(St. Andrews, Scotland) – New research figures revealed by The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) show golf has enjoyed a significant increase in popularity worldwide since 2016 with over five-and-a-half million additional golfers taking up the sport.

The number of total golfers globally has increased from 61 million to 66.6 million in a five-year growth period, surpassing the previous high mark of 61.6 million set in 2012.

The measure includes club members and non-member independent golfers playing nine or 18 holes and users of driving ranges in markets where course availability is limited.

The new figure reflects a positive trend in golf in which participation levels are now rising worldwide after a period of decline. This was recently highlighted in the 2021 European Golf Participation Report, which highlighted that over 10.6 million golfers now enjoy playing full-length courses on the continent – a healthy increase from the 7.9 million last monitored in 2016.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Golf is enjoying a real boom in popularity at the moment and we are seeing substantial increases in participation in many parts of the world, particularly in the last two years when the sport could be played safely outdoors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The new figures are very encouraging but we need to work together as a sport to make the most of this opportunity by retaining those people who have returned to golf or tried it for the first time. We can achieve this by offering a variety of attractive and flexible options that encourage golfers to play more regularly and enjoy its many health and wellbeing benefits with family and friends.”

SMS collected participation data reported by national federations in different regions around the world, using nationally representative studies and expert estimates to calculate the global number of total golfers.

Regions experiencing the largest rises include Asia (20.9 million to 23.3 million); Europe (7.9 million to 10.6 million – driven largely by Great Britain and Ireland 3.6 million to 5.7 million); and North America (29.9 million to 30.6 million).

The research figures indicate the growth trend began before Covid-19 and then accelerated during the pandemic as the popularity of golf grew due to golfers being able to socially distance in a safe outdoor setting and stay active to boost their physical and mental health.

In Great Britain, the number of adults playing a nine or 18-hole course began to gradually increase before the onset of Covid-19, rising from 2.5 million in 2017 to 2.8 million in 2018, then to 3 million in 2019, before surging to 5.2 million in 2020.

Following the easing of lockdown restrictions, The R&A sought to carry out additional research into this rise in demand and how different types of golfers were engaging with the sport.

The Post Covid Opportunity Research, along with findings from Bayfirth Research, details experiences of golfers during the pandemic, motivations for playing and long-term plans for the future. Among new golfers, 98% of those interviewed identified they are enjoying playing golf and 95% see themselves playing golf for many years to come.

The research also outlined recommendations clubs can take to retain new players, including feeling welcome and valued; a friendly culture and relaxed atmosphere; participation options based on ability and experience; good customer service; having an efficient booking system; the quality and maintenance of the course; and, importantly, playing in an encouraging environment.

The R&A also launched a Covid-19 Support Fund to help golf deal with the impact of the pandemic, with the £7 million funding package largely aimed at national federations and other affiliated bodies in Great Britain and Ireland.

Further support for national federations is set to come in 2022. The R&A is creating a series of new assets to help market and promote the sport so that more people are encouraged to take up golf and existing golfers are retained.

The golf industry in North America is growing in new and exciting ways. Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, today announced a multi-year agreement with Golf Canada, the National Sport Federation representing more than 271,000 golfers and 1,400 member clubs across the country, allowing both participating golf courses and golfers to share certified Golf Canada handicap data across both platforms.

Lightspeed Golf empowers courses to manage an entire facility from a single platform, synthesizing systems for daily operations, tee sheets, on-site hospitality and retail, and online booking. The integration of Lightspeed Golf’s commerce platform with the Golf Canada Score Centre will provide a solution for more Canadian golfers to maintain an Official Handicap Index, leveling the playing field for participants across Canada.

“We are both excited and honoured to be partnering with such a revered Canadian organization,” said Lightspeed Golf GM David Hope. “This platform integration will streamline operations for golfers and course operators alike, enabling improved handicap integrity and reporting. We look forward to working with Golf Canada to grow the game through educational content and putting intuitive technology in the hands of both golfers and golf course operators.”

The platform integration will help more golfers track their scoring history and demonstrated ability on the golf course, allowing both golfers and course operators to see handicap data when booking tee times and navigating tee sheets.

“Golf Canada is extremely pleased to be aligning our Score Centre with Lightspeed Golf,” said Golf Canada Director of Membership Ryan Logan. “This platform integration will open up new opportunities to grow our membership-base across Canada and will further support our member clubs in providing a more streamlined and enhanced golfing experience.”

