Revealing Emotions on the Green: Golfer and Golf Widow Confessions

Let’s have a moment of silence for the significant others of devoted golf enthusiasts... As the golf course beckons and the allure of fairways and greens take hold, the partners of golfers find themselves with empty weekends, hushed living rooms, and the gentle rustle of golf-related conversations that fill the air. Well, that might be a tad dramatic, but we are talking about a time-intensive hobby here, most weekends, rain or shine, it’s a lot! And here’s where the phrase ‘Golf Widow’ comes in...

A Golf Widow is someone who often spends time alone as their partner indulges in golf. You may have spotted the term on TikTok, accumulating a staggering 16 billion views. As the trend continues to surge, we explored the prevalence of being a Golf Widow by surveying 3,000 Americans on either theirs or their partner’s golfing pursuits. So, let’s putt it into motion!

Key Findings:

• 21% reveal their partner plays golf as often as once a week
• Among them, 69% said their partner spends an average of 3-4 hours on the golf course
• 14% of the partners surveyed describe themselves as a Golf Widow
• 15% of golf players admit to having lied to their partner about why they are running late whilst playing

Golf Widows: When Partners Trade Me Time for Tee Time

More people are playing golf than ever before, roughly one in seven Americans played in 2022. For many, golf goes beyond the game, it’s an opportunity to connect with pals and perhaps enjoy a drink or two afterwards. While embracing sports is great, for some, the words ‘I’m off to golf’ sounds like nails on a chalkboard.

Our nationwide survey reveal a shocking 14% of respondents with golf-playing partners labelled themselves as a Golf Widow. We explored various types of Golf Widows, from those who relish the extra space, the parents holding down the fort with the kids, to the ones who just wish their partners were at home more.

Among those who described themselves as a Golf Widow:

• 32% expressed a desire for their partners to be around more often
• 21% said they embrace the space
• 21% said they find it mildly annoying
• 13% get frustrated by the additional childcare and daily tasks
• 11% opt to join in and play golf themselves.
• Thankfully only a mere 2% confessed to harbouring a complete hate for it

From Occasional Swings to Regular Rounds: Frequency and Duration of the Average Golf Session

There's a reason some partners experience a feeling of being left behind, golf is known to have a time-consuming nature and can take hours to complete. We asked our respondents, both the golfers and the golfing partners, how often they play and what the average duration of their golf sessions are.

A notable 21% of the golfer’s partners disclosed that their significant others engage in the sport weekly, while an impressive 69% of them invest 3-4 hours per session on the golf course. The most frequent answer was once a month, at 27%.

Interestingly, the golfers’ responses paint a different picture. They confess to playing the sport far less frequently. Most notably, a substantial 40% mentioned playing only a couple of times a year. Once a month followed by 25%. Though a common ground emerged in terms of duration with the most common answer being an average of 3-4 hours.

Excuses, Excuses...

A revealing 15% of golfers admitted to concocting excuses for being late from the golf course. Naturally, we asked both the golfers and golf partners about some of the unusual fibs they've spun or heard. From toilet emergencies to tending to sick animals, the excuses were a diverse array. Some even slipped up, like citing a frost delay in the heart of July. And then there were those who wove intricate tales, like blaming Bill Murray's autograph frenzy for slow play...

I told my girlfriend that Bill Murray was playing ahead of us and that he was taking a long time at every hole to sign autographs and take photos with other golfers, so was holding up our play.

Meanwhile, one golf partner recounted catching her significant other in a lie. He claimed his golfing buddy “was accidentally hit while driving his golf cart and he needed to stay with him until help arrived. It was weird because his golfing buddy was in the same grocery store as me whilst I was talking to him on the phone.” Apparently, cart trouble didn’t extend to shopping carts!

The Verdict

In general, “Golf Widow” is a playful term often used in jest. However, it is clear there is a touch of reality behind it, given the actual time golfers invest on the course. Some even candidly admit to fabricating reasons for their extended golf outings. So, it can certainly come as no surprise when golfing partners find themselves identifying as a Golf Widow.

Methodology:

We surveyed 3,000 Americans on either theirs or their partners golfing habits. The age range was 18+ with all participants living in the United States.

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