How to Find Golf Partners in the UK & Ireland (Without Joining a Club)
Golf is doing brilliantly on courses, competitions and content, but it’s still missing the glue.
Golf in the UK and Ireland is in a strong place right now. Not just on Tour, but where it matters most: weekend rounds, twilight nines, winter roll ups, and the steady hunt for a better swing.
If you zoom out, three parts of the game are thriving:
Courses are improving fast
Competitions are more varied, and more fun, than ever
Content has made learning golf easier than it’s ever been
And yet loads of golfers are still playing less than they’d like.
Why?
Because the hardest part of golf often isn’t finding a course, it’s finding your people.
TL;DR: The quickest ways to find golf partners (UK and Ireland)
If you’re searching “golf buddies near me” or “how to find golf partners”, start here:
Join a local golf WhatsApp or community group (fastest way to meet players)
Ask your driving range or simulator venue about leagues and socials
Enter scrambles, roll ups and team events (low pressure, sociable formats)
Book onto open events and visitor days
Post a simple buddy finder message: area + handicap + when you play
If you want the most straightforward option, skip to the bottom and join the free My Friendly Golf Club WhatsApp community.
Courses: the golf experience has never been better
Across the UK and Ireland, courses and clubs have made huge strides in how they welcome golfers and improve the day to day experience.
You can see it everywhere:
Better booking and access: online tee times, smoother visitor journeys, more flexible playing options
More ways to play: par 3s, short loops, winter packages, twilight golf
Upgraded facilities: modern practice areas, tech enabled ranges, better clubhouses and food
If you’ve searched for “best golf courses near me”, “pay and play golf UK”, or “golf membership options”, you’ll know how much choice there is now, and how many venues are working hard to make golf feel more accessible.
Competitions: more formats, more fun, more chances to play
Golf competitions have evolved beyond the old “serious only” image.
Yes, there are still medals and stablefords. But there’s far more appetite for formats that are sociable, quicker, and less intimidating:
Scrambles and team events
Roll ups and weekly leagues
Opens and society days
Winter comps and fun formats
Mixed events and social series
So if you’re searching “golf competitions near me” or “open golf events UK”, the calendar is full.
Content: golf has never been easier to learn (or love)
Golf content has exploded, and it’s genuinely making the sport better.
Whether you’re searching “golf tips for beginners”, “how to improve my golf swing”, or just want something to watch on your commute, there’s endless:
Coaching clips and step by step tutorials
Equipment reviews and fitting advice
YouTube series, podcasts, creator golf
Tour highlights and storylines that keep the sport buzzing
Golf is inspiring more people, teaching faster, and entertaining better than ever.
So why do so many golfers still feel stuck?
Because despite all of the above, golf can still feel socially hard to access.
Many golfers search things like:
how to find golf partners
golf buddies near me
social golf groups UK
beginner friendly golf group
golf community Ireland
Because the game does a great job providing the what (courses, comps, content) but not always the who.
You might recognise these:
I’d play more if I had a regular group
I don’t want to join somewhere and feel like an outsider
I’m not good enough to turn up to a comp alone
My mates don’t play, but I still want to
This is where golf loses people, not because they don’t like the sport, but because they can’t easily find their people within it.
And that’s exactly what community fixes.
9 practical ways to find golf partners in the UK and Ireland
If you want more golf in your life, here are the most reliable routes:
1) Join a golf WhatsApp or community group
This is the fastest way to turn “I want to play” into an actual tee time.
Look for groups that are:
welcoming to all abilities
active (people actually post tee times)
organised by area or interest
2) Ask your driving range about social leagues
Ranges are often the most overlooked community hubs in golf. Many run:
weekly leagues
winter ladders
group coaching blocks
social nights and competitions
3) Use simulator venues as a social shortcut
Sims remove the awkwardness because everyone’s there to hit balls, have a laugh, and play quick formats.
They’re perfect if you:
don’t have a regular group
want golf after work
prefer something relaxed in winter
4) Play scrambles and team events
Scrambles are the cheat code for meeting golfers. Sociable, low pressure, and you’re never on your own.
5) Turn up to roll ups (even if you feel nervous)
Roll ups look intimidating until you’ve done one. Most are friendlier than you expect, and they’re built for meeting people.
6) Enter open events and society days
Even one open event a month can kickstart your golf circle.
7) Book tee times at busy “community courses”
Some venues naturally create repeat faces. The kind of place where you start recognising people and it becomes easy to connect.
8) Ask a fitter or pro who runs beginner friendly groups
Fitters and pros know exactly who:
plays regularly
wants a game
is open to meeting others
A simple “Do you know any social groups around here?” can unlock a lot.
9) Post a simple buddy finder message
This works everywhere (WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, club forums). Keep it simple:
Area:
Handicap or level:
When you play:
What you’re looking for: 9 holes, weekend 18, casual, comps
It’s amazing how many golfers are in the same boat. They just need someone to go first.
The missing piece is belonging (and that’s what we’re building)
My Friendly Golf Club exists to be the community layer that turns golf from something you try to fit around life into something you actually belong in.
It’s not here to replace courses, clubs or competitions. It’s here to make them better by doing the one thing that changes everything:
Helping golfers connect across the UK and Ireland, at every level.
Join the My Friendly Golf Club WhatsApp community
The WhatsApp community is a simple first step: free, welcoming, and open to all abilities.
It’s a place to:
find golf partners and new playing groups
organise social rounds and meet ups
feel comfortable turning up (without the awkwardness)
make golf more regular, more relaxed, and more fun
To join, share your area + handicap (or beginner/returner) + when you like to play, and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Because golf doesn’t grow through more content alone.
It grows when people feel included.
Golf’s next big leap is community
Courses will keep improving.
Competitions will keep evolving.
Content will keep booming.
But the thing that turns all of that into more rounds, more enjoyment, and more golfers staying in the game is simple: Community.
Come play. Come laugh. Come belong.
Welcome to My Friendly Golf Club.
