Victoria Golf Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. (image: Victoria Golf Club)
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s green fees for public golf courses are more than twice as expensive as those in Japan, according to recent data.
Green fee is a common term used at all golf courses. It is the set fee golfers must pay at the pro shop or clubhouse in order to gain access to the course.
The nation’s weekday green fees for public courses was estimated at 143,800 won (US$126.62) for the month of October, about 2.3 times higher than green fees in Japan, the Korea Leisure Industry Institute said Thursday.
When including cart rental and caddy fees, the green fee gap between the two countries widened to about three times.
The institute said that unlike in South Korea, it’s common to play golf without caddies at Japan’s public courses. In addition, the cart use fee is lower or free in Japan.
In 2011, South Korea’s green fees for public courses were about 20 percent higher than those of Japan.
Over the past nine years, South Korea’s weekday green fees for public courses jumped by 30.6 percent, while those of Japan fell by 16.7 percent.
The primary factor behind the surge in South Korea’s green fees is the limited supply of public golf courses despite ever-increasing demand. In contrast, Japan’s golf demand somewhat declined while the supply of public golf courses was sufficient.
In particular, South Korea’s green fees recently skyrocketed as more people flocked to public courses due to the impossibility of overseas golf trips resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
