23 replies to this topic

[Golfwarrior]

I was sitting here thinking about how much Canadians seem to love golf despite (or maybe because of) our short season. I googled to see what country golf was the most popular in and this came up. It's the search results via google from 2007-2011 of people searching something on google that included the word "golf".  Canada was #2 behind Ireland which surprised me a bit as I thought we'd be lower on the list due to our climate. I've included the top 20 countries but here's the link if you want to see more: http://www.topendspo...sports/golf.htm


Kinda interesting. Sorry if this topic has been done before, I searched...

[Shiram]

It makes sense that Candians would search for golf more. Your season is so short - you have more time to Google and dream!

[Golfwarrior]

Ha, truth in that

[teejaywhy]

The method of measurement of "popularity" for this list:

"Here we use online search traffic for the term 'Golf' to analyze which countries it is more popular."

Is that a valid or meaningful metric at all?

Edited by teejaywhy, 25 January 2013 - 08:11 PM.

[atlanta golfer]

judging by the makeup of my club here in the northeast section of Atlanta, and also watching the lpga on tv,  I am very surprised that Korea is not on that list.

[Golfwarrior]

teejaywhy, on 25 January 2013 - 08:08 PM, said:

The method of measurement of "popularity" for this list:

"Here we use online search traffic for the term 'Golf' to analyze which countries it is more popular."

Is that a valid or meaningful metric at all?

I think it's probably the best way to do it, it was 4 years. How would you do it?

[Golfwarrior]

atlanta golfer, on 25 January 2013 - 08:14 PM, said:

judging by the makeup of my club here in the northeast section of Atlanta, and also watching the lpga on tv,  I am very surprised that Korea is not on that list.

Surprised me too, South Korea was 66th on the list.

[Soloman]

This is skewed because it's based on online searches for golf-related topics in English only.

[Golfwarrior]

Soloman, on 25 January 2013 - 11:12 PM, said:

This is skewed because it's based on online searches for golf-related topics in English only.

Ah, I was not aware of that. I guess it means squat then.

[Boom Boom Stefan]

May I add that here in Austria, and in Germany as well, the VW Golf is a very popular car.
Since the 70's, it has been sold far more often than any other car, and is in the 7th generation

[Halebopp]

Boom Boom Stefan, on 26 January 2013 - 02:38 AM, said:

May I add that here in Austria, and in Germany as well, the VW Golf is a very popular car.
Since the 70's, it has been sold far more often than any other car, and is in the 7th generation

I would look at things like number of courses, players (registered), rounds played and compare them to population.

Edited by Halebopp, 26 January 2013 - 04:47 AM.

[mjtoal]

The question is far too vague. What does 'popular' mean? - proportion who play golf, play regularly, like the game, watch it on TV, have a good image of it etc etc.

That said, I think Ireland is going to come out pretty well on most rankings, given the number of courses, ease of access, numbers who play regularly or occasionally, and interest in the professional game on TV and in the media.

[jaskanski]

It depends how you define popularity. A google search does not really constitute a popularity.
What you need is a list of countries in the world, the number of people in that country who play or express an interest in golf and the percentage relative to the population that number accounts for.
Here it is:
http://www.marshalli...s?sort=relative

In this expression, Ireland figures at 17th (at the time of writing)
As you can see, of the 2.8 million people who play golf in Singapore, they form 56% of the population. Hence the most popular place in the world to play or enjoy golf is Singapore. Must be something to do with where clubs are made....

Edited by jaskanski, 26 January 2013 - 06:37 AM.

[BigPete]

No surprise to see "the colonies" at the top of that list given the scoring criteria

[rafal]

I guarantee 99% of the "Golf" searches from Poland are about fixing a 16-year old Volkswagen or how could one convert the VW to natural gas for less than $100.

Edited by rafal, 26 January 2013 - 10:12 AM.

[Sooner7x]

Golfwarrior, on 25 January 2013 - 09:56 PM, said:

teejaywhy, on 25 January 2013 - 08:08 PM, said:

The method of measurement of "popularity" for this list:

"Here we use online search traffic for the term 'Golf' to analyze which countries it is more popular."

Is that a valid or meaningful metric at all?

I think it's probably the best way to do it, it was 4 years. How would you do it?

