Harper Lin
Golf is one of the world's most-watched sports, with a global fanbase of approximately 450 million people. In 2023, the Masters peaked at approximately 15 million viewers, with an average of 12 million viewers throughout the match. The sport is most prevalent in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and North America, with a dedicated audience base that is high-net-worth, highly educated, and brand loyal. Golf's TV ratings are calculated using methodologies such as Nielsen's Big Data + Panel, which combines data from 42,000 households with information from 45 million digital devices. These ratings are crucial for advertisers, who are the primary reason TV ratings are important in the golf industry.
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What You'll Learn
Golf TV ratings methodology
Golf TV ratings are an important metric for advertisers, who are the main reason TV ratings matter. The data provides advertisers with valuable insights into the effectiveness of their commercials, which in turn funds the TV business.
Who is Tracking the Data?
Nielsen is the audience measurement company responsible for compiling most of the United States' TV viewership data.
Nielsen's methodology has changed several times. At its core, the company relies on data from a representative sample. Historically, this sample group consisted of 42,000 households (101,000 people) in the United States, with measuring devices installed on their televisions. This sample group was chosen to correlate with the demographics of the US population. More recently, the sample group has expanded to include bars, restaurants, and other "out-of-home" viewing locations.
Nielsen's traditional methodology tracks the audience size during each minute of a telecast, using a hidden audio signature. These numbers are then added together and divided by the total number of minutes the telecast is on the air. This provides the average number of viewers per minute, which is the metric generally accepted as the "currency" of golf on television.
Nielsen has recently switched to a Big Data + Panel methodology, which combines the traditional 42,000 household measurement group with data from 45 million devices across the United States, including set-top boxes and smart TVs. This new methodology is expected to provide a more accurate representation of the broader TV-viewing population, and many in the golf world anticipate that it will show large increases in viewership for the sport.
How to Interpret the Data
When interpreting TV viewership data, it is important to consider whether the data represents average viewership or "total reach". It is also worth noting that "peak" viewership, or the number of viewers during the most-watched minute of a broadcast, can be a useful metric for golf tournaments, which often have long television windows that can drag down average viewership.
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Golf's popularity in Asia
Golf is becoming increasingly popular in the Asia-Pacific region. Research conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) shows that more than 23.3 million people across Asia played golf in 2020. The growth in popularity began before the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated during it, as golf allowed people to socially distance in a safe outdoor setting while staying active and boosting their physical and mental health.
The rise of Asian golf stars in professional circuits such as the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and European Tour has amplified the sport's popularity within the region. Golf legends such as South Korea's Se Ri Pak and Japan's Isao Aoki have also inspired aspiring golfers across Asia. The rapid economic development witnessed in Asia over the past few decades has further contributed to the sport's flourishing popularity.
Countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam have successfully marketed themselves as premier golfing destinations, attracting golf tourism with their picturesque courses and breathtaking natural landscapes. The foundation for golf's growth in Asia was laid during the colonial era, with British influence in countries like India, Singapore, and Malaysia.
While golf is surging in popularity across the Asia-Pacific region, there are signs that the industry in Japan is flagging. Japan has half of Asia's golf courses, and the game was baked into its business culture in the 1980s. However, golf participation in the country has dropped by 40% since 1996, and the industry is facing a downward trend. Nevertheless, golf's overall popularity in Asia continues to surge, with an increasing number of players and a growing golf tourism industry.
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Golf's unique audience
Golf is one of the world's most-watched sports, with an estimated 450 million fans globally. The sport is particularly prevalent in Europe, Asia, the Pacific region, and North America. In the US, golf is watched by mid- to high-income individuals who make up 74% of its viewers. The sport has a predominantly male audience, with women making up only 15% of its viewers as of mid-2022.
The PGA Tour has an audience of 5.4 million unique visitors every month, and these fans are highly engaged, skilled, and committed. They are also high net worth, big spenders, highly educated, and brand loyal. The PGA Tour Audience doesn't just like golf, they love it, with 28% ranking their love of the sport as a 4/5 or above. They are dedicated and passionate about the sport, always striving to improve their game with modern equipment and the internet, which 90% of golf participants use.
Golf's TV ratings are calculated differently by various broadcasters. For instance, YouTube considers a view to be 30 seconds of watch time, whereas Instagram and Facebook count a view as three seconds of watch time. On television, Nielsen, the company that tracks golf on television, calculates the average viewership by tracking the audience size during each minute of a telecast, adding those numbers together, and dividing by the total number of minutes the telecast is on the air.
In 2023, the Masters Tournament at Augusta, where Jon Rahm emerged victorious, recorded 15.02 million viewers, with an average of 12 million viewers during the finals. This was a 19% increase in viewership from the 2022 Masters Finals. The 2022 Open Championship was the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history, with 262 million minutes streamed across all rounds. The finals averaged a total audience delivery of 4.725 million viewers, a 12% increase from 2021, and peaked at over 7.1 million viewers.
