On 28 October 2026, the Swedish Golf Federation (Svenska Golfförbundet, SGF) announced a new research project with youth insights organisation Ungdomsbarometern. Its central question is not how many people play golf, but what makes young people start, stay or leave. Particular attention will go to girls. This is the launch of a study, not a report of findings: the partners expect to present results towards the end of 2026.
Whose experiences will be heard?
During autumn 2026, the project plans interviews and questionnaires covering girls who play golf aged 8–15, girls who do not play, male golfers aged 15–20, and parents of junior golfers. Comparing participants with non-participants matters: a survey limited to existing club members would not necessarily reveal what keeps others away.
The researchers will explore motivations for joining and continuing, barriers to participation, leisure habits, community, and how golf fits into young people's lives. SGF communications director Ove Ellemark says many newcomers stop after one or two years, making retention a practical concern. That observation is not a measured attrition rate from the new project, whose results have yet to be released.
Record junior numbers, but a widening gender challenge
The federation's separate membership count, measured on 15 October 2026, recorded 99,050 junior memberships, a national record. The detail is less uniform: 88,614 memberships for boys, up 3.1% year on year, against 10,436 for girls, down 1.8%. These are club memberships, not respondents to the new study and not necessarily a count of unique young people.
Sweden also reached 590,647 active golf memberships overall. Record participation can coexist with significant gaps in who takes part and who feels welcome. The project is designed to identify those gaps from the young people's own perspective rather than assume the answers in advance.
From interviews to changes at clubs
The work forms part of the federation's Strategi 2031, which explicitly prioritises attracting and retaining girls and women, as well as adapting golf for future generations. Jessica Åkerström, research director at Ungdomsbarometern, stresses combining broad surveys with conversations involving both current players and those outside the sport. The federation expects the evidence to inform club activities, communication, recruitment and retention initiatives as planning progresses into 2027.
What we do not know yet
No final findings, sample size or detailed response breakdown have been announced. Claims that a particular factor—price, travel, club culture or competition pressure—is the reason girls leave would therefore be premature. The next editorial milestone is the promised late-2026 publication of findings, when proposals can be assessed against evidence.
Sources: SGF announcement, 28 October; SGF 2026 membership statistics; Golfbladet, 29 October.
