How social media is seeding the next generation of Australian golfers

Social media trends have a habit of keeping kids indoors or even encouraging bad behaviour – so how is it that the same internet levers are drawing teens to the “gentleman’s game”?

Last year, figures from Golf Australia showed a 33.4 per cent increase in youth golf participation since 2023, with insiders claiming social media influencers have kids flocking to their local golf courses.

Libby Newcombe and Braxton Andrews at Camden Golf Club. They were among the young golfers competing in the Junior Masters competition at the weekend. Credit: Wolter Peeters

“The rise of YouTube golf; the fact that the kids can play golf of many different forms; watch golf of many different forms: I think that’s a big reason as to why more and more kids are playing the game,” said Dale Hughes, head of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation.

“These days, if you type ‘golf’ into YouTube, there’d be a thousand different channels of young people that are filming different types of content. Some are serious, some are fun, some are mucking around.”

Hughes, whose foundation supports young golfers in NSW and the ACT, said the influence of traditional media – including films such as Happy Gilmore and its coming sequel — paled in comparison to the influence of social media.

Libby Newcombe, a 17-year-old golfer from Sydney’s south-west, agreed the sport’s growing popularity can be attributed to “a lot of influence from pro golfers on social media”.

“I watch a lot of YouTube golf … [influencers] make golf really fun to watch, give you different tips that you can go and do out on the golf course. Also, lots of pros are on social media, and it’s really cool to see what they do, how they go about practising and their mindset towards golf.”

Though the sport is booming among young people, growth in female participation is lagging. Growth figures from Golf Australia showed a 37 per cent increase in boys’ participation last year, but only 14 per cent among girls.

“It’s definitely becoming more accessible to girls. [The sport] is definitely trying to influence more girls into getting it. It’s definitely been a male-dominated sport for many years, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how many girls can get into it in the future,” Libby said.

“It’s a really good sport to get into. Especially when you’re a teenage girl. You make so many friends, you get to play with so many different people and personalities. It’s just skills that you can have forever, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Libby said she spends “a few hours” a week playing the sport – though on closer inspection she undersells her commitment. The high-schooler trains twice a week, and spends “most of the weekend” playing in tournaments or club golf at her local Camden Golf Course.

“I love how it is challenging in so many different ways. It challenges you physically, mentally, definitely emotionally, too. Every single time you go out on the golf course, it’s different. There’s so many different ways you can play each shot and think about each shot. It’s really cool.

“It can definitely get very frustrating out there, especially if you’re not having a good day, but it’s just about trying to keep calm, keep your emotions in check, and just move on.”

Another player from south-west Sydney, 14-year-old Braxton Andrews, who hopes to go professional, came to the sport aged 10 after attending a junior clinic at Camden Golf Club.

“It was really encouraging. There was a good environment there. I enjoyed that and learnt the skills from there to go out and play on the course … the clinic was all younger kids around my age. The more I started playing, the more I realised that [golf] is not an older people’s sport at all, it’s more younger people.”

Braxton said he watches “a lot” of golf content on YouTube and Instagram outside his training routine, which sees him practising for two to three hours a day and competing at weekends.

“I just love playing. Once you hit that good shot, you just want that feeling again. It’s just addictive.”

The demographics of youth golfing have begun to skew younger, Hughes said, with the average age of new players between nine and 15, prompting the JNJG Foundation to establish an under 12s tour.

Hugo Wortley in action at the Sandringham Golf Links in Cheltenham.Credit: Penny Stephens

“I set aside about 25 spots because I thought we might get about 25 or 30 kids playing in that very first tournament. We ended up with 75 kids, and 10 on the waitlist that we just couldn’t fit,” Hughes said.

“There’s not another sport in the world where a 10-year-old kid can go and spend five hours playing sport with a 20-year-old, a 40-year-old and an 80-year-old, and with the handicap system in place, be competitive against all those different age groups. Golf really is the game for life.”

In Melbourne, 15-year-old Hugo Wortley has been playing since he was two, and attends a local sports high school in Maribyrnong. He trains about five times a week in pursuit of his goal of playing professionally in the United States, and says that his understanding of the game is all about psychology.

“It’s all between your ears, really – how you can control it. It’s nearly 100 per cent mental, just controlling your emotions, your decisions, and calculating wind, and your actual shot itself,” Hugo said.

“I love being out there in nature. There’s certain points in time when you are practising after school or practising on the weekend with the sun coming down. It’s just moments like that you capture and remember … it gives me something to chase, to chase perfection. The perfect swing, the perfect shot, the perfect round. I love navigating that and improving my game.”

Hugo said one of the big draws of the game was a sense of community that extended far beyond the stereotypical old male golfer.

“You’ll see people of different ages, different backgrounds, different ethnicities. The community of golf is such a great variation of people.”