You can see it on a cold weeknight. A group of friends walks into a brightly lit venue, orders food, and takes turns hitting shots into a screen. Nobody worries about dress codes or tee times. Two hours later, they’ve played “golf,” laughed a lot, and gone home.
That scene isn’t a side story anymore. In the U.S., it’s now the majority format by headcount—at least in one very specific, very telling way.
Participation headlines can be confusing because people move between formats and data sources don’t always define terms the same way. But when you line up the cleanest participation numbers we have, and then compare them with business results and mature-market benchmarks, a clear pattern emerges: off‑course golf—especially simulator and venue-led play—has become a dominant participation format and a fast-growing business category.
The headline stat: off‑course participation passed on‑course in 2022
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) reported that in 2022:
- Off‑course participants: 27.9 million
- On‑course golfers: 25.6 million
- Gap: +2.3 million in favor of off‑course
- Off‑course YoY growth: +13% (with on‑course up ~2%)
Sources: NGF participation recap and secondary coverage repeating the same figures: NGF ; MediaGroupOnline summary
The “~52/48 split,” and why it needs a caveat
If you combine those two headline counts—and treat them as separate groups—you get a simple share framing:
- Off‑course share ≈ 27.9 / (27.9 + 25.6) = 52.1%
- On‑course share ≈ 47.9%
This does not describe a clean “either/or” population, because many people do both on‑course and off‑course golf. Still, it’s a useful signal: more people touched golf off the course than on it by NGF’s 2022 participant counts.
What counts as “off‑course,” and why this comparison matters
On‑course golf is the traditional format: playing on a golf course (typically 9 or 18 holes).
Off‑course golf is a broader umbrella. Depending on the research source, it can include:
- Golf simulators (at home, in retail, or in dedicated indoor venues)
- Entertainment venues with golf as the anchor activity
- Driving ranges and alternative golf experiences that aren’t played on a course
The point of the comparison isn’t to decide what’s “real.” It’s to understand what’s driving participation growth, where newcomers feel comfortable starting, and where investment is flowing.
On‑course golf is constrained by land, daylight, weather, and tee‑sheet capacity. Off‑course golf is constrained mostly by real estate and equipment—meaning it can scale differently, in more neighborhoods, across more months of the year.
Why the shift is happening (signals the data supports)
- Off‑course is growing faster. NGF’s 2022 numbers show +13% YoY growth off‑course versus ~+2% on‑course.
Sources: NGF ; MediaGroupOnline - Off‑course has become a “main way” to play, not just an on‑ramp. When off‑course exceeds on‑course by headcount, it’s no longer merely a feeder system. For a meaningful slice of people, it is their primary golf experience—whether they later transition to courses or not.
The business implication: simulators are now a multi‑billion category
Market forecasts vary—sometimes widely—because they define the “simulator market” differently (hardware only vs. venues + software; U.S. vs. global; differing time horizons). But it’s notable how often forecasts still land on a large, growing category.
One example:
- Straits Research estimates the golf simulators market at $1.74B in 2024, reaching $3.81B by 2033, at a 9.10% CAGR.
Source: Straits Research – Golf Simulators Market
Another research group, Emergen Research, publishes a U.S.-specific view with different totals and a higher CAGR—an illustration of how scope changes results.
Source: Emergen Research – U.S. Golf Simulator Market
The practical takeaway isn’t which forecast is “correct.” It’s that multiple independent forecasts describe a market that’s already sizable and still compounding.
Mature-market benchmark: South Korea and “screen golf” culture
South Korea is often treated as a mature benchmark for simulator-led participation. A widely circulated compilation reports ~4.2 million screen golf participants in 2023, framing screen golf as a meaningful part of the broader golf landscape there.
Source: Gitnux – Korean golf industry statistics
A caution: venue-count figures in roundups can be inconsistent. Some summaries mention “over 9,000 locations,” while other estimates are higher. Treat venue counts from secondary compilations as directional unless corroborated by primary local industry sources.
Secondary reference example: Wifitalents compilation
Even with imperfect venue counts, the benchmark remains useful: a country can build a culture where “golf” routinely happens indoors, socially, and frequently—because it’s convenient and scalable.
“Escape velocity” economics: Golfzon’s revenue jump
One company datapoint that illustrates how quickly a screen‑golf ecosystem can scale is Golfzon.
