Opening Golf to the World
The R&A
The R&A aims to open golf to the world as global participation rises to more than 112 million
22 Apr 26
6 mins
The R&A today unveiled a new five-year global strategy aiming to open golf to millions more people around the world and accelerate the current participation boom in the sport.
Based on The R&A’s purpose of ‘Opening Golf to the World’, the new strategy aims to have more people playing and engaging with golf more frequently worldwide. The strategy also aims to showcase golf’s transformational impact on individuals and communities, highlighting its health, wellbeing and social benefits while ensuring it remains relevant and accessible at every level. Please view The R&A strategy here The R&A has a broad remit across golf and under this new strategy it will:- Unite through governance of the sport
- Inspire through outstanding championships
- Lead by shaping golf’s future with our partners
- attract 22 million additional golfers
- create more than £25 billion in social value through the sport
- generate more than £1.5 billion in economic benefit through its championships
- establish more than 200 strategic partnerships investing in golf
- generate more than five billion fan interactions through live attendance, broadcast and digital engagement around The Open, the AIG Women’s Open and elite amateur championships
The R&A will aim to have more people playing and engaging with golf more frequently worldwide.
The strategy has been introduced against the backdrop of continued global participation growth in 2025 with research soon to be published by The R&A showing that 112.2 million adults and juniors are now playing golf in all its forms worldwide outside of the USA and Mexico.
This marks an increase of 4.2 million golfers year-on-year, underlining the sport’s growing appeal and providing a strong platform for long-term development. The research also shows that 65 million adults are now playing golf, up 1 million on 2024, while 47.1 million juniors are participating in the sport, an increase of 3.2 million in just one year. Off-course golf continues to experience strong growth with 68.3 million adults and juniors engaging in a range of formats including driving ranges and simulators.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Golf is in a strong position and these new figures show that participation continues to boom around the world, especially among younger audiences. Our task now is to convert this momentum into long-term growth by reaching more people, creating greater impact and ensuring golf continues to grow in every part of the world.
“This strategy is about building on that momentum. Given The R&A’s purpose to open golf to the world, it sets out how we will enhance the sport in a way that is ambitious and measurable by increasing participation, expanding the reach and impact of our championships and demonstrating more clearly the social and economic value golf brings to communities worldwide.
“We have a responsibility to uphold the values and traditions that make golf special, while ensuring the sport continues to evolve and connect with modern audiences.”
"By uniting the sport, inspiring through world class championships and leading with purpose to broaden access and champion sustainability, we can secure a strong future for golf for generations to come.”
Mark Darbon
Chief Executive of The R&AUnder the ‘Unite’ theme, The R&A will strengthen the sport’s foundations through governance and collaboration. This includes ensuring the Rules of Golf remain adaptable and well understood, supporting a World Handicap System™ that enables fair competition across all abilities, maintaining equipment regulations that balance innovation and skill and delivering trusted world ranking systems. The R&A will also provide leadership across new and alternative formats — including indoor simulator golf, adventure golf and driving range participation — which are attracting millions of participants, particularly younger people.
The ‘Inspire’ theme focuses on using The R&A’s championships as a platform to broaden golf’s appeal, grow audiences and generate long-term reinvestment in the sport. The Open will continue to evolve as one of the world’s leading sporting events, expanding its reach and engagement globally, while the AIG Women’s Open will be further enhanced as a premier event in women’s sport. The wider championship portfolio will also be optimised, and new formats will be developed to connect with emerging audiences.
The ‘Lead’ theme centres on The R&A working collaboratively with national federations and other golf stakeholders around the world to open the sport to new and under-represented audiences, particularly women and juniors, champion environmental sustainability across golf and strengthen support for high performance pathways in developing territories. It will also use technology and world class insight to support federations, improve the golfer experience and advocate for golf’s social and economic value. Ultimately, the strategy will allow The R&A to increase its investment into the game.