Public Golf Course Fees Reduced by 2%... 'Weekday 176,400 Won'

Korea Leisure Industry Institute Publishes 'Leisure White Paper'
2.1% Decrease in Saturdays as of January Last Year

A survey revealed that the course usage fee (green fee) at domestic public golf courses dropped by 2% compared to October last year.

Jeonbuk Gochang Country Club Exterior View

According to the 'Leisure White Paper 2023' published on the 18th by the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute, the course usage fee for 231 public golf courses with 18 holes or more (excluding Jeju Island) was recorded as 176,400 KRW on weekdays and 221,400 KRW on Saturdays as of May this year. Compared to one year ago, weekday fees increased by 1.6%, and Saturday fees remained the same; however, compared to October last year, weekday fees decreased by 1.8% and Saturday fees by 2.1%. After the COVID-19 pandemic, golf course fees in the metropolitan area, Gangwon, and Chungbuk, where fees had risen significantly, showed a downward trend, while fees at local public golf courses slightly increased.

The average course usage fee as of May this year for 197 golf courses likely to be designated as public golf courses was 166,300 KRW on weekdays and 209,800 KRW on Saturdays, showing a 0.7% increase on weekdays and a 0.7% decrease on Saturdays compared to one year ago. In May last year, the National Assembly revised the Sports Facilities Installation and Use Act to classify golf courses into membership and non-membership types, allowing non-membership golf courses that meet certain requirements such as usage fees to be designated as public golf courses and receive government tax support. Those wishing to be designated as public golf courses must set their course usage fees lower than 188,000 KRW on weekdays and 247,000 KRW on weekends.

Director Seocheon Beom stated, "Since the government’s proposed maximum green fee is applied as an average, there is an issue where fees can be set higher during certain time slots and lower during others," adding, "Although the non-membership system was introduced to reduce green fees at expensive public golf courses, the perceived reduction effect for users is minimal due to reasons like this." The 'Leisure White Paper 2023' is the only publication in the domestic leisure industry sector and has been published for the 23rd time this year.

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