Written By Jeffrey Reed
The Southwestern Ontario golf season is relatively short, lasting–at best–from early-April to early-November, minus those freak late-winter and late-fall days when Mother Nature permits us to tee it up at some of the local sandy-soil links.
Yet despite the fact golf is played for about seven months each year in our area, the game remains one of the largest sources of economic spinoffs, with tens of millions of dollars spent annually in London and area.
Per capita, Southwestern Ontario is home to the most golf courses in North America. Still, most people–even the golf community–are shocked hearing that statement. In Middlesex County, London and surrounding counties, local golfers have access to 13 private golf clubs, 112 semi-private and public clubs, 20 stand-alone outdoor golf practice centres, numerous golf ranges housed at local clubs and open to public golfers, plus a growing number of indoor golf simulators and practice centres.
The National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) understands what golf means to Canada. As a coalition of Canada’s five major golf associations, NAGA does a superb job advocating for the industry.
Recent numbers from NAGA state that golf serves as what is calls “a key pillar of the Canadian economy,” generating more than $23 billion annually in total economic impact and $4.7 billion in tax revenues. The industry supports 239,000 jobs, including employment for 45,000 students annually, and helps to raise over $382 million for charitable causes.
According to NAGA chair Kathryn Wood, “(Canadian golf) has undergone a historic transformation since 2020. Today, golf is much more than a seasonal pastime. It has evolved into a year-round cultural force, an economic engine, and an accessible, mainstream platform for community connection enjoyed by over six million players.”
NAGA says through sustainable turf management practices across 2,100 golf courses in Canada– 90% of which are publicly accessible–the industry acts as “a steward for almost 250,000 acres of greenspace, playing a leading role in wildlife conservation and carbon sequestration.”
The game of golf is without equal when it comes to providing life’s lessons, including honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. Like soccer, golf is a global game which denies no one an opportunity to play. For decades, there have been a myriad of initiatives successful in making the game an inclusive participation sport offering social connectivity and a wealth of fitness benefits.
The 2024 London & Area Golf Survey from LondonOntarioGolf.com reported an impressive 88% of area respondents consider themselves avid golfers–as opposed to casual golfers–with 61% playing more than 40 rounds per year. Another 28% said they play 21 to 40 rounds each season. These numbers offer further fodder to the fact that London-Middlesex and area should be better defined and marketed as a golfing community which, per capita, is unrivaled in North America.
Indeed, hockey may reign in Middlesex County, but golf isn’t far behind.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980.
He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
