This thesis aims to explain, both empirically and theoretically, the process of market formation and marketing’s role in this regard. Conducted through the theoretical lens of figurational sociology, the study analyses data from the late 1800s to the early 2000s in Ireland, focusing on the Irish golf market. It contends that processes typically considered outside the market mechanism not only contributed to the development of Irish golf but ultimately shaped the market as we know it today. The most significant of these were examined under the following headings: The Quest for Excitement and the Making of Modern Irish Golf, The Democratisation of Irish Golf, and The Importance of Pacified Social Spaces. The research found that golf’s original association with Ireland’s social elite was a key determinant in the rising appetite for the sport, particularly among the ascendant middle class, who used golf to legitimise their social status. The upper classes’ reluctance to share access heightened golf’s appeal and drove demand. An established/outsider figuration emerged, and shifting power dynamics led to class democratisation and increased marketisation. Religious and gender democratisation were similarly impactful. The need for pacified social spaces was also identified as integral to marketisation. The study found that both inter- and intra-state conflict disrupted this process, and that broader social processes connected to such disruption, including intergroup dynamics and identity formation, could have lasting effects on market growth. Regarding the relationship between marketing and marketisation, the research found that marketisation was shaped by broader social processes, such as the quest for excitement and sportisation, and occurred in an unplanned fashion. Initially, its development was not the intent of golfers or club officials. Early marketing was undertaken not by golf clubs themselves, but by third parties, most notably railway companies. The study concludes by reiterating the importance of considering how figurational interdependencies at different levels of social integration shape market formation. It also explores how the figurational perspective connects with Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the Industrial Marketing & Purchasing (IMP) Group, and economics, and how it can contribute to a more holistic understanding of social and economic processes.