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GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GOLF Frequently asked questions | ||
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| Who invented the game? | What do you need to play the game? How popular is golf? | How is the Open organised? How many golf courses are there in Britain? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOW POPULAR IS GOLF? There are 25 million players in the United States, compared to 2.5m in the UK. Britain had a lot of good golfers in the late 1980s, such as Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, who helped to generate interest. Pay-and-play courses were really successful, and lots of farmers who weren't making money decided to use land for golf. Globally, there are probably in excess of 100m players. Golf is hugely popular in Japan. But there is so little available land that playing a round costs a fortune, and many use driving ranges instead. Answers from Golf Weekly's editor, Simon Caney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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