Europe: numbers of golf courses in 2018, by country
The number of official golf courses in England is in decline.
From 2014 to 2017 the number of official golf courses in England decreased from 1,929 to 1,888. This is in line with the slight decline in golf participation in England but also in Europe entirely from approximately 4.44 million registered golfers in 2010 to roughly 4.14 million in 2018.
More people participate in golf than in tennis.
In 2018, approximately 946 thousand people participated in golf at least twice a month in England. In comparison, approximately 840 thousand people participated in tennis. The most popular sport in the same year was running. Approximately 6.83 people participated in running in England.