A survey reveals that more than 59,000 adults have taken to the fairways with only athletics, football and cycling enjoying a higher number.
The figures represent a massive boost for the game as it looks to secure significant funding from Sport England to continue growth.
The survey was based on participation for at least 30 minutes once a week.
In addition, a second Active People Survey conducted by Sport England revealed more encouraging figures with almost 90,000 more adults playing at least once a month compared to two years ago, which is considered a significant change.
Consequently, there are more than 1.5m players in England, putting golf among the top seven activities in the country.
The results have been welcomed by the England Golf Partnership, whose members are the PGA, the English Golf Union and the Women's Golf Association.
It had predicted it would take until 2013 to achieve such an increase in participation.
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