During the lockdowns in Canada, golf was the only accessible sport to the public. The number of teenagers and young adults playing golf has surged over the last two years. A sport once thought of by youths as a retirement pastime, has become popular.
Even while organized sports are running again, it seems as though the younger generation has adopted the game of golf.
Kyle Young, an amateur golfer at Iron Creek Golf Club, has seen demographic changes in the game of golf.
“Well after being locked inside for a long time, I feel like everybody’s just craving to be outside and now they just actually just fell in love with the game and now there’s tons of people all over. From even five-year-olds I’ve seen out here, which is crazy to me,” Young said.
Chris Yeoman, a retired professional golfer, has also noticed the sudden and drastic change in golfing demographics over the last year or two.
“I still see a lot of younger kids. Like they are just filling up tee times and it’s obviously to help with a little bit of mental capacity,” Yeoman said.
An article from Golf.com called “Youth on Course statistics prove more kids are flocking to golf courses,” (Youth-on-course-flocking-golf) gives an example of how many younger people are playing golf. The author explains how the nationwide membership program called Youth on Course saw an increase in golfers.
“The organization has seen 154,146 rounds played in the first six months of the year, a 76 per cent increase from last year,” the author wrote. “As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to change the way we live and how sports are played, golf — outdoors where it’s easy to social distance — has remained a strong option for all ages,” the author said.
WC- 352
What is Journalism?