Aspen annually tracks SFIA core participation, meaning children who played sports on a regular basis. Between 2019 – the year before COVID hit – and 2025, tennis’ core participation increased by 72% among youth ages 6-12 and by 46% for ages 13-17.
What’s fueling this growth? According to the USTA, youth who started playing tennis in the past year were motivated to join because they:
Heard about the health benefits
Were looking for a new way to socialize
Wanted to be part of a community
Heard a lot about tennis
Saw tennis in pop culture
Saw fashion trends around tennis
Played another racquet sport
Participation in tennis among all ages has grown for seven consecutive years, even with, or perhaps aided by, the rise of pickleball. Eight in 10 tennis players plan to continue playing recreationally after they are done with organized tennis, according to USTA research.
“Knowing that coaches are the most impactful influence on the youth tennis experience, USTA Coaching has also invested in making sure there are more quality coaches to deliver positive experiences,” said Craig Morris, CEO of USTA Coaching, and a member of the 63X30 roundtable of national organizations that Aspen convenes to get more kids playing sports..
Meanwhile, golf’s core participation from 2019 to 2025 increased by 55% among youth ages 6-12 and 73% for ages 13-17. Golf surged during the pandemic and has sustained that growth through efforts to redefine how people first experience the sport.
“The industry has made a concerted and focused effort to grow junior golf with programs like PGA Jr. League, Drive, Chip and Putt, First Tee, Youth on Course, Operation 36, Girls Golf and more,” said Steve Tanner, PGA senior director of player engagement and a member of the Aspen Institute’s 63X30 roundtable. “Additionally, many PGA Sections offer junior tours that create pathways for kids to develop and grow with the sport. While we should be proud of growing the sport to 4 million youth, the reality is that this returns the sport to similar levels as the early 2000s.”
Who’s playing golf is dramatically changing. According to the PGA, girls currently represent 35% of junior golfers and minorities represent 26% of them. That’s significantly higher than 20 years ago when girls comprised 15% of junior golfers and minorities represented 6%. New programs are helping to drive these shifting demographics.
“The image of golf before COVID was that it’s a sport for only old people and mostly males,” said Emily Denes, director of development at First Tee – Phoenix. “It’s quite a transition for golf from what it used to be.”
More golf courses have adjusted from 18 holes to shorter rounds, recognizing that not everyone wants to play for many hours. Night golf gained popularity with par-3 courses and music playing to attract younger people. Putting courses emerged for those interested in only their short game. And technology has fueled interest, such as indoor golf simulators, tracer technology on driving ranges showing how far and fast a ball was hit, and venues like Topgolf and PopStroke offering informal golf games using tech.
“In the last couple years, you see with kids on social media, it’s kind of hip or cool to be involved with golf,” said Scott McNevin, executive director of the Junior Golf Association of Arizona. “You see a lot more celebrities golfing, like LeBron James has a YouTube channel where he’s golfing. It’s a lot different than it used to be and a lot more kids want to get involved in the game.”