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Summary of our market study
In France, the golf industry is estimated at €1.5 billion, with course operations alone costing an estimated €760 million
France has around 750 golf courses.
Chains account for around 25% of the total, while independent golf courses account for 50%.
Golf tourism is a lucrative segment, with golf tourists spending far more than the average tourist. Golf stays average 5.7 days.
Golf tourism attracts both national and international visitors.
The market is growing steadily, and the sector employs over 7,000 people directly.
The number of licensed golfers is between 400,000 and 450,000. Golfers are mainly men over 55. However, golf caters for all ages, with a significant number of young golfers under 18.
The Paris region, Auvergne Rhône Alpes and Nouvelle Aquitaine are the most important regions in terms of golf licensees.
The main sources of revenue for golf clubs are membership fees, subscriptions and green fees.
A few players
- Bluegreen: Pioneers
- UGolf: another major industry chain
- Golfy: champions of exclusivity and interconnectivity
- Open Golf Club: high-end golf operator.
to understand this market
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation
With 29 million cubic metres of water consumed by golf operations in 2023 to maintain their greens, the market is faced with an environmental challenge that comes at a time of post-Covid recovery.
As a business, a golf course encompasses a wide range of activities, including personnel management, administration, finance, sales, teaching and grounds maintenance. Running a golf course requires in-depth knowledge of the world of golf and the management skills needed to balance the various constraints.
In France, golf courses cover 33,000 hectares, employing around 8,000 people and welcoming members, external players (green fees) and tourists. Depending on the owner's objectives, he or she may manage the operation himself or delegate it to a third party, with associative, commercial or public management modes.
The golf operation market encompasses all facilities dedicated to the practice of this sport, for amateurs, competitors and professionals alike. Some courses, located in resorts, target golf tourism in particular, creating a synergy with the tourism sector.
The French market, relatively poorly placed on a global scale, is nonetheless in a situation of continuous growth in sales, albeit relatively stagnant, which have been maintained for some time at around 1.5 billion euros. It's also a market that benefits from an ageing population, given that the typical customer is over 55, as well as relatively high barriers to entry and competition that is strongly limited by a geographical divide. All in all, this is a relatively solid market, whose only downsides are its weakness to widespread mobility restrictions, as experienced during the pandemic, and a longer-term, but no less worrying, dynamic: the market's exposure to the depletion of water reserves and waves of drought caused by global warming.
1.2 Global market
Growth in the size of the US golf course market United States, ****-****, in $ billions Source: ****
Over the past decade, the US golf farm market has maintained apparent stability, growing slightly until ****, peaking at $**.** billion. Since then, despite some fluctuations, the sector has maintained a stable overall trend, with a slight ...
1.2 The national golf market
Trend in the size of the French sports facility management market France, ****-****, € billion Source: ****
From **** to ****, the French market for sports facility management activities fluctuated. In ****, sales were €*.*** billion, peaking in **** at €*.*** billion. The pandemic led to a drop in **** to *.*** billion euros, but a recovery was seen in **** to ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Typology of demand
Licensees by gender France, **** Source: ****
In ****, the distribution of golf licensees in France highlights a significant disparity between the sexes, with a clear predominance of men, representing **% of licensees compared with just **% for women. This disproportion can have direct implications for the profitability of golf clubs, as a more diverse membership ...
2.2 Golf trends in France
FFG licensees
The number of members of the French Golf Federation has been growing steadily since ****, after a period of sharp decline between **** and ****. In ****, there were ***,*** licensees, up +*.*% on ****.
Growth in the number of golf licenses issued annually France, ****-****, in € millions Source: ****
Between **** and ****, the number of annual golf ...
2.3 The rise of golf tourism
Golf tourist expenses France, ****, in € Source: ****
In ****, France welcomed ***,*** golf tourists, **% of whom were foreign. The expenditure of a golfing tourist, +**% higher than that of a traditional tourist, makes this consumer a key point of demand. The average golfing tourist spent €*** on accommodation, €*** on transport, €*** on catering and €** on related ...