Reported revenue figures show:
- 2020: ₩298.52B
- 2021: ₩440.31B (+47.5% YoY)
- 2022: ₩617.51B (+40.25% YoY)
That’s a 2.07× increase from 2020 to 2022—about +107% total growth in two years.
Source: StockAnalysis.com – Golfzon revenue
This doesn’t mean every simulator business will win. It does show the category can scale quickly when participation is habitual and venues are widely distributed.
In the U.S., off‑course experiences are already material businesses
Even if you never touch a simulator, you’ve likely seen the venues: big footprints, food and drink, group bookings, corporate events, birthdays.
Topgolf Callaway Brands’ filings and annual report materials show Topgolf as a major operating segment—evidence that off‑course golf experiences are not “side projects” attached to the sport. They are significant revenue lines inside public‑company reporting.
Source: SEC archived annual report materials
Spillover demand: retail moved too
Participation shifts don’t stay contained. They show up where people buy gear, take lessons, and try equipment.
PGA TOUR Superstore reported that 2021 sales grew more than 80% compared with 2019, describing 2021 as a record year at the time. Coverage also notes the role of in‑store experience—practice areas and simulator‑like interactivity—as part of modern golf retail.
Sources: Retail Brew coverage ; Retail Customer Experience
Is this replacing “real golf,” or feeding it?
The most accurate answer is: it’s both, depending on the person. Some treat simulators as practice; others treat them as the main event—more social, less intimidating, and more time‑efficient.
Research also suggests simulators can reduce barriers for newcomers. A University of Illinois publication describing a quasi‑experimental study reports that virtual golf simulator use increased self‑efficacy and motivation/engagement, especially among people who started with lower self‑efficacy.
Source: University of Illinois – “Increasing sport engagement through virtual simulators…”
Related survey research in the South Eastern European Journal of Public Health (SEEJPH) connects indoor virtual golf participation intention with self‑efficacy, and notes socialization as a strongly rated factor among users.
Source (PDF): http://www.seejph.com/index.php/seejph/article/download/2367/1595/3418
A necessary caveat: these studies are suggestive, not a guarantee. Not every simulator player becomes an on‑course golfer. But they support a reasonable claim: off‑course formats can lower psychological and social barriers, which is often what fast‑growing participation formats do.
What the numbers imply when you put them together
One statistic alone can mislead. A bundle of indicators pointing in the same direction is harder to dismiss:
- Participation flipped in 2022 by NGF’s headline counts: 27.9M off‑course vs. 25.6M on‑course.
- Growth rates diverged: off‑course up 13% YoY vs. modest on‑course growth.
- Forecasts repeatedly describe simulators as a multi‑billion market with continued compounding (e.g., 9.10% CAGR in Straits Research’ estimate).
- South Korea’s mature market shows screen golf can become a frequent, mainstream way people “do golf.”
- Business proof points (e.g., Golfzon’s revenue expansion) show the category can reach scale quickly.
- Retail spillover (PGA TOUR Superstore’s 2021 surge vs. 2019) supports the view that engagement is broad‑based.
In other words: off‑course golf is now a durable parallel track to on‑course golf. It’s not a temporary workaround. It’s a participation format that better fits modern constraints—time, weather, access, intimidation—and modern preferences—social, repeatable experiences.
Golf didn’t shrink into a screen. It expanded into more places where people actually live.
Stat recap
- U.S. participation (NGF, 2022): 27.9M off‑course vs. 25.6M on‑course (+2.3M)
- Implied split (treating groups as separate; overlap likely): ~52.1% off‑course / 47.9% on‑course
- Off‑course growth (2022): +13% YoY (on‑course ~+2%)
Sources: NGF ; MediaGroupOnline - Simulator market forecast example: $1.74B (2024) → $3.81B (2033), 9.10% CAGR
Source: Straits Research - South Korea screen golf participants: ~4.2M (2023)
Source: Gitnux - Golfzon revenue growth: ₩298.52B (2020) → ₩617.51B (2022); +47.5% YoY (2021), +40.25% YoY (2022)
Source: StockAnalysis.com - Retail spillover: PGA TOUR Superstore said 2021 sales grew 80%+ vs. 2019
Sources: Retail Brew ; Retail Customer Experience