Golf in Canada continues to show growth and resilience through the past two seasons impacted by the pandemic. In 2021, a record 9.3M scores were posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre, a 19% increase from 2020 and 27.5% increase over 2019, and Lightspeed Golf customers reported a 23% increase in rounds played from 2019 to 2020. Lightspeed Golf customers are growing and modernizing their businesses, attracting younger patrons and more diverse golfers, and re-thinking their business models to diversify their revenue streams.

“Golf is booming right now, but even before that our rounds were continuously up every single year over the past five years,” said Lightspeed Golf customer Jenifer Wright, GM of Westwood Plateau Golf. “We’re making changes to get new people into golf and we’ve been really impressed with every integration Lightspeed has come out with. We can’t wait to see how this platform integration with Golf Canada will benefit our course and players.”

After eight rounds of play, the 2021 LPGA Q-Series has come to an end. In all, 46 players, including Canadian Maddie Szeryk, finished at -4 or better to secure Tour status for 2022.

Szeryk, hailing from London, Ont., shot a personal-best 4-under 68 in the final round of Q-Series and would finish T35.

The 25 year old competed in 18 events during the 2021 season with a best finish of T22 at the Copper Rock Championship in April, and has been on the Symetra Tour since 2019.

Over the course of the two-week tournament, 110 LPGA hopefuls competed in two 72-hole stroke play events with the low 70 players and ties cut after week one, and scores carrying over into week two held in Dothan, Ala. from Dec. 9-12.

It all comes down to this.

After two long weeks, we have our 2021 #QSeries class ❤️ pic.twitter.com/taZ2egAyC9

— LPGA (@LPGA) December 13, 2021

After the conclusion of all eight rounds, players who finished inside the top 45 and ties received LPGA membership for the 2022 season, and players finishing outside the top 20 and ties also received 2022 Symetra Tour status.

Selena Costabile hailing from Thornhill, Ont. finished T68, and Hamilton native Alena Sharp would finish T69.

For complete results and full leaderboard click here.

John Gordon

This time of year, we are inundated with “gift guides for the golfer in your life.” I’m here to tell you I am that golfer and I don’t want most of that stuff.

Why the greatest game has the cheesiest accessories is beyond me. You’ve seen them: Caddyshack gopher head covers, ugly sweaters, and those visors with the fake hair sprouting out the top. Note to my family: Buy me one of those and the next time you see one while walking through the local thrift store and remark, “Hey, that’s just like the one we got Uncle John for Christmas,” rest assured it is the same one.

So here’s the real stuff the golfer in your life (and likely you) want for Christmas.

A book you can’t put down

It’s been said that “the smaller the ball, the more is written about it” and, despite the fact I’ve never seen much literature about marbles, I believe that to be true. There are so many great books about every conceivable facet of golf. I particularly enjoy reading about the people, especially if they are Canadian. Gary Cowan’s new autobiography (written with David McPherson) From Rockway to Augusta chronicles his outstanding career. Cowan, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, remains the only man to win the U.S. Amateur twice at stroke play. Hard- and soft-cover versions are available for order here.

A Golf Canada membership

If the recipient doesn’t belong to a Golf Canada member club which includes a Golf Canada membership as part of their benefits, get them one. Priced around $50, it’s a bargain, providing an official handicap index among a plethora of other benefits including access to the full-feature Golf Canada app and incident protection coverage against lost, damaged, or stolen equipment. Learn all about it here. 

A club-fitting session

Here’s a vital tip. DO NOT buy golf clubs for the object of your affection. Few things are more personal than a golfer’s choice of tools. Getting fitted for clubs (and balls) is essential. A gift certificate for your local pro shop may seem a touch antiseptic but, trust me, it will be deeply appreciated. While an in-person fitting is preferable, most equipment companies offer sophisticated online fitting apps.

Tickets to Canada’s National Opens

Canada’s national open championships (CP Women’s Open and RBC Canadian Open) make their highly anticipated return after a two-year break. Consider the full experience of world-class golf with tickets for you and yours.

Gift cards to your local pro shop

On the topic of gift certificates, how about patronizing your local courses this holiday season? Most offer gift cards for everything from merchandise, food and beverage, lessons and even a contribution toward annual dues.

Practice and tracking progress

Unless you live in balmy British Columbia, your practice is pretty well restricted to indoors. If you are committed to game improvement in the offseason, consider purchasing a launch monitor or visiting an indoor facility with access. Putting mats like the Wellputt are under 200 bucks and we all know how many strokes poor putting costs us.

