Golf trips are big business. From resort bookings and green fees to airfare and sponsorships, golf-related tourism represents a lucrative segment of the industry. But who, exactly, belongs to this segment? New insights from YouGov Profiles show what sets “golf travelers” ”—defined as adults who have played golf in the past year and take at least one leisure trip annually––apart from the general public across demographics, media habits, and brand engagement.

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Who are America’s golf travelers?

Golf travelers skew male (71%) and tend to be older: 35% are Baby Boomers, compared to 27% of all U.S. adults. Millennials (27%) and Gen Zers (14%) are represented in similar proportions to the general population, while Generation X is slightly underrepresented (22% vs. 26%).

They’re also wealthier than the general population. Golf travelers are twice as likely as the general population to make twice the median income (22% vs. 9%) and also more likely to be middle income (56% vs. 38%).

Suburban living is more common among this group—42% of golf travelers live in the suburbs, compared to 37% of the general population. Golf travelers are also more likely to be parents (74% vs. 58%).

How golf travelers engage with brands—and where on social to reach them

Travel marketers targeting golfers will likely find a receptive audience. Nearly half (47%) say they pay attention to ads at events, and 44% take notice of who sponsors the sports they watch. Over one-third (36%) say they’ll buy from a brand that sponsors their team—well above the 25% average in the general population. These insights are drawn from agreement with statements about advertising behavior, including sponsorship, event marketing, and brand values.

This attentiveness extends beyond sports. Golf travelers are 12 percentage points more likely than the general public to notice ads in airports (45% vs. 33%), and more inclined to be influenced by direct mail (42% vs. 31%). Two-thirds (68%) say they’re more likely to support brands that express views they agree with, and over half (56%) expect ads to entertain.

Golf travelers are highly active across major social media platforms, making them easier to reach through digital channels. Three-quarters use Facebook (75%), and they significantly overindex the general population on Instagram (57% vs. 50%), X (44% vs. 27%), LinkedIn (37% vs. 23%), and WhatsApp (35% vs. 22%).

Golfers go to Florida 

According to YouGov’s DestinationIndex Florida is by far the most popular destination for golf travelers, with 18% saying they’re most likely to visit on their next trip compared to only 13% of the general population. This isn’t surprising given the Florida has more golf courses than any other state and is home to the PGA Tour headquarters.

California, home to the iconic Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines courses, is also popular among golf travelers (7%), as are Las Vegas (8%) and Hawaii (6%). 

Learn more about DestinationIndexExplore Profiles

Methodology

YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data referenced in this article is based on respondents who reported playing golf in the past 12 months and taking at least one leisure trip per year. Samples in Profiles are >2000.

Destination preferences are drawn from YouGov’s DestinationIndex using the Purchase Intent metric, which measures where people are most likely to travel next. All data is weighted to be nationally representative of the U.S. adult online population. Sample size ~270.