2.4 The cyclical nature of consumer demand
Evolution of interest in "Golf" research France, ****-**** Source: ****
The evolution of the "Golf" search on Google Trends in France shows a cyclical pattern linked to seasonality. Peak interest in August coincides with the summer golfing season. However, in April ****, a notable exception was observed, marked by a drop due to ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain
*Operations may be carried out by third parties under contract with the club
3.2 Golf clubs in France
Existing golf courses by management method France, ****, as % of total Source: ****
In France in ****, the breakdown of existing golf courses by management mode shows a predominance of independent golf courses, accounting for half of the total. Associative golfs follow with **%, followed by chain golfs with **%, and finally governed golfs with *%.Existing ...
3.3 Financial structure of the business
In ****, the average annual turnover of a golf course in France reached *** k€, down -**% between **** and ****. This decline in average sales is not, however, a sign of the poor health of golf courses in France, but rather the result of the increase in the number of smaller structures with lower ...
3.4 Employment in the golf industry
In ****, the golf industry accounted for over **,*** jobs in France (***), including around **,*** direct jobs. There were *** establishments in ****.
Jobs in the golf industry France, **** Source: ****
In ****, the golf industry in France generated a total of **,*** jobs spread across various categories. Golf courses account for the bulk of these jobs with *,*** positions, ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Products and offer diversification
There are different types of golf course, classified according to size:
* holes, ** holes (***). Practice : a driving range is a practice area without holes or a course. Compact : the main aim of compact golf courses is to make them more accessible than larger courses. They are often located on the outskirts ...
4.2 Golfing costs
The cost of playing golf varies greatly according to a number of criteria: seasonality, location, golf course size, management style... Below is a comparative table of practice fees (***):
Source: ****
In addition, here are the rates applied by the French Golf Federation for licenses in ****:
Adult license (***): €** Young Adult license (***): €** Youth (***): €** Child ...
4.3 Golf operating modes
The different operating statuses of golf courses
There are several ways of operating a golf course, depending on a number of criteria:
Direct operation : the owner (***). Délégation de service public (***). Depending on the type of contract, the operator is more or less involved. Public operating contract: this is a ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Administrative arrangements
Operating a golf course requires a complex administrative and regulatory process before it can be completed and opened.
The main regulatory points to be complied with are as follows:
Land conformity: on the site, the texts concerned are either the carte communale, the plan d'occupation des sols or the plan local ...
5.2 The environmental issue
Another important issue for the French golf operator market today is their ability to deal with environmental issues. For a long time, they have been accused of poor environmental practices, notably in terms of water consumption (***) and insufficient respect for biodiversity.
For this reason, a legislative framework governs the construction of ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Bluegreen
- UGOLF
- Golfy
- Open Golf Club
- Sud France Golf
- Golf de Fontainebleau
- Golf de Deauville Saint-Gatien
- Golf de Villeneuve-sur-Lot
- Golf de Chantilly
- Lolivarie Golf Club
- Golf de Carcassonne
- Golf de Saint-Germain
- Espalais Golf Club
- Golf de Roquebrune
- Golf d’Ormesson-sur-Marne
- Golf d’Étretat
- Golf Saint Thomas
- Golf du Médoc
- Evian Resort Golf Club
- Duval Groupe
- Batconnect
- Trolem
List of charts presented in this market study
- Breakdown of the 1.5 billion in sales generated by the golf economy
- Trends in the size of the French sports facility management market
- Trends in the size of the French golf market
- Members by gender
- Members by age and gender
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Latest news
Diversification of the Duval Group: real estate, tourism and golf - 24/07/2024
- - The group employs over 5,000 people.
- - Group sales exceed one billion euros.
- - The real estate development division generates average sales of 250 million euros a year.
- - The Group's real estate assets are valued at 3 billion euros.
- - In the tourist residences sector, the Odalys Group, owned by Duval, has 130,000 beds spread over 550 sites.
- - The group owns 125 golf courses, including 100 in France, making it the European leader and number five worldwide in the sector.
- - The group has achieved annual growth of 20% to 30% in its microfinance activities in Africa, where it has acquired over 1.2 million customers in five years.
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the golf operation market | France
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