This is my opinion only but mid- to high-handicappers don’t need an expensive rangefinder. The free Golf Canada mobile app offers GPS data alongside detailed hole-by-hole scoring.

A new push cart

The recent boom in golf participation has revealed that many golfers prefer to walk and use a push cart which is proven to be easier on the body (and better for your score) than carrying your clubs. Non-motorized carts like Bag Boy’s Nitron have all sorts of options. But if you want to splurge, go for something in the Motocaddy line of electric trolleys.

A donation to golf’s future

Give a donation to the First Tee – Canada. Your gift in any amount will help prepare kids for their future in golf and beyond. Give back to the game that’s given us all so much.

A final caveat: Supply-chain issues being what they are, you should order your golf gifts as soon as possible.

United States Golf Association

Golf’s governing bodies have made available a Model Local Rule (MLR) to further limit the use of Green-Reading Materials. 

MLR G-11 enables a committee to limit players to using only the yardage book that it has approved for use in the competition. 

This local rule is intended only for the highest levels of competitive golf and, even then, only for competitions where it is realistic for the committee to undertake an approval process for yardage books. It will be available starting January 1, 2022.

The local rule gives a committee the ability to establish an officially approved yardage book for a competition so that the diagrams of putting greens show only minimal detail (such as significant slopes, tiers or false edges that indicate sections of greens). In addition, the local rule limits the handwritten notes that players and caddies are allowed to add to the approved yardage book. 

The purpose behind the local rule is to ensure that players and caddies use only their eyes and feel to help them read the line of play on the putting green. 

The USGA and The R&A developed MLR G-11 in response to feedback from several professional tours.

The MLR, along with question-and-answer guidance, can be found here.

As the local rule should only be adopted at the highest levels of competitive golf, all other golfers will continue to be able to use green-reading tools so long as they meet the requirements established in 2019. For more information on the current rule, see usga.org/grm.

John Gordon

When you hear someone say “golf saved my life,” you pay attention.

From the age of 9 until he turned 14, Sam Gerry had a passion for the game. Suddenly, severe depression hit, to the point where he considered suicide. Then he was fortunate enough to be invited on a surprise trip with his grandfather to the Masters. The experience caused a gradual reawakening of his love for the game and, far more importantly, life.

“I could escape to the golf course and the only thing I was focused on was the game. Because I played regularly, it definitely built up to create a longer-term effect on my recovery. That combination of the game itself and spending time with my friends or my dad or my grandfather—that really helps me get through it. You really could say golf saved my life and that’s not an exaggeration.”

Sam’s story is one of many. There is even a book titled How Golf Saved My Life and, although it deals mainly with golfers with physical disabilities, it demonstrates how the game has indisputable benefits for our overall wellbeing.

“I think to get out and play golf, you are really helping manage your mental health in a very holistic way”

She elaborated in a study by the R&A on this topic in 2020: “Contact with nature slows down our stress response and induces calm. There is evidence to show this is happening in our biological system. It is promoting stress resilience, it is improving our mood, it is decreasing our risk of depression and increasing our social wellbeing, particularly on a golf course where you are interacting with other members of that community. So there are a host of mental and social wellbeing benefits.”

Never was this more important than now, when the world is trying to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and its crushing impact on physical and mental health.

The impact of COVID-19 on mental health

A more recent R&A study, “Post COVID Opportunity,” found that 36 per cent of respondents said they experienced some negative impact on their mental health as a result of the pandemic. Of these, 83 per cent identified that playing golf had a positive impact on their mental health. Thirty-one per cent said they had increased feelings of loneliness and isolation as a result of the pandemic. Of these, 79 per cent said playing golf had a positive impact.

Those feelings are not limited to any one demographic.

In May, during Mental Health Week, a survey by the Canadian Mental Health Association and the University of British Columbia found that 77 per cent of adult respondents reported feeling negative emotions as a result of the pandemic.

In a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, during the province’s lockdown of outdoor activities, the Canadian Pediatric Association said: “We cannot overstate the extent of the mental health crisis facing our children and youth. Seventy per cent of Ontario school-aged children reported deterioration in their mental health. Social isolation is by far the biggest predictor of poor mental health for children.”

Is playing golf a panacea for all that ails us, mentally and physically? Of course not but there are undeniable benefits.

Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood is a psychologist who has worked with many athletes, including the Team Canada men’s golf squad. She is also the chair of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association.

