Popularized 'Golf', Increase in Patent Applications Incorporating Convergence Technologies

Graph of patent application trends in the domestic golf industry from 2011 to 2020. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Patent applications related to golf are rapidly increasing. This is largely attributed to golf becoming a popular sport among the general public.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 6th, 509 golf-related patents were filed last year, an increase of 100 applications compared to 408 in 2019.

In particular, during this period, there was a notable rise in patent applications for convergence technologies such as screen golf, AI service distance measuring devices, as well as posture correction technologies including swing correction tools, glasses, and robots.

Convergence technologies encompass applied technologies such as the Internet of Things, virtual/augmented/mixed reality, and artificial intelligence, while posture correction technologies cover additional functions for analyzing or correcting athletic posture.

The increase in patent applications for these technologies is interpreted as a result of various attempts to integrate advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance visual immersion, course strategy, and posture correction, reflecting golfers’ interest in distance and accuracy in the market.

Over the past decade, growth trends by technology field have been clear in golf accessories and practice devices. Technologies that ensure accuracy and convenience, such as golf tees to prevent slices, hooks, or loss, and devices measuring direction, distance, and slope like distance and putting meters, have attracted industry attention.

Additionally, technologies for analyzing and correcting swing and putting posture, sensing and control technologies for screen golf, and golf practice devices offering expert techniques as personalized services are also becoming mainstream in patent applications.

By applicant status, domestic applicants filed 3,470 applications (85%), holding a relatively larger share compared to foreign applicants with 623 applications (15%).

Especially, patent applications for golf products applying convergence technologies or incorporating posture correction technologies were led by domestic individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises, accounting for 96% and 94% respectively, highlighting the prominent role of domestic applicants in technology development.

Kim Ju-sik, an examiner at the Lifestyle Goods Examination Division of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, stated, “As the golf industry has enjoyed a boom due to COVID-19, the growth rate of the golf market has accelerated. In this situation, for our companies to secure competitiveness through intellectual property rights preemption, it is important to develop new materials that improve the quality of golf balls and golf clubs, which have the largest market size and highest added value.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.