Thought the Covid-inspired golf boom was dying down? Think again!
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The golf boom that followed the pandemic is not showing any signs of letting up. Only now we have new inspiration…
There’s been another record-breaking month for the World Handicap System.
Just weeks after being told that golfers in Great Britain and Ireland were “more negative than the rest of the world” when it came to the global order, England Golf have reported that more than 1.4 million scores were submitted in April.
The governing body also say more than 5,000 golfers signed up to iGolf – its scheme to allow non-club members the chance to have a Handicap Index – to take it through the 60,000 mark.
The fact that April was one of the sunniest ever recorded – with the Met Office claiming sunshine hours were up 47% and temperatures almost 2°C (36°F) above average – certainly helped, but it was a full 95% increases on scores submitted from the same period last year.
The most surprising statistic to come out of the report, though, is that the number of scores submitted in April 2025 was more than the number submitted in the same month in 2021 – just a couple of weeks after the country came out of its third national Covid pandemic lockdown.
As a wider look, England Golf say January to April has also seen a 67% increase in scores submitted through WHS compared to the same period last year.
Claire Hodgson, head of iGolf, said: “In July last year we had 3,989 people subscribe to iGolf, which was our previous record, so it’s been smashed by some way this April.
“It really has been a remarkable month, not just for people signing up for iGolf, but for people getting out on the course and playing.”
As well as the wonderful weather across the UK in April, Hodgson also suggests a certain Masters and Grand Slam champion may have had an effect.
“Whether some of it has been down to the weather or the Rory factor, it’s fantastic to see so many people being inspired to get a Handicap Index and play more golf.”
Maybe we need a new name for the golf boom?
Starting today, the Covid Boom is now called the Rory Boom.
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The golf boom is in full swing as a record April was recorded for the World Handicap System in April.
