Augusta National is the most popular golf course in the world among golfing fans, according to a new study conducted by golf apparel brand Galvin Green, with Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club coming in fourth.
At a time when interest in golf has reached record levels across the world, Google Keyword Planner and Instagram data were analyzed to determine which courses and prestigious clubs have attracted the most golfers to their landing pages and social following over the past year. The study combined 12 common search terms related to golf clubs to reveal the global average monthly search volume for every course and the number of hashtags for each location.
The courses that golf fans dream of playing at were then ranked from highest to lowest.
Augusta National takes the top spot with the highest combined golf index score of 98.62 out of 100. This is due to the highest combination of Instagram hashtags and search volume. Augusta National is searched 54,050 times on average each month globally and has more than 100,000 posts (107,199) on Instagram under the hashtag #AugustaNational. Based in Georgia, the site is famous for hosting The Masters.
Home of The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass is the second most popular course among golfing fans. Each month, there an average of 73,717 searches from across the world for visiting and playing at TPC Sawgrass — the highest number of any course analyzed. There are also 56,552 Instagram posts using the hashtag #TPCSawgrass, the second highest amount, leading TPC Sawgrass to have a golf index score of 95.26 out of 100.
St. Andrews Old Course ranked third with more than 55,317 monthly searches. Often hailed as the “Home of Golf,” pictures of St. Andrews Old Course have also been posted on Instagram 45,658 times, resulting in a golf index score of 92.39.
With more than 10,000 average monthly searches (10,650), Emirates Golf Club is the fourth most-searched-for golf course in the world. The 36-hole golf course in Dubai has a golfing index score of 81.02 out of 100, due to its combination of high search volume and 26,650 Instagram posts under the hashtag #EmiratesGolfClub.
In fifth place is Pebble Beach Golf Links. The Californian course is searched 18,325 times on average each month and has been posted 12,015 times on Instagram. This volume of interest gives the famous Pacific coast course an index score of 79.01 out of 100.
The sixth most popular golf course among golfing fans is Bandon Dunes with an index score of 76.78 out of 100. This score is based on an average monthly search volume of 25,625 a month and 5,352 Instagram posts for the respected Oregon facility that boasts six courses designed to reflect the spirit of Scotland’s ancient links.
Abu Dhabi Golf Course and Turnberry (Ailsa course) rank seventh and eighth respectively. The Abu Dhabi Golf Course has a golf index score of 74.56 out of 100 with 8.675 Instagram posts and an average search volume for the course of 5,200. There are 9,514 Instagram posts under the Turnberry (Ailsa) hashtag, as well as 3,700 average monthly searches for the course, giving the course in Scotland an index score of 70.83.
