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January 27, 2026 — 12:04pm
Recreational golf in Australia is booming. Record numbers of people are joining clubs and playing at driving ranges, minigolf facilities and simulators to quench their “healthy addiction”.
Golf Australia claims the boom has killed off calls for courses to be converted to housing or parkland, and it says it will fight to protect courses from development “both for the people that play, but also for the environment”.
The sport’s popularity has led to higher fees at in-demand courses and waiting lists that exceed five years.
Members of private clubs in Melbourne’s sand belt pay around $7000 to $10,000 a year, plus joining fees of about $20,000.
“Some clubs have waiting lists where they haven’t previously had waiting lists. Some clubs … have increased entrance fees,” said Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland.
Sutherland said golf clubs had never experienced the sort of traffic they were seeing today.
“Ten or 20 years ago, people thought that it [the game] was stiff, with lots of rules, and difficult. Those things have changed,” he said.
Data shows 4.7 per cent of people participated in golf in the year to June 2025, up from 4.4 per cent the previous year, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
Separate figures from Golf Australia show 3.8 million Australians played some form of golf in the year to June, with strong growth among women, children and newcomers.
More than 477,000 Australians are members of a golf course, up 3.5 per cent year-on-year, Golf Australia said. Clubs membership numbers have increased by a record 24.1 per cent since 2017-18.
The figures come as the billionaire Fox family mulls plans for its $100 million purchase of Capital Golf Course in Melbourne’s south-east, formerly owned by Crown casino for exclusive use by its biggest gamblers.
Golf lovers say the growth has been led by Baby Boomers seeking gentle exercise, people playing while working remotely, and time-poor women enjoying new, shorter versions of the sport.
Golf is also one of the few sports young people can play with their parents or grandparents, said Sutherland. “There are stories around Australia of four generations playing together in the one group,” he said.
Sutherland said entrepreneurs had invested in “off-course” golf such as driving ranges, minigolf facilities and simulators to feed the country’s “healthy addiction around golf”.
“People want to access the game, and there are lots of less traditional formats now,” he said.
Sutherland said increased participation in golf had left clubs and facilities “in better shape financially than they were 10 years ago”, when a KPMG report showed 58 per cent of clubs were exhibiting signs of distress or serious distress.
With more people participating in golf, Sutherland said the world had “moved on” from pandemic-era calls for courses to be converted to public parkland or housing. “I think it was a bit of an anomaly in time,” he said.
But some courses are still battling dwindling memberships and high maintenance, water, and staff costs, prompting them to merge with larger clubs or to sell to developers.
In Sydney, NSW Premier Chris Minns has proposed to chop Moore Park’s 18-hole golf course in half to create a 20-hectare park close to Sydney’s CBD. Rossdale Golf Club in suburban Melbourne intends to sell the course for housing and relocate.
But the conversion of golf courses to housing has not always gone to plan. The country’s biggest superannuation fund, AustralianSuper, bought Melbourne’s Kingswood Golf Course in 2014, intending to put housing on it, but failed to do so. Kingswood was later sold to a developer.
Meanwhile, Waverley Golf Club in Melbourne’s outer east merged with the nearby Churchill Park Golf Club in 2016, intending to move to the latter’s Endeavour Hills course and sell its 18-hole facility to developers.
But almost 10 years later, the project remains in limbo as the golf club site is within a green wedge.
The country’s most expensive course, Cathedral Lodge in Victoria’s north-east, which is owned by businessman David Evans and accessible by helicopter, is believed to have hiked its upfront fees to invitation-only members to more than $150,000.
Newcomers to the sport include Paige Chrzanowski, 38, who plays four to five holes each week with coach Jay McKenzie at the Geelong Golf Academy. McKenzie also coaches Chrzanowski’s two young children and husband.
Chrzanowski said that while she had always thought golf was just for men, she is now “addicted”.
“I’ve found my niche,” she said.
Chrzanowski said she expected her family to play golf together in the years to come.
Daniel Cromie, a former golf professional who now leads Commonwealth Golf Club’s hospitality operations, said the sport was busier than ever.
“People want places that feel steady and familiar. If we provide warm service, great food and a welcoming culture, the game will continue to grow,” he said.
Close to 105,000 golf fans packed into Royal Melbourne golf course in December for the Australian Open. They were there for Queenslander Cam Smith and Rasmus Neergard-Peterson’s one-shot victory.
US president Donald Trump recently said he would consider attending the Presidents Cup, to be held at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath Golf Club in 2028.
“I actually have been to Australia, and did play one of your great golf courses – have great golf courses there,” he said during a visit from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
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