Despite Record-Breaking Boom in Golf Wear... 'Kids Golfers' Have Nowhere to Go

Golf Population Under 13 Increases Over 15% in 3 Years
Young Children Struggle to Find Golf Wear
Some Products Prioritize Function Over Design... Lower Satisfaction

With the golf season underway, a flood of new golf wear products boasting flashy and stylish designs is hitting the market.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seohee] Mr. Im Seonggyu (37, male), who recently started learning golf with his elementary school child, had an awkward experience when he stopped by a department store. Despite visiting all the golf apparel stores in the department store, he could not find a size that fit his child. Eventually, following a friend's advice, Mr. Im purchased kids' golf wear from an overseas direct purchase site. He said, "I realized for the first time that none of the popular domestic golf brands have launched a kids' line," adding, "Although I can use overseas online shopping malls, I always feel regretful because I cannot try the clothes on directly."

According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute on the 20th, the domestic golf wear market size increased from 4.6 trillion won in 2019 to 6.335 trillion won this year. The industry analyzes that the golf wear industry benefited from the increase in the golf population due to COVID-19. Moreover, as the fashion- and trend-sensitive MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) massively joined the golf population, the sales scale of golf wear exploded.

Although the golf wear market is experiencing an unprecedented boom, it is difficult to find 'kids' golf wear for children in lower elementary grades or younger in Korea. Global brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour do release kids-only lines, but these products generally focus more on functionality than design, resulting in lower satisfaction for those who prioritize design. Also, since these are sold through overseas direct purchase sites, customs duties apply, and inventory is limited, making purchasing difficult.

Among these, young golf players participating in competitions feel even more inconvenienced. They need to wear professional golf wear that considers both functionality and design, but it is hard to find products that fit their bodies perfectly.

According to the registration statistics of players announced by the Korea Golf Association, the number of children players aged 13 and under (sports teams and clubs/associations) increased by more than 15% over three years: 439 in 2019, 441 in 2020, and 506 in 2021. As the number of child players increases, the demand for kids' golf wear inevitably grows.

Children in lower elementary grades or younger complain that they have to endure considerable inconvenience to find golf wear that fits. They explain that they either find adult women's golf wear with smaller sizes and alter them or use casual wear with high mobility as a substitute for golf wear.

Industry insiders understand the difficulties faced by these young golfers but say that launching dedicated product lines is burdensome because the domestic 'kids golfer' market size is not yet large.

A public relations official from Chris F&C, the number one golf wear company in Korea, said, "We recognize that children have difficulties purchasing golf wear due to limited options," but added, "However, since the domestic kids golfer market is still small, launching dedicated product lines is burdensome from a corporate perspective."

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