Four records, one widening participation challenge
Swedish golf closed its 2026 membership year at a new high. At the official 15 October count, Svenska Golfförbundet (SGF) recorded 590,647 active club memberships, up 2,578 (0.4%) from 2025. Those memberships represent 551,941 individual golfers, an increase of 3,085 (0.6%): players may hold memberships at more than one club.
The federation recorded four milestones — total memberships, individual active golfers, junior memberships and boys’ junior memberships. Yet the headline growth hides a more difficult finding: participation among women and girls is declining.
Junior golf approaches 100,000 memberships
Memberships held by players aged 21 and under reached 99,050, up 2,457 (2.5%) year-on-year. Boys accounted for 88,614, a rise of 2,651 (3.1%). The girls’ category moved in the opposite direction: 10,436 memberships, down from 10,630, a decline of 194 (1.8%).
Memberships are not the same as unique junior players; a child can belong to more than one club. Juniors now account for 16.8% of all Swedish golf memberships.
The gender gap behind the record
Across all ages, memberships among women and girls fell from 129,656 to 127,772 (−1.5%). Their share is now 21.6%, compared with 78.4% for men and boys, who hold 462,875 memberships. The decrease is not confined to younger golfers. Adult women aged 22 and over have 117,336 memberships, down 1,690 (1.4%) on last year.
SGF has identified recruiting and retaining more women and girls as one of four central priorities in Strategi 2031. The concern is therefore not simply how many new people try golf, but whether the sport provides reasons for a broader group to stay.
A shift towards full playing rights
The federation’s final report also shows a changing membership mix. Full-playing-rights memberships increased from 399,788 to 415,951, while greenfee memberships — offering no or tightly limited playing rights without paying a separate green fee — fell from 162,419 to 141,622. That is a change in membership type, not proof of higher club revenue: the report does not give subscription fees or income totals.
Meanwhile, approximately 9.5 million recreational rounds were booked from January to September 2026, 2.8% fewer than in the comparable 2025 period. Growing the membership base and increasing actual rounds played are distinct measures.
What happens next?
Sweden’s records underline the appeal of the sport and the growth of boys’ junior golf. The next test will be whether clubs can turn that interest into sustained participation for girls and women as well. For the 551,941 individual-player figure, GOLFTWITT used the detailed “Sammanfattning aktiva golfspelare” section of SGF’s final report; a short headline summary on the federation’s website contains an inconsistent typographical figure.
Sources: Svenska Golfförbundet statistics, Svensk Golf, 21 October, Golfbranschen, 21 October.
