Girls Are Changing the Face of Junior Golf
35% of U.S. junior golfers are now girls, up from 15% in 2000. The numbers behind the rise of girls' golf, from school teams to college rosters.
Twenty-five years ago, a girl on a junior golf team was often the only one. Today she is far more likely to have teammates, a girls' team at her high school and, if she wants it, a real shot at a college roster spot.
Girls now make up 35% of America's junior golfers, up from just 15% in 2000. That growth is recent, and it is changing who junior golf is for.
How Quickly the Game Is Changing
The National Golf Foundation's 2026 report on female golf participation, built on 2025 year-end numbers, tracks that shift in detail. The NGF credits development programs and school teams with helping lift the girls' share of junior golf to 35%. There were about half a million more girls playing on-course golf in 2025 than in 2019, and together they played about 21 million rounds that year.
The shift reaches well beyond juniors. Women and girls now make up a record 28% of on-course golfers, up from 19% in 2011, and more than 8 million female golfers played on a course in 2025. Since 2019, women and girls have accounted for 52% of golf's participation growth. The newest players point the same way: 36% of the 3.3 million beginner golfers are female.
What the Numbers Mean for a Girl Who Plays
Put simply, roughly one junior golfer in seven was a girl in 2000, and today it is more than one in three. A girl who shows up at the range is far less likely to be the only one there, and far more likely to find a school team, a group of friends and a coach who expects her to compete.
That matters, because golf is a game that rewards years of steady practice. The earlier a girl finds a place where she belongs in the sport, the more likely she is to stay long enough to see how good she can become.
Bringing girls into golf is working. Keeping them in it takes more.
School Teams Are a Big Part of the Story
For many girls, the first competitive round comes with a school team, and the chances to play keep multiplying. The NGF counts approximately 1,000 more high schools with girls' golf teams than a decade ago. Participation keeps climbing as well: 90,176 girls played high school golf in 2025-26, up 6.3% from the year before.
Closer to home, San Antonio-area girls are making their mark. At the 2026 UIL state tournament, a team from the area won the Class 5A girls' title, a run we cover in our guide to Texas high school golf.
The College Door Is a Little Wider for Girls
For girls who want to play in college, the numbers hold some good news. A girl who plays high school golf has a slightly better chance of playing NCAA golf than a boy does. The NCAA's 2024-25 figures show that 6.9% of high school girls' golfers go on to NCAA golf, compared with 5.4% of boys. The gap holds at the Division I level, where the rates are 2.7% for girls and 1.8% for boys.
The rules changed in 2025, too. Under NCAA Division I Bylaw 17.2, which took effect July 1, 2025, men's and women's golf each have a roster limit of nine at schools that are part of the House settlement or opt in. Those schools are no longer held to sport-specific scholarship limits. Under the old system, Division I golf aid was capped at 6 scholarships for women and 4.5 for men.
Room on paper is not the same as money in hand. The American Junior Golf Association has cautioned that it is unlikely many schools will fund golf programs to the full allotment. For the details, see from junior golf to college golf: the real odds.
Keeping Girls in the Game
The NGF also flags a warning sign. Women are around twice as likely as men to become lapsed golfers, which the NGF calls an indication of retention challenges. Bringing girls into the game is working. Keeping them in it takes more.
Programs are part of the answer. At First Tee's seven national teen events in 2025, 55% of participants were female. Mentors and encouragement matter too, and so do clubs that fit, a ride to the course and a coach who believes in her.
Once a girl starts competing, cost can decide whether she keeps going. The average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on a child's primary sport in 2024, up 46% since 2019, and a single national junior event can cost $95 to $295 just to enter. Those costs push hardest on families with the least. Kids from low-income homes quit sports because of cost at six times the rate of kids from high-income homes.
Help the Next Girl Keep Competing
Future Golfers of America supports talented, competitive junior golfers whose families face financial or access barriers, girls and boys alike. Selected athletes may receive individual support for tournament fees, training, equipment, travel and mentorship.
If you know a competitive junior girl in San Antonio or the surrounding area, a coach, parent or mentor can nominate her for FGA's Founding Athlete Class through November 30, 2026. Nominees are generally 11 or older, and most are middle or high school age. You can see who is eligible before you begin.
Anyone, anywhere, can help through the #DriveForJuniors Holiday Drive, which runs through December 31, and 100% of donations support junior golfers directly.
Common Questions
What percentage of junior golfers are girls?
Girls make up 35% of U.S. junior golfers, up from 15% in 2000.
How many girls play high school golf?
In 2025-26, 90,176 girls played high school golf, up 6.3% from the year before.
Do girls have a better chance of playing college golf?
Slightly. NCAA figures for 2024-25 show 6.9% of high school girls' golfers go on to NCAA golf, compared with 5.4% of boys.
Can I nominate a girl golfer to FGA?
Yes. FGA's Founding Athlete Class is open to competitive junior golfers, girls and boys, in San Antonio and the surrounding area. Nominations are open through November 30, 2026.
Sources
- National Golf Foundation, Female Golf Participation 2026 (2025 year-end numbers)
- National Golf Foundation, Golf Industry Facts (2025 data)
- NFHS, High School Sports Participation Survey (2025-26)
- NCAA, Probability of Competing Beyond High School (2024-25)
- NCAA Division I Bylaw 17.2, Roster Limitations (adopted June 6, 2025; effective July 1, 2025)
- NCAA, "DI Board of Directors Formally Adopts Changes to Roster Limits" (June 23, 2025)
- American Junior Golf Association, House v. NCAA and College Recruiting (updated February 2025)
- First Tee, 2025 Annual Review
- Aspen Institute Project Play, family spending on youth sports survey (2025)
- Aspen Institute Project Play, low-income kids and the cost of sports (2020)
- American Junior Golf Association, Tournament Fees and Benefits
- UIL, 2025-2026 5A Girls Golf State Results
- Future Golfers of America, Nominate a Competitive Junior Golfer
- Future Golfers of America, #DriveForJuniors Holiday Drive
