The creator economy is fuelling golf’s growth
Golf's rising a wave of positive momentum in Australia and across the globe, and it's being fuelled by social media and the creator economy
AFLW and BHP renewed their partnership which will see the mining giant continue as the AFL Women’s Coaching Partner, champion gender diversity, inclusion & equality and become a Supporting Partner of ‘Movember Ahead of the Game’ - A youth mental health program, that teaches players, parents, coaches and volunteers to understand mental health and build mental fitness
Carlton FC announced that PUMA has expanded its long-standing partnership, officially becoming the Club’s AFLW Apparel Partner through to at least the end of 2029 - PUMA will now supply apparel across all Carlton football programs: AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW and the Carlton Academy
Collingwood FC unveiled Nike as the Club’s Official Apparel Partner across all programs - Already worn across the Club’s AFL, VFL, VFLW, Wheelchair and community programs, the partnership now extends to the Magpies’ AFLW side
Essendon FC announced MOVA as its AFLW Co-Major Partner - MOVA is a brand specialising in AI-driven smart home products such as robotic lawn mowers, pool cleaners and home cleaning robots, and it officially launched in the Australian market last year
AFL & GWS Giants secured a partnership with The City of Parramatta - The AFL will contribute $120,000+ worth of value to the partnership, which will include things such as the delivery of free year-round programs through Council’s ‘Active Parramatta’ program, free match access for disadvantaged community groups and player appearances at Council events
Richmond FC became a DonateLife community partner, and will help raise awareness about organ and tissue donation so more Australians can receive a life-saving transplant
Melbourne Storm announced Defibrillators Australia as an Official Partner for the 2026 season - As part of the partnership, DA has installed a defibrillator cabinet at the Storm’s Club Office at AAMI Park and will also support the Club’s Football Department and Medical Staff
South Sydney Rabbitohs and Upstate Sport hosted a free women’s wellness event to celebrate the launch of their brand-new women’s activewear range
Gold Coast Titans inked a new deal with Greater Bank which will feature in the front-of-dress logo position, marking a significant investment in the growth and visibility of Titans Netball both on and off the court
Sunshine Coast Lightning secured a new 2-year partnership with Brighton Homes which will feature on the front of the Lightning dress across 2026 and 2027
Melbourne Mavericks announced a new 2-year partnership with Klein Tools - the pair will encourage more girls to consider careers in the trades, particularly as electricians
Adelaide United welcomed Leader Computers as a new partner ahead of the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals campaign, whose logo will feature on the back of the men’s shorts
Hockey Australia renewed its partnership with SportsLink Travel which will continue to support HA’s extensive domestic and international travel requirements for the Hockeyroos, Kookaburras, national pathway programs, staff and officials
National Pickleball League announced Leapmotor as its Official Automotive Partner, marking the first exclusive automotive partnership in Australian pickleball
R.M.Williams partnered with Commonwealth Games Australia to design the ceremonial and village uniforms for Team Australia at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
South Australian Cricket Association secured a 5‑year extension of its long‑standing partnership with Kookaburra
Prime Video announced that every match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be streamed live, exclusive and free for all fans in Australia
Men’s Health launched its inaugural AFL digital issue ahead of the 2026 Sir Doug Nicholls Round, with a showcase of some of the game’s foremost Indigenous stars – Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Toby Bedford and Latrelle Pickett
Josh Addo-Carr is teaming up with Swap Itt, ‘Australia’s Premier Destination for Trading Card Enthusiasts’, on eBay Live for a Pokémon & One Piece stream
On hosted its new ‘On Squad Race World Series’ event (600 squads going head-to-head aross 20 cities) in Sydney where 52 squads competed in a relay-format race in a car park to book a place in the World Finale in Los Angeles
Foot Locker and On partnered to launch FAST LANE, an invite-only 5km sprint taking place through Sydney’s Wynyard Tunnels
Ahead of the NBA House opening, NBA legend DeMarcus Cousins had a crossover moment with Melbourne FC players and the Melbourne Stars at the MCG
Super Rugby hosted its Super Round in Christchurch with 73,000+ fans flooding through the gates of the One New Zealand stadium across three sold-out days of Rugby Union action
Sam Kerr launched her own sparkling flavoured water brand, WAWA
The Female Athlete Project and Neha Kumar (@Watchherfooty) teamed up to launch “The Warm Up” event at Caxton St Brewing Co ahead of the Women’s State of Origin game 2 (with guest speakers, Ali Brigginshaw and Shannon Mato also joined by Marlee Silva)
Nike unveiled its 2026 After Dark Tour finisher medal which can be worn as a necklace, bracelet, keychain or belt chain
EARLS Collection, founded by ex-NRL player Lewi Brown, launched a collaboration with ASICS SportStyle which leans on heritage, family and sporting nostalgia.