“The pandemic turned our lives upside-down. We lost a lot: a sense of control, of normalcy, routine, contact with family and friends, work colleagues. Golf gives us some of that back. We are in control for a change. We get away from the bad news, social media. We get outside, we reconnect with others in a social setting, in nature.

“That sense of connection, of community, that we are part of something, is incredibly important at the best of times”

“Another wonderful thing is that golf is a perfect setting for players of any age to golf together, whether that’s mom and dad and the kids and maybe even grandma and grandpa or with someone you meet for the first time on the first tee. It is a game that brings us all together and that is vital for good mental health.”

People need golf now more than ever

In a Toronto Sun column titled “People need golf now more than ever,” golf writer Jon McCarthy talks about sneaking in a quick round before Ford shut things down once again in late April.

“One of the beauties of golf is that it’s full of breezy conversation. There’s lots to talk about but rarely is a serious topic broached. I’ll come home from a round with friends and my wife will ask what we talked about. The honest answer is, well, nothing. And it’s wonderful.

“To partake in this, a golfer doesn’t have to belong to a club or have a regular foursome. Once you get to a course, there will be people to talk to, people to share the day with, even if you show up alone. The golf course is a place where strangers can become friends for a day.

“Now more than ever, people need that.”

Brad Ziemer / British Columbia Golf

Corrine Allan doesn’t hesitate when asked if she thinks her golf course, now one giant water hazard, can recover from the devastation brought by the flooding in the Sumas Prairie area of Abbotsford.

“Oh gosh, yes,” says Allan, owner and general manager of Fraserglen Golf Course. “I am going to aim for March.There is a lot of water and debris on the course, but once that is cleaned up and the greens are cleaned over time, it will come back just fine.”

Make that lots and lots of water. Allan estimates her clubhouse and restaurant had as much as five feet of water inside them.

“And we have a lot of equipment, as do farmers in the area, that are under water,” she says. “We have our pro shop and a restaurant and another house on the property that are all ruined, basically.”

Fraserglen is one of many Fraser Valley golf courses impacted by last week’s flooding. The par 62 course,located on South Parallel Road near Highway 1, sits on 56 acres. “It’s devastating and I don’t think the shock has fully set in yet,” says Allan. “And nobody has insurance so we’re hoping the government will kick in.”

Flood insurance is not available to homes and businesses in the area because Sumas Prairie sits on a flood plain. Allan has been buoyed by the offers of support she has received. “People have reached out to us like you wouldn’t believe,” Allan says. 

“And the golf industry is amazing. They are willing to help. From as far away as Calgary, we’re hearing,‘what can we send you, what can we do for you?’ It’s just really amazing.”

Allan refuses to feel sorry for herself. “I have my family healthy and we can just work really hard to make everything happen. We’ll just roll up our sleeves and get to work. I think that’s all you can do.”

WASH OUT

Mission Golf Club wasn’t hit by serious flooding, but the atmospheric river that dropped record rainfall on the area has put one hole out of play. A slide occurred on Mission’s par 3 third hole, which also plays as No. 12 from a different tee for those playing 18 holes. Most of a rock wall fronting the green was washed away in the slide and head pro Mark Anderson expects the hole to remain closed until the early spring. “Luckily we have a practice hole (between holes 6 and 7) ,” Anderson said. “So we can turn that into a par 3. That’s a good back-up for us.”

‘ISLAND GREENS’

Chilliwack courses were also hit hard. Royalwood was completely under water and remained closed as of Nov. 21. Nearby Chilliwack Golf Club hopes to re-open some time this week. “We can actually see our golf course again,” said Chilliwack general manager Bryan Ewart. “I think we’ll be okay. None of our buildings were damaged and we’ll get out of this relatively unscathed, unlike some of our neighbours. 

“For a while there we had four island greens. It would be good for our marketing: TPC (Sawgrass) has nothing on us.” Ewart said the flooding and this past summer’s heat dome have made it a tough year. “These extremes are pretty harsh,” Ewart says. “I have been here 10 years now and have never experienced anything like this. We keep saying we are so ready for this year to be done.”

BACK IN BUSINESS

The lower portion of Belmont Golf Course in Langley had eight to 10 feet of water on it at one point. Troy Peverley, vice president of the West Coast Golf Group, said the course would be open for nine-hole play this week. Swaneset Bay in Pitt Meadows has all 36 of its holes back in play and the WCGG’s other course, Hazelmere in Surrey, has re-opened after being closed for a couple of days. Pitt Meadows Golf Club remained closed as of Nov. 21. It had large pools of standing water and some damage was done to its bridge on the ninth hole.

