A new report from the global luxury real estate brand and Golf Life Insights provides timely data on consumer demand trends, buyer motivations, and shifting expectations around amenities, programming, and the social experience that define today's private club lifestyle.
NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Engel & Völkers, in collaboration with Golf Life Insights, a division of Golf Life Navigators, today released a 2025 End-of-Year Market Report. The findings detail market shifts and provide insights into consumer demand for golf-centric living as well as the resulting implications for private clubs, the communities they support, and real estate professionals serving this demographic.
Key Findings
- Golf clubs must prepare for the next generation of retirees. Only five years remain in the surge of retiring baby boomers. As Generation X follows next, clubs and real estate professionals serving golf communities should begin thinking ahead about what makes the next wave of members and homebuyers unique—including their expectations, preferences, financial considerations, and more.
- Real estate is a major part of the decision-making process. Nearly 80% of prospective members are searching for both the right golf club environment and home simultaneously. It behooves both clubs and area real estate professionals to collaborate on specialized service, outreach and marketing to this distinct niche of prospective buyers, keeping in mind that transition time typically spans 12-14 months.
- Proximity and location matter. While the data saw an 8% increase in consumer interest in being able to walk to the golf course, 50% of prospective members indicated they prefer to live outside the gates of their club community, a marked change that reflects a shift toward more flexible living arrangements. Real estate professionals should be well-versed in options both within and beyond the gates of private communities in order to meet the needs of prospective buyers and members.
- Beyond golf, consumers are looking for a lifestyle. 2025 saw a 6% increase in demand for holistic wellness offerings at golf clubs, with prospective members valuing weights, cardio, pickleball, group fitness and recovery services. Food and beverage offerings, a resort-style pool and micro-communities centered around interests such as wine, travel, pickleball, wellness or books play an increasingly important role in members' ultimate decision to join a club.
- Real estate budgets are rising. In 2025, the average real estate budget for prospective golf club members rose to $866,633, up from $544,125 in 2021. This indicates consumers are willing to spend in order to achieve their desired lifestyle.
"Luxury real estate and golf have always been closely intertwined," said Stuart Siegel, president and CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas. "As consumers seek more enhanced, all-inclusive lifestyle offerings, we can expect that this synergy will only grow more powerful. To that end, the exclusive subset of global Engel & Völkers advisors specializing in golf-centric living are continuously incorporating the latest data and market trends into personalized real estate strategies for each and every client."
For more information, visit: https://www.evrealestate.com/en-US/golf-lifestyle-real-estate-trends.
About Engel & Völkers
Engel & Völkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 1977, Engel & Völkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a personalized client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for today's savvy homeowner. The Engel & Völkers Network currently operates approximately 300 shop locations with approximately 6,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the global network of over 16,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate and yachting. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Völkers supports its network of advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings, and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit www.evrealestate.com.
Media Contact
Rachel Provenzano, Mission Control Marketing, 1 585-748-2201, [email protected], https://www.missioncontrol.marketing/
SOURCE Engel & Völkers
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