The survey by KPMG, the financial advisory group, shows that there was a net loss of 46,000 registered golfers in 2011.

The UK and Ireland, the continent's biggest golf market, experienced a decline of 42,700 registered golfers, equivalent to 3.1 per cent, with Sweden (down 21,000; 4.1 per cent) and Spain (down 9,700; 2.9 per cent) also registering reductions.

The figures probably reflect the pressure on living standards in the UK and other parts of Europe.

They also suggest that the sport's addition to the Olympic programme for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 is well-timed.

Golf has grown rapidly in recent times, with the number of golfers more than tripling since the 1980s, the number of golf courses doubling and the sport's geographic footprint expanding.

Some countries, including Germany, Europe's second-biggest golf market, continued to experience participation growth, even last year.

Other still-expanding markets included the Netherlands, Finland and the Czech Republic.

Golf remains a male-dominated sport in Europe, with 65 per cent of all players being men, 25 per cent women and 10 per cent juniors.

Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG's golf advisory practice in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "While the growth of golf started to slow down after 2005, last year was the first time there was an actual decrease in registered golfers.

"The decline can be attributed to two factors: the reduction in the number of golfers in some of Europe's largest golf markets, especially the UK and Ireland, and the lack of dynamic growth in Europe's emerging markets, specifically eastern Europe and the south-east Mediterranean."

The number of officially recognised golf participants in the UK and Ireland stood at 1.33 million, versus just over 600,000 in Germany, the next biggest market.

The report, The Golf Participation in Europe 2011 survey by KPMG's golf advisory practice, is free to download here.

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