Inspired to support the life skills and development values ingrained in golf, the Gragtmans Family Foundation has announced a major $1M USD donation to the Golf Canada Foundation to directly power the advancement of First Tee – Canada.

The generosity of the Gragtmans Family Foundation as the Founding Donor and Trustee of First Tee – Ontario will fund and facilitate the provincial chapter launch including program development and delivery with multi-faceted activities designed for schools, community centres, and youth facilities.

First Tee – Canada will provide Canadian youth, and especially those in underrepresented groups, access to affordable and meaningful character education programs through golf. Golf Canada intends on launching chapters in every province in Canada by 2022, with the goal of 100,000 annual participants in the program by 2023.

“The Gragtmans Family Foundation focuses on the positive development and advancement of youth in Canada and abroad,” said Ian Gragtmans, Founder of the Gragtmans Family Foundation. “We are thrilled to be aligned with one of the world’s premiere and proven international youth development organizations. Our mission of providing youth with support to help positively design and advance their lives aligns well with the First Tee values of integrity, respect and perseverance.” A pursuer of growth and knowledge, Mr. Gragtmans credits many who have and continue to act as mentors, and his support of First Tee Canada directly reflects the ongoing responsibility of giving back by helping others.

“The pace of growth behind First Tee – Canada since being announced in Fall 2020 has been incredible, and that’s because of the shared vision of youth champions like the Gragtmans Family Foundation,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “The generosity of the Gragtmans Family Foundation towards this provincial chapter-founding, multi-year gift brings incredible momentum to our national youth development program in Canada’s largest market and will surely set the example and encourage deeper expansion across the Canadian philanthropic community.”

Through its deep network of donors and trustees, Golf Canada Foundation is a critical partner in supporting the launch and advancement of First Tee Canada through its fundraising and philanthropic efforts. Canada’s Provincial Golf Associations will also play a role in the advancement of First Tee Canada as chapters form in markets across Canada.

“We are extremely grateful to Ian Gragtmans and the Gragtmans Family Foundation for their incredible generosity as the catalyst to officially launch the first Ontario chapter of First Tee Canada,” said Golf Canada Foundation CEO Martin Barnard. “The meaningful support of our donors and corporate champions has far exceeded our early expectations and has provided real momentum in our discussion with others who want to get behind this character building program for youth.”

The generosity of the Gragtmans Family Foundation joins a growing number of chapter-founding and program advancement gifts that have been secured in 2021 with additional investments to be announced in the coming weeks.

Since its inception in 1997, First Tee has impacted more than 15 million young people through its character-building programs on golf courses, in schools and at youth-serving locations. The First Tee network has grown to over 150 chapters and more than 1,200 program locations across the United States as well as six international chapters in Australia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, and Canada, delivering programs that help young people build character and develop life skills through the game of golf.

Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are continuously pursuing more gifts, which will allow more chapters to launch in Canada. For more information on First Tee – Canada, to get involved, or to donate, visit www.firstteecanada.ca

Multi-year deal will deliver a premium tequila hospitality experience to the RBC Canadian Open through 2024

(November 22, 2021) Golf Canada and Maestro Dobel® Tequila announced today a multi-year partnership that will see Maestro Dobel featured as the Official Tequila of the RBC Canadian Open.

Maestro Dobel will become Golf Canada’s first-ever exclusive tequila partner for the RBC Canadian Open. As part of the integrated partnership—which begins in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club and runs through 2024— Maestro Dobel will be poured at RBC Canadian Open hospitality and concession locations with sampling opportunities and fan engagement activations planned around Canada’s lone stop on the PGA TOUR.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maestro Dobel as Golf Canada’s first-ever Official Tequila Partner for the RBC Canadian Open,” said John Sibley, chief commercial officer of Golf Canada. “Maestro Dobel’s mastery blend and craftsmanship in their award-winning tequila will deliver a premium product for spectators and hospitality guests to enjoy at the RBC Canadian Open.”

Founded by 11^th generation tequila maker Juan Dobel, Maestro Dobel is known for consistently pushing the category forward, blending tradition and innovation to craft its award-winning tequilas. Since March 2021, Maestro Dobel has served as the official Tequila of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, activating at select tournaments across the United States.

“We are excited to embark on this new journey with Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open,” said Peter Hottmann, General Manager at Proximo Spirits Canada. “The RBC Canadian Open has become a premier event on the PGA TOUR and we are proud to be aligning our award-wining tequilas with excellence in Canadian golf.”