It was confirmed that the Four’N Twenty Legends Game for Prostate Cancer is returning and will be played on August 27 at Marvel Stadium
Carmelo Anthony and Kenny Smith have thrown their support behind a potential Gold Coast NBL franchise - The pair are reportedly set to be involved as owners as expansion talks continue to build momentum
Google launched its new ‘Fitbit Air’ fitness band, which has been co-designed with Steph Curry and is aiming to compete with wearable devices from Whoop and Oura
The creator economy is fuelling golf’s growth
Golf in Australia is booming.
You may have already sensed it, but golf is riding a wave of positive momentum in Australia.
Research from Golf Australia’s most recent State of the Game 2025, led by Dr Adam Karg (Deakin University) helps paint a fascinating picture of the modern golf landscape:
4 million+ Australians played golf in some form — across courses, driving ranges, simulators, entertainment venues and social formats. (1.3+ million more than 2022, annual average growth of 14%)
New golfers were significantly younger (by 11 years vs established)
60% of new golfers in 2025 were women
41% of new members were under the age of 35
Junior membership surged 18.2% in 2025, with under 18-year-old members more than doubling in the last 5 x years
More adults play golf than any other sport.
For a long time, golf has often been seen by many as a sport played by older people and retirees.
But this has changed.
Today’s golfers are more diverse, younger and increasingly seeking flexible, social and experience-led ways to play.
The places where golf is played and accessed are evolving.
Off-course participation now exceeds on-course.
Virtual/social club memberships have become one of the sport’s most powerful entry points, growing more than 3x the rate of traditional memberships.
Elite golf events are inspiring and entertaining millions of people in Australia.
Late last year, The Australian Open set a new attendance record with 112,000+ fans across 4 days at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The Victorian Government celebrated, but it was short-lived…
Not long after, LIV Golf Adelaide eclipsed it with 115,000+ fans across 4 days at The Grange Golf Club.
Governments are paying attention
Following news of Saudi Arabia withdrawing its LIV Golf funding, (making the league’s future uncertain) South Australia just secured hosting rights to the Australia Open - securing the event away from Victoria. The tournament has only ventured out of NSW or VIC twice in half a century.
The NSW Government also recently secured the return of the Australian PGA Championship for the first time since 1998 - The 2026 BMW Australian PGA Championship in November is expected to attract around 15,000 visitors and inject more than $10 million into NSW.
There’s significant upside from golf’s rapid growth, and the benefits are being felt across the ecosystem
Golf industry: In 2023, An Australian Golf Industry Council-commissioned report estimated that household expenditure on golf was $10.3 billion
Society: The same report revealed golf provides $3.3 billion in total annual benefits to the Australian community, economy and environment.
Golfers:
66% report a positive impact on physical health
73% report a positive impact on mental health
76% report stronger social connection through the sport
Golf is no longer just competing as a traditional sport. It’s becoming part of the broader lifestyle, entertainment and social participation economy.
What’s fuelling this?
Social media’s creator economy is fuelling golf’s growth
Online media is revolutionising the way golf is experienced and it’s often the entry point (top of funnel) for younger fans. A previous survey from Deloitte found that 90%+ of Gen Z fans use social media to consume sports content.
Golf is also uniquely suited for content creation.
It’s one of the few sports where you can film while you’re playing, whether that’s on-course, at the range, in a simulator, or socially with friends, which is helping fuel creativity and discovery across platforms like TikTok.”
Golf Australia CEO, James Sutherland
Creators are using Meta Ray-Ban Glasses to film content for TikTok.
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#GolfTok driving the next generation of swingers in Australia
Golf is experiencing a cultural resurgence in Australia, fuelled by the rise of #GolfTok and TikTok’s creator-driven ecosystem. With more than 12 million monthly active users in Australia, the platform is helping attract new audiences to the sport through a constant stream of golf content, including swing tips, course reviews, fashion, highlights and entertaining on-course moments.
Key stats
TikTok creator posts about golf grew 39% in early 2025 vs. 2024.
8.7M+ #Golf posts and 1.4M+ #GolfTok posts globally on TikTok.
Views on @australiangolf TikTok account increased 200%+ over two years.
Related: How #GolfTok is redefining the sport for a new generation of swingers
To support the momentum, TikTok recently hosted its first-ever Sydney #GolfTok meetup
TikTok creators @Portia_LianaGolf, @ItsSunnyLong, @sungparkgolf and @SDrucey got together with other creators, influencers, players and PGA Professionals at Moore Park to encourage Australians to get involved in golf through community-driven content and events.
