The park golf course that opened last year in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, has a scale of 90 holes, making it the largest in the country at that time. Following this, a park golf course with a scale of 108 holes is being promoted in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do, aiming for an opening next year. Additionally, Gunwi-gun, Daegu, plans to gradually construct a park golf course with a scale of 180 holes.
Local governments are competing for the title of 'largest park golf course in the country.' There is a motive to respond to the demand from the middle-aged and elderly residents who enjoy park golf in the area. In addition, the belief that attracting park golf enthusiasts from other regions could help revitalize the local economy appears to be influencing this trend.
◇The park golf course, which first emerged in 2000, will see 411 opened nationwide in 2024
The first park golf course in the country was established in 2000. It opened as a 6-hole course in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do. The first officially recognized park golf course was the 9-hole Han River Park Golf Course in Yeouido, Seoul, which opened in 2004. Since then, park golf courses with scales of 18 holes, 27 holes, 36 holes, 45 holes, and 54 holes have been established across the nation.
Park golf gained popularity as a sport that can be enjoyed outdoors at a low cost, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of members of the Korea Park Golf Association was recorded at 183,788 last year. This represents more than four times the membership count of 45,478 in 2020. According to statistics, the number of park golf course users nationwide during 2023 reached 12.77 million.
To build a 9-hole park golf course, a land area of 8,250 square meters is required. Local governments, which find it difficult to secure land in urban areas, are developing park golf courses around rivers.
River occupancy permits for the establishment of park golf courses have also increased since 2020. From 2000 to 2010, local governments received five river occupancy permits from organizations such as the Ministry of Environment. The number of permits granted increased to 77 from 2011 to 2020. Furthermore, from 2021 to 2024, the number of permits surged to 135.
According to the Park Golf Association, there are 411 park golf courses in the country as of last year. Since starting with 254 courses in 2020, this number has steadily increased to 303 in 2021, 329 in 2022, and 374 in 2023.
◇Competition intensifies among local governments over the size of park golf courses
The competition among local governments to establish park golf courses is evolving into a competition over size. Currently, the largest park golf course in the country has a scale of 90 holes. It opened last July in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Previously, the largest park golf course was the 81-hole course in Yangpyeong, which maintained its position as the biggest since it opened in 2015 until it lost the title after nine years.
The competition among local governments for the title of the largest park golf course in the country continues. Gunwi-gun, Daegu, is in the process of establishing a park golf course with a scale of 180 holes. This will be twice the size of the current largest park golf course in Changwon (90 holes). The plan includes partially opening an 81-hole park golf course this year and adding a 99-hole park golf course after 2027.
Chungcheongnam-do is in the process of establishing a park golf course with a scale of 108 holes in Cheongyang-gun. It intends to consist of three sections of 36 holes each. The goal is to open next year.
The reason local governments are rushing to build large-scale park golf courses is that they expect a positive impact on the revitalization of the local economy. Chungcheongnam-do projects that when the 108-hole park golf course opens next year, it will attract 1,800 visitors, totaling 400,000 visitors annually.
In fact, the 81-hole Hwasun Park Golf Course, which opened last October, began official operations in January of this year and has reportedly surpassed 35,000 cumulative visitors in just four months. Among these, the proportion of visitors from outside the Hwasun area exceeds 75%.