Hillier Hopkins launches annual survey of UK golf clubs

Accountants Hillier Hopkins has opened its annual benchmark survey of UK golf clubs, conducted in partnership with the UK Golf Federation and the Golf Club Secretary Newsletter, wants to hear from golf club managers, secretaries and club pros.

The survey, completed by over 100 golf clubs in 2023, explores every aspect of managing and operating a golf club including the average age of members, waiting lists, the number of rounds played, and the average cost of green fees.

The survey can be found here and remains open until 31^st October 2024.

Sam Hodson, a director at accountants Hillier Hopkins, said: “We are also thrilled to once again partner with the Golf Club Secretary’s Newsletter and with the UK Golf Federation in this survey.”

“This survey now spans two decades and is widely recognised as an authoritative voice on the health of the UK’s golf clubs.

“We are excited once again to delve into the day-to-day workings of UK golf clubs. The survey gains a lot of interest and hopefully this year will be the same with clubs eager to see how they compare with their peers.

Published in January 2024, the 2023 survey found:

• Female club membership now makes up 18% of total membership, from 15% in 2022.
• Junior membership has remained at 9% of total membership.
• 64% of golf club members are aged 51 and over.
• Clubs welcomed, on average, 94 new members in 2023.
• The number of clubs with waiting lists has fallen to 46% from 52%. The average number of people on waiting lists stands at 51, compared to 61 in 2022.
• 43% of clubs, rising from 36% in 2022 now charge standard playing member subscriptions above the CASC threshold.
• 95% of clubs plan to increase fees in 2024.

A copy of the 2023 report and past survey reports can be found here.