The Top 7 Golf Trends of 2025

Golf simulators evolve beyond practice, attracting players who've never hit a real ball

Golf simulators were originally intended to help players practice, especially when weather made golfing itself less pleasant, but they’ve evolved into a sport in their own right. In fact, half of the users of golf simulators have never played the actual game. In this way, golf simulators were born as a training tool but turned into their own game.

Golf simulators offer simulated access to famous courses, some of which may be inconvenient to get to for players, or too expensive for them to visit. And simulators also offer fictional courses, which aren’t bounded by the limits of geography.

The real-world course simulations mean better retention for companies that operate real-world courses; during the golf season, a golf simulator is a partial substitute for golfing, but over the course of a year it’s a complement, since it keeps players in the game even when they’re not on the course. Players can pay a virtual visit to their favorite course even in the middle of winter. When a product is unusable for a long period of time, maintaining users’ routines in the short term is key to retaining them over the long term.

Golf simulators have existed long enough to show seasonal trends in search and online discussion, which tend to be the inverse of the golf season. This indicates that a healthy share of usage still comes from golfers who want to hone their skills off-season. Simulators are offered at a variety of price points, from minimalist products for under $300 to room-sized rigs that cost over $20,000. Recent usage has accelerated thanks to the pandemic, which has shut down some golf courses and also caused people to move away from cities and to more spacious suburbs and small towns, where they have enough indoor space for a golf simulator.

Golf is considered a rich person’s sport and, in contrast to many membership-based golf clubs, low-end golf simulators can help expand the market. In fact, golf’s high-end status originates, in part, from real estate. According to Census data, urban areas make up just 3% of land in the US, yet hold more than 80% of the population and a large proportion of the wealth. In order to carve out land for a golf course in an urban area, golf course companies must pay high costs which are then passed on to wealthy urban customers in the form of high membership fees.

Golf shoes get more traction as rainfall increases over the decades

Rainfall across the US has grown considerably since the 1900s and the current decade is the wettest, according to NOAA data.

And when a golf course is even slightly wet, it’s far easier to slip during the downswing. Many golfers, as a result, have turned to spiked golf shoes. Maintaining weather conditions outside and across such a large scale is not realistic, so, as expected rainfalls grow, spiked golf shoes may become even more relevant to the future of golf.

Golf is seeing a boom among a younger, less experienced demographic, and spiked shoes help compensate for poor balance when swinging, lowering the barrier to entry in the traditionally less-accessible sport.

Market for golf carts expands beyond the golf course

While many investors looked to the scooter market as the next big thing in mobility, there’s another massive shift happening beneath their eyes: Golf carts.

A few key differences between cars and golf carts are driving a surge in demand. For one, insurance is optional in most states and golf carts are, on average, 1/8th the price of a car. It’s a big deal when American consumers spend almost $700 billion each year on auto loans and insurance.

Golf carts also don’t require a driver's license in some states, which creates a sort of freedom for both the young and the old. In some states, kids as young as 12 can drive golf carts accompanied by parents and, by freshman year of high school, they can drive alone.

Adoption is surging in urban areas too, like Tampa, Florida, and Scottsdale Arizona. In Peachtree, Georgia, there are 10,000 registered golf carts for the town’s 13,000 households.

In addition to the other benefits, golf carts also let local shops expand parking capacity (cars are much larger than golf carts) and electric golf carts don’t pollute and are significantly quieter.