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Long form content is playing a major role via YouTube
A wave of content creators have emerged on the platform.
Professional golfers such as Bryson DeChambeau (2.69m+ YouTube Subscribers, 4.5m+ Instagram, 2.3m TikTok followers) and Grant Horvat (1.7m YouTube subscribers, 1.3m Instagram, 629k TikTok followers) have become online creators
Non-professional creators such as Rick Shields Golf (3.06m), Good Good (2.09m), and Bob Does Sports (1.42m) have built significant followings on YouTube, and are collaborating with the world’s biggest golfers and stars - LeBron James recently featured on Bob Does Sports’ YouTube channel - the video has received 3.3m views
Golf tournaments are recognising the power of the creator economy across the globe
The PGA TOUR launched:
The “Creator Classic” in 2024 which brought together the best of golf’s digital creators (16 in total) to play during the week of the TOUR Championship (the PGA TOUR announced an expanded series in 2025)
The “Creator Council” made up of popular content creators/brands who will meet regularly with the PGA TOUR to develop shared strategies for content development and fan engagement
Announced a partnership with YouTube creator Rick Shiels
LIV Golf Adelaide has used local content creators such as “Shepmates”, “Marmalade” and “Those Carter Boys” to help showcase the fun and festive event experience
LIV Golf Adelaide headline entertainment acts such as Dom Dolla and FISHER who have millions of social media followers did the same
Tournaments are so committed to the concept that they’re even investing in influencer training.
Golf Brands:
Brands such as Titleist and Callaway Golf have taken note and have integrated creators into their marketing strategies
New golf competitions are emerging from the online world
Netflix created its own golf event - “The Netflix Cup” where race car drivers from “Drive to Survive” take on golfers from “Full Swing” in a match play tournament
The creator economy is giving rise to new competitions such as the ‘Peoples League’ which is made up of 12 players who have a combined social media following of nearly 20m - It brands itself as '“the first golf league where Creators are the Owners, Players and Media Network.”
Golf is showing up on digital platforms in random ways
Tinder: Driving ranges were among the top choices of locations to meet up for a first date among millions of Tinder users in the United States
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Netflix: Creators played a key role in launching Happy Gilmore 2 in Australia.
Australian sports stars are becoming golf creators
Min Woo Lee has rapidly become one of the most popular and influential figures in golf, thanks largely to his 1.5m combined social media followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Over recent years he’s connected with the world’s biggest stars such as Justin Bieber and Steph Curry, secured major deals with activewear brand lululemon and golf giant Callaway, and developed a cult following which saw a group of several dozen men follow him around the Phoenix Open, dressed in white khakis, blue polos and red chef hats that read “Let Him Cook”.
It’s not just golfers creating golf-themed content.
Western Bulldogs players Oskar Baker, Anthony Scott and Bailey Dale launched Duck Hook Golf, with the trio quickly building a growing digital audience through regular AFL guest appearances and brand partnerships with the likes of Future Golf, sodii and bobby.
Brisbane Broncos’ Reece Walsh created ‘The Average Golf Open’ - a golf tournament built for everyday golfers
Former Melbourne and West Coast player Jayden Hunt is on a mission to enter professional golf, and has dedicated his social media to his journey
Dale Thomas has an interest in golf and has recently collaborated with GolfLoot on social media to promote a ticket giveaway to The Masters
Many current and former Australian cricketers are passionate and heavily involved in golf - e.g. Ricky Ponting and Glenn Maxwell have partnered with Callaway
Mick Fanning hosted his 2nd annual Charity Golf Day (presented by his beer brand, Balter) in Melbourne last year - a mix of high-profile celebrities, athletes, and sponsors teed off at Yarra Yarra Golf Club to help raise $335,000 for the Cure EB Foundation, Reach Foundation, and Yarra Yarra affiliated charities - it was promoted heavily across social media.
When the World Surf League comes to Australia, the world’s best surfers (and retired stars) take to the golf course during lay days and showcase it via social media.
The list goes on…
Related: The rise of the athlete creator
Golf in Australia feels like it’s entered a completely new era
What was once viewed by many as a traditional sport is now becoming a bigger part of culture, entertainment, media and social connection, particularly for younger audiences. Social media, creators and new formats are changing how people discover and experience the game, while participation numbers continue to surge across almost every category.
From packed-out events and booming junior memberships to the rise of #GolfTok and creator-led golf content, the momentum behind the sport is hard to ignore.
And right now, it feels like golf’s best years in Australia could still be ahead.
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