F
igures from Europe show that,
following two years of decline,
golf participation has seen a small
increase. According to the newly released
Golf participation in Europe 2013
report
from KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice, there
were a total of 4.4 million registered players
in Europe at the beginning of 2013. This
represents a small year-on-year increase.
The rise comes from a combination
of emerging golf markets, such as
Lithuania, Bulgaria and Serbia, and more
established markets such as Germany,
Netherlands and France.
There were, however, falls in Spain and
Portugal, and a 2.7% drop in junior golfers.
The UK and Ireland is Europe’s largest
golf market with over 1.2 million registered
players, almost twice as many as any other
country in the continent. It saw a small
(0.9%) decline in participation but the report
notes that UK and Ireland golfers do not
need to be registered to play.
The number of golf courses in Europe
reached 6,811 at the beginning of 2013, a
rise in 29 on the previous year.
KPMG’s full report is available free of charge
at
DIGEST
Golf participation returns to growth
KPMG report
Provincial loan
for Cabot
The provincial government
of Nova Scotia has lent
C$8.25m towards the
C$14m cost of developing
Cabot Cliffs, the second
course at the Cabot Links
golf resort in Cape Breton,
Canada, designed by Bill
Coore, ASGCA, and Ben
Crenshaw. Cabot Cliffs is
expected to add seven full-
time and nearly 60 part-time
jobs when it opens in 2015,
in addition to employment
created during course and
hotel construction.
New course for
Atlantic Beach
ASGCA Past President Erik
Larsen is the designer behind
a new course in Atlantic
Beach, Fla. Land within
the existing Selva Marina
CC was sold for housing,
enabling the club–which
will change its name to
Atlantic Beach CC–to fund
an entirely new 6,815 yard
course which is due to open
in October 2014.
Sarasota course
approaches
completion
The golf course at the new
Esplanade at Lakewood
Ranch development in
Sarasota, Fla. is set
to open in Fall 2013.
Designed by Chris
Wilczynski, ASGCA, the
course will form part of an
‘active lifestyle’ village and
can be set up to play from
4,636 to 6,716 yards.
05
The First Tee students
encouraged to ‘Live Green’
T
he ‘Live Green’
educational
program from
oro, The First Tee and
Audubon International
has entered its second
year, with events at seven
golf courses across the
United States that will
give nearly 1,000 young
people the opportunity
to enhance their local
golf course.
Live Green provides
environmental and golf
course improvement
education for young
people at chapters of The
First Tee, including hands-
on projects to improve
landscaping around the
clubhouse with native
plants–in addition to
planting trees throughout
the course, installing
water-saving irrigation
solutions, and renovating
tee boxes and bunkers.
The program encourages
young people to explore
the health of their
community and discover
how they can give back and
care for the environment.
It forms part of The First
Tee’s Nine Healthy Habits
curriculum in which
participants are taught nine
health and wellness topics
to follow both in the game
of golf, as well as in their
personal lives.
Find out more via
T
he ASGCA has
signed on as a
Leading Supporting
Organisation for the next
India Golf Expo, which will
be held over March 6-7,
2014 at Oxford G&CC in
Pune, India.
ASGCA President Rick
Robbins said: “ASGCA
salutes the IGIA for its
work to promote golf in
India, and for its focus on
education for those who
work in the golf industry in
this dynamic and growing
part of the world. ASGCA
members are ready to help
golf developers in India by
designing golf courses that
are environmentally and
economically sustainable,
and enjoyable for
golfers of all
levels.”
For more
information
and to register
to attend, visit
indiagolfexpo.com.
ASGCA supports
India Golf Expo
India
Education