This is biased towards cold weather countries because those golfers are inside googling "golf" rather than outside playing it.  Also explains why about 2% of all North American Golf is played by Canadians but 25-40% of the posts on this board are by Canadians. I myself find almost all of my posts are in Dec, Jan and Feb.  By the time March hits I am playing so much I really don't think about or feel the need to come here.  But this time of year I play much less golf and need the additional outlet.

[jaskanski]

It is possible to express an interest in golf without having the desire to actually play it.

[FLOGMR]

As of a few years ago....New Zealand had the most golf courses per capita of population and Bermuda had the most percentage of it's actual land mass dedicated to golf courses.......NZ is a country and Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory....been to them both....loved them totally.

[teejaywhy]

Golfwarrior, on 25 January 2013 - 09:56 PM, said:

teejaywhy, on 25 January 2013 - 08:08 PM, said:

The method of measurement of "popularity" for this list:

"Here we use online search traffic for the term 'Golf' to analyze which countries it is more popular."

Is that a valid or meaningful metric at all?

I think it's probably the best way to do it, it was 4 years. How would you do it?

Perhaps a measurement of how many people per capita play golf.

[Golfwarrior]

teejaywhy, on 27 January 2013 - 11:32 PM, said:

Golfwarrior, on 25 January 2013 - 09:56 PM, said:

teejaywhy, on 25 January 2013 - 08:08 PM, said:

The method of measurement of "popularity" for this list:

"Here we use online search traffic for the term 'Golf' to analyze which countries it is more popular."

Is that a valid or meaningful metric at all?

I think it's probably the best way to do it, it was 4 years. How would you do it?

Perhaps a measurement of how many people per capita play golf.

And how would you do that?

[rossef2]

FLOGMR, on 27 January 2013 - 07:40 PM, said:

As of a few years ago....New Zealand had the most golf courses per capita of population and Bermuda had the most percentage of it's actual land mass dedicated to golf courses.......NZ is a country and Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory....been to them both....loved them totally.

are you sure it's not scotland for golf courses per capita? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf

[FLOGMR]

rossef2, on 28 January 2013 - 10:27 AM, said:

FLOGMR, on 27 January 2013 - 07:40 PM, said:

As of a few years ago....New Zealand had the most golf courses per capita of population and Bermuda had the most percentage of it's actual land mass dedicated to golf courses.......NZ is a country and Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory....been to them both....loved them totally.

are you sure it's not scotland for golf courses per capita? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf

Not sure at all....that was the stat they were throwing around when I was there....??

According to Golf Digest
Countries with most golf courses per capita


Golf Digest compiled a list of all the world's golf courses in 2007 and came up with some interesting facts about the modern game. This list has always intrigued Aussie Golfer, countries with the most golf courses per capita.

• Scotland (9,379 people per course)
  
• New Zealand (10,374)
  
• Australia (11,063)
  
• Republic of Ireland (14,127)
  
• Northern Ireland (14,353)
  
• Canada (15,480)
  
• Wales (18,321)
  
• United States (18,514)
  
• Sweden (21,295)
  
• England (27,725).

Edited by FLOGMR, 28 January 2013 - 12:51 PM.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

Golfwarrior, on 25 January 2013 - 06:09 PM, said:

I was sitting here thinking about how much Canadians seem to love golf despite (or maybe because of) our short season. I googled to see what country golf was the most popular in and this came up. It's the search results via google from 2007-2011 of people searching something on google that included the word "golf".  Canada was #2 behind Ireland which surprised me a bit as I thought we'd be lower on the list due to our climate. I've included the top 20 countries but here's the link if you want to see more: http://www.topendspo...sports/golf.htm


Kinda interesting. Sorry if this topic has been done before, I searched...

Scots are too busy playing golf and drinking whiskie in foul weather to google "Golf."  Scotland is clearly the most popular place for golf.  The fact that the Old Course gets play everyday of the year with a lot of bloody awful weather conditions is testament to the Scottish love of golf.

Just my two cents as a Kansan.

[Graymulligan]

Japan is number 99.  And the Japanese love golf.  Something is very, very broken on this list.  

In general, search analytics are a terrible way to prove any sort of hypothesis, as they vary widely depending on how you frame the question.