British golf has seen a significant increase in new players in the past two years, according to figures from Sport England.
Over 59,000 people have taken up the sport in the UK during that period, with only athletics, football and cycling experiencing more new participants, the Manchester Evening News reports.
In addition, Sport England''s second Active People survey found that more than 6.8 million people over the age of 16 now take part in sporting activities at least three times a week.
The study also revealed that over ten million UK adults are members of a club where they play sport, while more than 7.5 million have sought tuition to improve their sporting prowess in the past 12 months.
Jennie Price, chief executive of Sport England, commented: "These figures provide Sport England and the organisations we are funding with a clear starting point on our journey to get one million people playing more sport by 2012."
Although golf will not be on the agenda for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the International Golf Federation is bidding to re-establish the sport as an Olympic event by 2016.
29/12/2008