What Does the Average Golfer in England Look Like?

Who is the English golfer in 2025? Hint: he’s younger, she’s sharper, and they’re all carding more scores than a ticket inspector at St Andrews.

The English golfer has undergone a fast forward in evolution, and the latest 2024 numbers from England Golf prove it beyond the shadow of a clubhouse pint.

An English golfer today is more likely to tap a score into the World Handicap System™ app than to tap a playing partner’s shoulder for a gimme.

In fact, 10.2 million scores—yes, million—were submitted last year, a record that would make Old Tom Morris reach for his mashie.

A bumper crop of rounds

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Competition rounds surged to 5.7 million, up from 5.4 million in 2023, while general‑play cards rocketed from 3.9 million to 4.4 million.

That’s more strokes than a politician’s ego, and it signals that golfers are no longer sandbagging in silence—they’re broadcasting every bladed wedge for the world to see.

Club loyalists vs. iGolfers: Same fairways, different paths

England still fields a mighty 1,735 affiliated clubs—roughly 50 per county—hosting over 730,000 card‑carrying members.

But iGolfers (pay-and-play subscribers to England Golf’s official handicap scheme) have muscled in with 55,000 strong and 494,000 scores of their own. Together, club members and iGolfers form a 785,000‑player army of officially handicapped sticks.

Handicaps: The level(er) playing field

The nation’s combined average Handicap Index® now sits at 19.37 (men 18.60, women 29.33). Club members remain slightly sharper at 18.62, while iGolfers hover at 20.07. Still, that gap is narrower than a turned‑down four‑foot putt.

The age curve bends younger

You can thank modern drivers, YouTube tips, and perhaps a few Netflix docu‑dramas: the average English golfer is getting younger.

Club members’ average age dropped from 56.18 to 54.99, while iGolfers average only 43.

Middlesex & London leads the youth brigade at 47.75 years overall—impressive for a region where green fees can rival the rent.

Region‑by‑region bragging rights

• Most golfers overall: Yorkshire (74,927). Must be all that fresh Dales air.
• Lowest average handicap: Isle of Man (16.65). Fewer sheep, more fairways?
• Most iGolfers: Middlesex & London (7,596). Urban golf is alive and ringing tills.
• Youngest iGolfers: Cambridgeshire (42.19). Silicon Fen meets silicon face drivers.
• Most clubs in one county: Yorkshire again (181). No wonder they talk about “God’s own country.”

Why it matters

More scores mean better data, fairer handicaps, and full tee sheets that secure the future of clubs from Truro to Tyneside.

As the English golfer keeps trending younger and keener, expect pace‑of‑play apps, LED‑lit ranges and five‑hour Sunday rounds to become as common as a misplaced provisional.

So next time you queue on the first tee, glance around: the English golfer beside you is statistically more likely than ever to be mid‑50s instead of late‑50s, wielding a 19‑handicap instead of a 21—and, crucially, she might be live‑tracking every shot. Smile, swing, and hope you’re not featured on someone’s highlight reel.

iGolfers per County

County	iGolfers
Middlesex & London	7596
Surrey	4024
Yorkshire	4001
Essex	3576
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	3451
Kent	3313
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	2682
Lancashire	2351
Hertfordshire	2011
Cheshire	1889
Sussex	1558
Warwickshire	1159
Staffordshire	1149
Somerset	970
Nottinghamshire	940
Gloucestershire	890
Wiltshire	856
Lincolnshire	842
Northamptonshire	821
Derbyshire	806
Leicestershire & Rutland	803
Dorset	767
Cambridgeshire	758
Devon	740
Bedfordshire	702
Worcestershire	674
Durham	606
Suffolk	479
Northumberland	465
Norfolk	450
Shropshire & Herefordshire	382
Cornwall	242
Cumbria	120
Isle of Man	25

Average iGolfer Age

County	Average Age
Cambridgeshire	42.19
Shropshire & Herefordshire	42.61
Somerset	42.69
Bedfordshire	42.74
Yorkshire	42.77
Gloucestershire	42.84
Middlesex & London	42.84
Lincolnshire	42.87
Suffolk	42.89
Essex	42.99
Staffordshire	43.05
Northamptonshire	43.12
Norfolk	43.16
Devon	43.20
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	43.21
Lancashire	43.24
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	43.36
Kent	43.37
Dorset	43.51
Nottinghamshire	43.60
Sussex	43.70
Derbyshire	43.75
Warwickshire	43.83
Worcestershire	43.90
Hertfordshire	43.91
Surrey	43.93
Northumberland	43.97
Durham	44.05
Cheshire	44.17
Cumbria	44.24
Leicestershire & Rutland	44.25
Cornwall	44.55
Wiltshire	45.23
Isle of Man	47.67

Average iGolfer Handicap Index®

County	Average Handicap
Isle of Man	16.45
Cumbria	18.60
Middlesex & London	18.94
Surrey	18.95
Kent	18.98
Cheshire	19.18
Essex	19.36
Bedfordshire	19.48
Warwickshire	19.57
Northumberland	19.59
Hertfordshire	19.65
Sussex	19.74
Nottinghamshire	19.88
Leicestershire & Rutland	19.95
Northamptonshire	19.98
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	19.98
Lancashire	19.99
Derbyshire	20.03
Durham	20.10
Dorset	20.15
Gloucestershire	20.49
Yorkshire	20.52
Shropshire & Herefordshire	20.56
Wiltshire	20.58
Somerset	20.68
Norfolk	20.68
Devon	20.83
Staffordshire	20.89
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	21.20
Worcestershire	21.29
Lincolnshire	21.44
Suffolk	21.50
Cornwall	21.74
Cambridgeshire	22.35

