More than 135,000 people tried golf in England between April and September 2016, according to new figures.

The figure is a huge rise of 47 per cent compared with the previous year, and more than 9,000 of them joined golf clubs as a result.

The research comes from England Golf’s County Impact Report, which suggests that many of the organisation’s initiatives to promote the game are having an effect.

“The number of people trying golf is up 47 per cent on the same period last year and over 43,000 have taken coaching courses of at least four weeks,” said a spokeswoman.

“Meanwhile, there’s a growing commitment to regular play, shown by a 26 per cent increase in new memberships, which include trial and introductory packages.”

The organisation says the success is down to campaigns such as Get into golf and Golf Express, plus the supportive role of county development officers and business growth hubs.

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