Numbers provided to Golf Australia magazine show significant increases for both large and small clubs when it comes to affiliated members registered with the state’s governing body for amateur golf.

Among the Sydney clubs experiencing a significant rise in membership after a period of decline were Marrickville Golf Club in the Inner West which has seen a 40 percent rise in members after being at risk of losing holes to redevelopment and Asquith Golf Club in the city’s north with a 15 percent increase.

Similarly, Northbridge Golf Club’s membership has risen 35 percent, members at Penrith Golf and Recreation Club are up almost 25 percent, Bonnie Doon has welcomed a 14 percent increase and the small Lane Cove Golf Club membership has risen by a whopping 38 percent. And the strong membership at the Northern Beaches Long Reef Golf Club have grown by 9.4 percent.

Teven Valley Golf Club has experienced a 159 percent increase in its member numbers over the past year. PHOTO: Supplied.

“After several years of slowly declining membership, the first positive signs of growth appeared in the middle quarter of 2020 coinciding with the first COVID lockdown,” Golf NSW chief executive officer Stuart Fraser said. “With many other avenues for sport shuttered during the pandemic, the ability to keep the game open, to have members continue to play, while maintaining correct social distancing was critical.

“A year on, and we can see from the affiliation numbers across the state the initial small growth is turning into something substantial.”

The growth in golfers joining a club has not just been limited to the city, with regions across New South Wales seeing similar boosts to their ranks.

“Not only are we seeing former golfers return to the sport, but we are also seeing women, juniors, and millennials join in increasing numbers.” - Stuart Fraser.

Teven Valley, a nine-hole layout on the North Coast which recently underwent a Craig Parry led redesign, saw its members grow from 149 to 386, an increase of 159 percent.

Among the other club numbers provided to this publication were Duntryleague Golf Club in the central west, up 18 percent, Rich River Golf Club on the Murray River, up 18 percent, and The Vintage in the Hunter Valley, which has seen its membership increase by 26 percent.

Similar numbers were recorded by a large number of the clubs under Golf NSW’s jurisdiction, allaying any fears that the boom of green fee paying golfers would be short lived.

The increase in memberships is yet another positive for the game at the grass roots level around the country, particularly the diversity of the golfers taking up a membership. Be it new golfers or those returning to the game after a hiatus.

“This surge in membership is comprehensive as well,” Fraser added. “Not only are we seeing former golfers return to the sport, but we are also seeing women, juniors, and millennials join in increasing numbers.”