32 people per club, up from a mere eight in the previous survey.
Junior boys’ membership has been particularly positive with 79 per cent of clubs reporting an increase.
Overall, clubs now boast an average of 747 adult and junior members though the average full adult membership fee has risen to €1,005 (up from €969), while the average junior fee sits at €160.
One of the most positive trends reported is the surge in female participation.
According to the survey, 63 per cent of clubs have seen an increase in adult women’s memberships in the last year, and 49 per cent have seen a rise in junior girls’ membership.
The “Women Get Into Golf” initiative has been identified as the most successful recruitment tool by far.
There are now more women in management committee roles — up from an average of 4.2 to 4.6, compared to an average of 8.6 for men
As for revenue, the results are mixed.
For clubs with revenue under €500,000 — mainly clubs with between 250 and 499 members— reserves are thin. They hold a median of just €30,000 in cash reserves and rely heavily on volunteers.
Mid-tier clubs boasting revenue of €500,000 to €1m have grown their memberships, though 67 per cent carry debt.
As for the big hitters—clubs boasting over €1m in revenue—they have solid cash reserves of €403,000, with adults paying an average of €1,359 for full membership.
The bad news is that only 51 per cent of clubs have a formal business or strategic plan and less than a quarter have surveyed their members in recent years.
The rising cost of running a club remains a big challenge for most but with more people now playing the game, the future outlook remains a positive one.
“It’s really encouraging to see so many clubs reporting growth at a time when they are working hard to balance increased demand with the realities of running a modern golf club,” said Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly.
“It’s clear clubs continue to invest time and effort into creating welcoming environments for new and existing members. And we’re pleased with the progress being made in growing participation among women and girls. There is still more to do but these results are positive.”
Vincent Foley, Director of Development and Club Support added: “This report is being made available to clubs to help them to benchmark their operations.
“This will assist the leaders in each golf club to make informed decisions to improve their governance and management practices.”
