Germany remains Europe’s benchmark market for female golf
Germany remains the most important market for women in golf in Europe – at least in absolute terms. This is shown by the new EGA Participation Report 2025, which analyzes golf participation for the year 2024. With 686,708 registered golfers, 227,267 of whom are women, Germany is clearly in the lead when it comes to the total number of female players, which indicates that German golf is comparatively well positioned in terms of sustainability goal number 5, gender equality.
European comparison
In a percentage comparison, Germany is also far ahead in terms of female participation in golf, albeit not at the top: countries such as Austria (37.6%) and Switzerland (35.7%) have an even higher proportion of women. In terms of golfing nations with more than 100,000 registered players, however, Germany is number 1, with other major golfing nations such as the Netherlands (31.6% women), Denmark (27.7%), France (26.4%) and Sweden (24.7%) lagging behind. This confirms Germany’s special position as both the largest market for women in terms of numbers and one with a comparatively high proportion of female players.
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Development over the last five years
However, the figures also show that growth has recently stalled. In 2021, the EGA counted around 221,865 adult female golfers in Germany, with the number rising steadily to 242,333 by 2023. 2024, however, saw a decline to 227,267 female players. Although the proportion of women remained stable at a high level, the absolute number fell noticeably again. The so-called “pandemic effect”, which boosted golf from 2020 onwards, initially caused the women’s game to grow – but a slight decline can now be observed.
Potential through new forms of play
Additional data is provided by the R&A Golf Participation Report / Golf Barometer, which also takes into account new forms of play such as short courses, driving ranges and indoor simulators. This shows that the proportion of women in these “other formats” has recently risen to over 50% across Europe – significantly higher than in traditional club membership.
Germany’s special role in Europe
In a European comparison, Germany is therefore still the country with the most female golfers – with a high proportion of women. Although countries such as England have more registered golfers overall, the proportion of women there is only around eleven percent and therefore significantly below the German level. France, on the other hand, does not come close to the absolute German figures for women, despite having a large total.