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the championship’s practice facility. 

World’s best female golfers to compete for nearly $86 million in official prize money

Nine tournaments announce elevated purses, with the CME Group Tour Championship increasing to $7 million

NAPLES, Fla., – The 2022 LPGA Tour season is set to present yet another year of record-setting purses and playing opportunities. Thanks to the support of new and long-time partners, LPGA Tour Members will compete for $85.7 million in official purses in 2022, the largest total ever presented to the world’s best female golfers, across 34 official events.

“The stage is set for 2022 to be one of the most exciting years in the history of the LPGA Tour, with the addition of new events, the largest total purse ever, over 500 hours of broadcast television and a collective commitment to being the leading women’s professional sports property in the world,” said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. “We have never had such a robust team of partners from around the globe who see both the commercial value in investing in the LPGA and the opportunity to utilize the partnerships to have a positive impact on their communities and on the world. As the home to the best female golfers in the world, we will continue to focus on offering a dynamic schedule that allows players to reach their peak performance in golf and in life and that provides the platform to inspire young girls and women around the globe to dream big.”

So far, nine tournaments have announced purse increases for the 2022 season, including The Chevron Championship ($5 million, up $1.9 million from 2021) and the AIG Women’s Open ($6.8 million, up $1.3 million from 2021). As announced on Wednesday, the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship purse will grow to $7 million, up $2 million from 2021. The winner will receive $2 million, the largest first-place prize in professional women’s golf history, and all players who complete in the championship will receive at least $40,000.

The 2022 LPGA Tour schedule is here! ⛳️

– 34 official events
– $85.7 million in official purses, the largest total in women’s golf history
– Nine tournaments with purse increases
– Over 500 hours of broadcast television

FULL SCHEDULE ⬇️ https://t.co/v45a3A1fmy

— LPGA (@LPGA) November 19, 2021

Other tournaments to announce elevated purses are the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open ($2 million, up $500,000 from 2021), the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship ($1.8 million, up $300,000 from 2021), the Pelican Women’s Championship ($2 million, up $250,000 from 2021), the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational ($2.5 million, up $200,000 from 2021), the Meijer LPGA Classic ($2.5 million, up $200,000 from 2021) and the HSBC Women’s World Championship ($1.7 million, up $100,000 from 2021). Additional purse increases are expected to be announced throughout the season.

The 2022 season will open with three weeks in Florida, leading off with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, moving to a new host venue at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando. The Gainbridge LPGA will return to Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton after a one-year stop at Lake Nona, and the Florida trio will culminate at the fourth playing of the LPGA Drive On Championship, with a date and venue to be announced in the coming weeks.

Following the usual early-season swing through Asia, with stops in Singapore and Thailand, the Tour will spend five weeks in the Western region of the United States. In early April, the golf world will celebrate Mission Hills Country Club and its 50-plus years of LPGA Tour history with The Chevron Championship, the first major of the golf season, with a new title sponsor. The LPGA announced in October that 2022 will mark the major’s final playing in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and the week promises to be an exciting celebration of Dinah Shore, Mission Hills and the famed jump into Poppie’s Pond.

After beginning with The Chevron Championship, the 2022 women’s major championship season will continue at the U.S. Women’s Open, which returns to Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in North Carolina, the venue for Cristie Kerr’s 2007 national championship title. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will head to Congressional Country Club in Maryland, a five-time men’s major venue that is set to welcome its first major women’s event.

A four-event European Swing will feature two major championships, starting with the Amundi Evian Championship, the Tour’s annual visit to the French Alps. The first week in August will bring the much-awaited AIG Women’s Open visit to Muirfield, marking the first time in its illustrious history that the famed links will host a major women’s championship.

The season will include two tournaments making their LPGA Tour debuts on the calendar. The JTBC Championship at Palos Verdes will be held at Palos Verdes Golf Club in late April, joining the previous week’s JTBC LA Open at Wilshire Country Club for a two-week tour through suburban Los Angeles. In September, the Tour will visit Kenwood Country Club for the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, marking a return to Cincinnati for the first time since 1989.

After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the LPGA Tour will return to Canada in late August for the CP Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ontario. It will kick off a summer sprint across the United States, ending with the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship being held for the first time at The Saticoy Club, located outside Los Angeles. The Tour will then return to Asia for its Fall Swing, making appearances in the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei and Japan, before ending the season at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla.

Click here for the full schedule.

Tickets for the CP Women’s Open go on sale to the public December 1st. Click here to sign up for more information.