Golf Club Members

County	Golf Club Members
Yorkshire	70926
Lancashire	49990
Surrey	47779
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	38998
Cheshire	38933
Kent	33477
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	32998
Essex	29311
Sussex	27345
Hertfordshire	26819
Gloucestershire	20441
Durham	20181
Staffordshire	19684
Lincolnshire	18973
Warwickshire	18887
Devon	17958
Northumberland	15881
Suffolk	15593
Dorset	14896
Nottinghamshire	14103
Somerset	14085
Worcestershire	14052
Norfolk	13548
Leicestershire & Rutland	13057
Cornwall	12489
Wiltshire	12338
Middlesex	12147
Derbyshire	10535
Shropshire & Herefordshire	10283
Bedfordshire	10265
Cumbria	9741
Northamptonshire	9702
Cambridgeshire	9617
Isle of Man	2825

Golf Club Members Average Age

County	Average Age
Isle of Man	51.37
Middlesex	52.66
Cornwall	53.31
Durham	53.45
Surrey	53.53
Essex	53.86
Gloucestershire	54.12
Hertfordshire	54.39
Kent	54.49
Cumbria	54.57
Northamptonshire	54.59
Yorkshire	54.61
Leicestershire & Rutland	54.62
Cheshire	54.67
Lancashire	54.68
Wiltshire	54.89
Staffordshire	55.05
Suffolk	55.10
Northumberland	55.23
Derbyshire	55.23
Cambridgeshire	55.48
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	55.51
Somerset	55.56
Shropshire & Herefordshire	55.56
Bedfordshire	55.64
Norfolk	55.82
Lincolnshire	55.95
Warwickshire	55.97
Nottinghamshire	56.00
Sussex	56.10
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	56.14
Worcestershire	56.21
Devon	56.76
Dorset	56.93

Golf Club Members Average Handicap Index®

County	Average Handicap
Isle of Man	16.84
Nottinghamshire	17.46
Durham	17.47
Surrey	17.54
Kent	17.83
Leicestershire & Rutland	17.93
Hertfordshire	17.94
Northumberland	18.05
Essex	18.24
Gloucestershire	18.28
Wiltshire	18.51
Warwickshire	18.54
Northamptonshire	18.60
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	18.60
Yorkshire	18.66
Cumbria	18.67
Lancashire	18.69
Cheshire	18.89
Lincolnshire	19.01
Derbyshire	19.04
Shropshire & Herefordshire	19.05
Bedfordshire	19.08
Middlesex	19.09
Cornwall	19.37
Staffordshire	19.38
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	19.42
Cambridgeshire	19.50
Sussex	19.51
Somerset	19.67
Dorset	19.69
Worcestershire	19.74
Suffolk	19.82
Norfolk	19.92
Devon	20.16

Total golfers with a Handicap Index®

County	Total Golfers
Yorkshire	74927
Lancashire	52341
Surrey	51803
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	42449
Cheshire	40822
Kent	36790
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	35680
Essex	32887
Sussex	28903
Hertfordshire	28830
Gloucestershire	21331
Staffordshire	20833
Durham	20787
Warwickshire	20046
Lincolnshire	19815
Middlesex & London	19743
Devon	18698
Northumberland	16346
Suffolk	16072
Dorset	15663
Somerset	15055
Nottinghamshire	15043
Worcestershire	14726
Norfolk	13998
Leicestershire & Rutland	13860
Wiltshire	13194
Cornwall	12731
Derbyshire	11341
Bedfordshire	10967
Shropshire & Herefordshire	10665
Northamptonshire	10523
Cambridgeshire	10375
Cumbria	9861
Isle of Man	2850

Average Age

County	Average Age
Middlesex & London	47.75
Essex	48.43
Gloucestershire	48.48
Yorkshire	48.69
Surrey	48.73
Durham	48.75
Cambridgeshire	48.84
Northamptonshire	48.86
Kent	48.93
Cornwall	48.93
Lancashire	48.96
Suffolk	49.00
Staffordshire	49.05
Shropshire & Herefordshire	49.09
Somerset	49.13
Hertfordshire	49.15
Bedfordshire	49.19
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	49.36
Cumbria	49.41
Lincolnshire	49.41
Cheshire	49.42
Leicestershire & Rutland	49.44
Derbyshire	49.49
Norfolk	49.49
Isle of Man	49.52
Northumberland	49.60
Hampshire, Isle of Wight & Channel Islands	49.75
Nottinghamshire	49.80
Warwickshire	49.90
Sussex	49.90
Devon	49.98
Worcestershire	50.06
Wiltshire	50.06
Dorset	50.22

Golf Clubs per County

County	Golf Clubs
Yorkshire	181
Lancashire	141
Berks, Bucks & Oxon	103
Surrey	102
Cheshire	97
Kent	82
Hampshire & Channel Islands	76
Essex	72
Hertfordshire	60
Sussex	59
Staffordshire	47
Lincolnshire	45
Warwickshire	44
Durham	43
Devon	42
Northumberland	39
Gloucestershire	38
Dorset	34
Nottinghamshire	33
Worcestershire	33
Middlesex	32
Norfolk	31
Cornwall	30
Cumbria	29
Derbyshire	29
Somerset	29
Suffolk	29
Shropshire & Herefordshire	28
Leicestershire & Rutland	26
Wiltshire	24
Northamptonshire	23
Bedfordshire	22
Cambridgeshire	19
Isle of Man	8