The sport is evolving, with younger players and female players joining the traditionally older male demographic. In 2020, there were nearly 25 million golfers in the US, with around 6 million players in the 18-34 age group. Almost 3 million of these people were new golfers, a record number of amateurs. While professional golf players are predominantly male (92%), female professionals earned 98% of what men did in 2022, which is significantly better than other professional sports.
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Golf participation statistics
Golf is among the world's most popular sports, with approximately 450 million fans. The sport is most prevalent in Europe, Asia, the Pacific region, and North America.
In 2020, nearly 25 million people played golf on a golf course in the United States, accounting for around 8% of the country's total population. Of these golfers, 77% were male, 22% were female, 12% were junior golfers, and 12% were new golfers. Younger players are gradually increasing their presence in the sport, but older players continue to dominate the courses.
Professional golfers make up a small portion of the player population. There are about 7,000 professional golfers in the United States, with 92% being men and 8% women. Despite the gender disparity, female professionals earned 98% of what their male counterparts made in 2022, a significantly higher percentage than in other professional sports.
Golf tournaments attract substantial audiences, with the 2023 Masters peaking at approximately 15 million viewers. The average number of viewers during the match was around 12.06 million. The 2022 Open Championship, streamed on NBC Sports, also set records, with all rounds being the most-watched sports events on their respective days. The finals averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 4.725 million viewers, peaking at over 7.1 million viewers.
Television and streaming platforms contribute significantly to golf's popularity. The PGA TOUR, for example, has a dedicated audience of 5.4 million unique visitors each month, consisting of avid golfers who are highly engaged with the sport. The tour's final-round TV audiences on major networks have consistently outperformed those of its competitors.
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Golf's TV advertising
Golf is one of the world's most popular sports, with an estimated 450 million fans globally. The sport is particularly prevalent in Europe, Asia, the Pacific region, and North America. In the US alone, nearly 25 million people played golf on a golf course in 2020, and golf tournaments attract millions of viewers.
The PGA Tour has a dedicated and engaged audience, with 5.4 million unique visitors every month. This audience is made up of high-net-worth, big-spending, highly educated, and brand-loyal individuals. They are also passionate about the sport, with 28% ranking their love of golf as a 4/5 or above.
When it comes to TV advertising during golf tournaments, advertisers typically pay for spots based on the hour, with some specifically targeting the final hour to reach the largest audience. The average audience is the primary metric used in TV ratings, but the peak audience is also financially significant in golf TV.
Nielsen, a well-known television audience measurement company, tracks the average audience size by measuring viewership during each minute of a telecast and then calculating the average. Their traditional methodology involves using a device attached to TVs in 42,000 households. However, they have recently introduced a new approach called "Big Data + Panel," which combines data from these households with information from 45 million digital devices, including smart TVs. This new methodology is expected to provide a more accurate representation of the broader TV-viewing population, potentially showing a significant jump in viewership for golf.
Golf's TV audience data shows some interesting trends. For example, the 2023 Masters peaked at approximately 15 million viewers, with an average of around 12 million viewers. The 2022 Open Championship, on the other hand, reached a Total Audience Delivery of 2.5 million viewers across NBC, the USA Network, and Peacock, with a peak of over 7.1 million viewers. These numbers indicate that while golf may not have the same massive audience as, say, the Super Bowl, it still has a dedicated following, particularly among mid- to high-income individuals, who make up 74% of golf viewers.
The PGA Tour's TV audience also compares favourably to other sports broadcasts. For example, on Sundays when both tours held events in 2025, the PGA Tour averaged 3.1 million viewers, while LIV averaged 175,000.
In conclusion, golf's TV audience is significant, and advertising during golf tournaments can be an effective way to reach a large, dedicated, and high-value audience. With the sport's growing popularity, particularly among younger viewers and in regions like Asia, golf TV advertising is likely to become even more attractive to brands looking to connect with engaged viewers.
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Frequently asked questions
Golf is one of the world's most-watched sports, with a global fanbase of approximately 450 million. In 2023, the Masters peaked at 15 million viewers and averaged 12.06 million viewers. The 2022 Open Championship is the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history, with 262 million minutes streamed across all rounds.
There are several ways to measure TV viewership. The most common metric is average viewership, which is the average number of viewers per minute. Another way is to measure the total reach, or the total number of people who watched. Peak viewership is also important to the finances of golf TV, as some advertisers pay for spots during the hour with the largest audience.
In 2020, nearly 25 million people played golf on a golf course in the United States. This is around 8% of the total US population. Of these golfers, 77% were male, 22% were female, 12% were junior golfers, and 12% were new golfers.
