US is home to nearly half of the world's golf facilities, according to R&A-funded report

ST. ANDREW'S, Scotland – The United States is home to nearly half of the world's golf's facilities, according to a report published by the sport's governing body.

The R&A funded a study by U.S.-based organization National Golf Foundation, which spent four years looking at the global development of the game.

It says there are 34,011 golf facilities in the world, 45 percent of which are in the United States and 22 percent in Europe. Nearly 80 percent of the facilities are located in the United States, Japan, Canada, England, Australia, Germany, France, Scotland, South Africa and Sweden.

The report says 696 golf courses are under construction or in advance planning and that the sport is going to new areas, with Belarus, Azerbaijan and Georgia opening their first courses in the last two years.