DRIVING ranges across the UK have been reaping the rewards from Europe’s dramatic Ryder Cup triumph over the last week as the numbers playing golf have increased.According to a survey conducted by the Golf Research Group, the Ryder Cup has had a greater impact than any of the other major events in the game.”With the Wimbledon tennis championships, once the tournament is over, tennis courts all over the country experience a surge in attendance,” said Julie Wilson of the Golf Research Group.

Driving range attendance Nationally, 43% of golf courses include some homes or condos. Five states have no golf course developments, according to Golf Research Group: “Likewise with golf, the only way to judge any impact is to look at driving ranges at the time of and immediately following a televised tournament.”And the figures showed a 13.8 per cent increase in numbers heading to the driving range in the first three days after the Ryder Cup had finished.”We have had a lot of calls into our office saying that the reason numbers of golfers has stayed static since the early 90s is because when tournaments are shown on Sky, golf goes dark because it doesn’t reach the wider audience. But that doesn’t seem to be the case,” said Wilson.Sky though is more cautious in their view. “I don’t think we can take credit for that,” said Julian Sheldon of Sky. “We are trying to promote golf for 52 weeks of the year not just for a few days after a tournament.”