On October 13, the China Golf Association released the core data from the “China Golf Industry Report” (hereinafter referred to as the Industry Report). This marks the first time the CGA has officially published industry statistics, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of the golf industry in China.

On October 13, the China Golf Association released the core data from the “China Golf Industry Report” (hereinafter referred to as the Industry Report). This marks the first time the CGA has officially published industry statistics, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of China’s golf industry.

According to an industry report, in 2024 the total golf-playing population in China was approximately 5.4 million, with about 4.06 million participating on golf courses and roughly 720,000 constituting the core playing base. Meanwhile, 1.33 million people were engaged in golf at golf academies, with a male-to-female ratio of 4:1 among course participants and 7:3 among academy participants. An increasing number of women and young people are now discovering and taking up golf through golf academies.

From 2018 to 2024, a total of 141,290 young people nationwide registered to participate in golf. In recent years, the number of young golfers in China has been steadily increasing. In 2024, 15,548 new youth players registered, representing a 12% increase over 2023. A total of 2,239 youth players were registered with competition handicaps.

As of June 5, 2025, there were 335 operating golf courses nationwide. Of these, 84% are public or semi-public courses open to all players. The top five provinces and municipalities in terms of the number of golf courses are Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Hainan, and Shandong.

As of the end of 2024, a total of 1,859 indoor golf facilities operated by three partners of the China Golf Association—Rugger, Golfzon, and Hengtai Xin—were in operation. By 2025, the nationwide total had surpassed 2,000 facilities.

In 2023, the total number of rounds played at outdoor golf courses and indoor golf facilities in China reached 20.36 million. Of these, outdoor golf accounted for 13.26 million rounds, a 21% increase compared with 2021. The top five provinces and municipalities in terms of total rounds played nationwide were Guangdong, Hainan, Beijing, Zhejiang, and Shanghai.

In 2023, the average number of rounds played at each golf course in China was 39,700. Among them, the average number of rounds per course in Guangdong Province was 44,800, indicating that, on average, 123 golf enthusiasts played a round at each course every day.

In 2023, the total number of indoor court sessions nationwide reached 7.1 million; in 2024, this figure surpassed 10.07 million, representing a 118% increase compared with 2021 (4.61 million sessions).

In 2023, the average cost of a round of golf at an outdoor course was RMB 531. Based on a typical round duration of 4.5 hours, the hourly cost of playing golf came to approximately RMB 118. Notably, the average cost for a round in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen was about RMB 753, while in the central and western regions as well as Northeast China, the average cost was around RMB 512.

In 2023, the economic revenue of China’s golf industry—including golf courses and golf clubs—as well as the economic scale of golf events and training, exceeded RMB 15.186 billion. This figure does not include the equipment manufacturing sector. On average, each golf course provides 198 direct jobs.

Wei Qingfeng, Secretary-General of the China Golf Association, offered an analysis of the data. He believes that despite the current shortage of golf courses, the Chinese golf industry is nonetheless striving to develop and gradually returning to the essence of sport—shifting from serving a niche audience to catering to the general public.

Against the backdrop of building a strong sports nation and a healthy China, golf is poised for new opportunities for development. Wei Qingfeng stated that we should encourage greater public access to golf facilities and courses to better meet the diverse leisure and fitness needs of the general public; gradually refine the new national system to enhance competitive prowess and promote the professionalization of golf; enrich the golf tournament landscape by collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to develop “localized” event IPs and establish a comprehensive tournament ecosystem; vigorously cultivate downstream and emerging industries in the golf sector to unlock its economic potential; fully leverage the unique advantages of golf courses in areas such as reclaiming barren hills and rehabilitating mining sites, thereby achieving a win-win outcome of environmental remediation and fiscal relief; seize opportunities presented by technological innovation to develop indoor golf facilities centered on simulator technology, expand participation scenarios, and advance the popularization and mass appeal of golf; and proactively identify and articulate the cultural value framework of Chinese golf, accelerating the localization of the sport and infusing it with cultural momentum to drive industry growth.

According to reports, the full text of the “China Golf Industry Report” will be officially released by the end of this year.