According to an essay published online by Answers.com, historically the distinction between amateur and professional golfers had a lot to do with social class. In 18th and 19th century Britain, golf was played by the wealthy. Early golf professionals in England were often working class men who learned to play the game and made a living from the game in a variety of ways including work as a caddy, a greens keeper, or a club maker. When golf arrived in America at the end of the 19th century, it was also considered to be an elite sport - a sport that would be played only by the wealthy. Early American private golf clubs even hired teaching professionals from Britain to teach wealthy Americans how to play the game (Professional Golfer).
According to an essay published online by Wikipedia, in developed countries the class distinction in golf is now almost entirely irrelevant because golf is affordable to a large proportion of the population. Most golf professionals from developed countries are from middle class backgrounds, but leading professional tournament golfers tend to be wealthy and part of the upper class. In developing countries, there is still a class distinction associated with who does and does not play the game of golf. In developing nations, golf is often restricted to a much smaller and more elite section of society than is the case in countries including the United States and the United Kingdom (Professional Golfer).
According to an essay by Paula King published online, the National Golf Foundation reports that the typical golfer is a white male, 39 years old, who plays 20 rounds of golf a year. Of the 26 million golfers age 12 and over currently in the United States, 5.7 million are women. That number is steadily increasing. Women comprise 39 percent of all beginning golfers. They are recognized as representing the largest growing segment of new players in the industry.
Women take more golf le...