Ever wondered how many golf clubs there are in the UK? The Social Golfer Editor, Ian Mullins takes a look and compares the population and the number of golf clubs and golf courses found in your local region.
Total number of counties by country in the UK:
Interestingly, according to the latest research from Statista (carried out in 2019), England has 1,888 registered golf courses. In Europe, this is more than 1,000 ahead of second-placed Germany on 730. France is third, with 6075.
Number of golf clubs (not courses) in Europe (2018).
N.B. Figures shown are approximate due to variations in the criteria of each county.
| Countries | Population in 000’s by country* | No. of golf clubs by country | No. of pop. per golf club | No. of golf clubs per 100k |
| UK | 6,759 | 2,694 | 25,091 | 4.0 |
| England | 5,710 | 1,888 | 30,247 | 3.3 |
| Scotland | 5,468 | 560 | 9,764 | 10.2 |
| Wales | 3,132 | 144 | 21,750 | 4.6 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,911 | 102 | 18,735 | 5.3 |
| USA | 330,000 | 15,500 | 21,290 | 4.7 |
Source: *ONS.gov.uk
There are 48 counties in England with more than 2000 golf courses:
| 1. Bedfordshire | 24 |
| 2. Berkshire | 44 |
| 3. Bristol | 29 |
| 4. Buckinghamshire | 38 |
| 5. Cambridgeshire | 28 |
| 6. Cheshire | 80 |
| 7. Cornwall | 45 |
| 8. Cumbria | 39 |
| 9. Derbyshire | 31 |
| 10. Devon | 44 |
| 11. Dorset | 40 |
| 12. County Durham | 36 |
| 13. East Yorkshire | 19 |
| 14. East Sussex | 16 |
| 15. Essex | 72 |
| 16. Gloucestershire | 41 |
| 17. Greater Manchester | 11 |
| 18. Hampshire | 81 |
| 19. Herefordshire | 12 |
| 20. Hertfordshire | 60 |
| 21. Isle of Wight | 8 |
| 22. Kent | 94 |
| 23. Lancashire | 111 |
| 24. Leicestershire | 32 |
| 25. Lincolnshire | 51 |
| 26. London | 131 |
| 27. Merseyside | 43 |
| 28. Norfolk | 42 |
| 29. North Yorkshire | 56 |
| 30. Northamptonshire | 24 |
| 31. Northumberland | 40 |
| 32. Nottinghamshire | 39 |
| 33. Oxfordshire | 29 |
| 34. Rutland | 3 |
| 35. Shropshire | 25 |
| 36. Somerset | 39 |
| 37. South Yorkshire | 41 |
| 38. Staffordshire | 46 |
| 39. Suffolk | 38 |
| 40. Surrey | 120 |
| 41. Tyne and Wear | 25 |
| 42. Warwickshire | 43 |
| 43. West Midlands | 65 |
| 44. West Sussex | 41 |
| 45. West Yorkshire | 88 |
| 46. Wiltshire | 24 |
| 47. Worcestershire | 32 |
With 35 counties in Scotland, there are more than 700 golf courses:
| 1. Aberdeenshire | 55 |
| 2. Angus | 28 |
| 3. Argyllshire | 30 |
| 4. Ayrshire | 63 |
| 5. Banffshire | 3 |
| 6. Berwickshire | 21 |
| 7. Buteshire | 3 |
| 8. Caithness | 50 |
| 9. Clackmannanshire | 9 |
| 10. Dumfriesshire | 30 |
| 11. Dunbartonshire | 26 |
| 12. East Lothian | 22 |
| 13. Edinburghshire | 20 |
| 14. Fife/Fifeshire | 55 |
| 15. Inverness-shire | 12 |
| 16. Kincardineshire | 43 |
| 17. Kinross-shire | 15 |
| 18. Kirkcudbrightshire | 8 |
| 19. Lanarkshire | 37 |
| 20. Linlithgowshire | 12 |
| 21. Midlothian | 8 |
| 22. Moray | 16 |
| 23. Nairn or Nairnshire | 2 |
| 24. Orkney | 5 |
| 25. Peebles-shire | 21 |
| 26. Perthshire | 25 |
| 27. Renfrewshire | 23 |
| 28. Ross and Cromarty | 8 |
| 29. Roxburghshire | 21 |
| 30. Selkirkshire | 5 |
| 31. Shetland | 3 |
| 32. Stirlingshire | 18 |
| 33. Sutherland | 5 |
| 34. West Lothian | 15 |
| 35. Wigtownshire | 6 |
There are 22 counties in Wales with more than 250 golf courses:
| 1. Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) | 7 |
| 2. Gwynedd | 19 |
| 3. Conwy | 6 |
| 4. Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych) | 5 |
| 5. Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) | 10 |
| 6. Wrexham (Wrecsam) | 5 |
| 7. Ceredigion | 15 |
| 8. Powys | 12 |
| 9. Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) | 8 |
| 10. Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) | 12 |
| 11. Swansea (Abertawe) | 24 |
| 12. Neath Port Talbot | 27 |
| 13. Bridgend | 7 |
| 14. Vale of Glamorgan | 11 |
| 15. Rhondda Cynon Taff | 5 |
| 16. Cardiff (Caerdydd) | 20 |
| 17. Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) | 26 |
| 18. Caerphilly (Caerffili) | 15 |
| 19. Newport (Casnewydd) | 15 |
| 20. Torfaen (Tor-faen) | 3 |
| 21. Blaenau Gwent | 12 |
| 22. Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) | 14 |
With more than 6 counties in Northern Ireland, there are more than 120 golf courses:
| 1. Antrim | 36 |
| 2. Down | 30 |
| 3. Armagh | 8 |
| 4. Derry/Londonderry | 14 |
| 5. Tyrone | 11 |
| 6. Fermanagh | 22 |
So, our initial question was, did you know how many golf clubs there are in the UK?
Firstly, it’s clear that Scotland is by far the most catered to when it comes to golf courses.
However, I was surprised to discover that England came bottom of the list behind Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In addition, while only a passing comparison, the USA also beat the English.
I guess we now have definitive proof that Scotland is not only the Home of Golf but also home to the most golf courses per capita.
Next up, we’ll compare all the countries of the world, which could make interesting reading for all you golf statisticians!
Ian is the Editor of The Social Golfer. He has been reviewing golf courses for more than ten years. He was the Marketing Director of the London Golf Show from 2011-2016. He has had golf articles published in Golf News Magazine, Today’s Golfer and Golf Business News. Ian is also the Brand Director for The Cairns Cup (Golf’s Premier Disability Match Play Event).
