Public Golf Courses: Jinchon Records 57.8% Operating Profit Margin
Membership Courses: Seoseoul Country Club Tops List at 41.8%
Down 2.8% and 1.9% Respectively Compared to 2024
Golfzon County Jinchon and Seoseoul Country Club have been identified as golf courses with high operating profit margins.
According to the “Leisure White Paper 2026” published by the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute on May 28, Golfzon County Jinchon, a public golf course located in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province (27 holes), recorded an operating profit margin of 57.8%. This public golf course achieved a high profit margin after Golfzon County acquired Art Valley, which had previously operated as a membership course, and converted it into a public course.
Golfzon County Jinchon ranked first in operating profit margin among public golf courses. Photo by Golfzon County
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Winchester Golf Club (Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, 18 holes) ranked second among public courses with an operating profit margin of 57.1%. Jungwon Golf Club (Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, 27 holes), operated by the Local Government Officials’ Mutual Aid Association, placed third with 56.4%. Iksan Country Club (Iksan, North Jeolla Province, 24 holes) ranked fourth with 56.3%, while The Crosby Golf Club was fifth at 56.0%.
Nam Yeoju Golf Club (Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, 27 holes), known among golfers for its cost-effectiveness, ranked seventh with an operating profit margin of 55.2%. Built with the public golf course development fees paid by ten membership golf courses, Nam Yeoju Golf Club also ranked 57th in sales revenue.
By region, the number of public golf courses in the Seoul metropolitan area was four, a decrease of three from 2024. There are three in the Yeongnam region, two in the Chungcheong region, and one in the Honam region. By course size, both 18-hole and 27-hole courses were represented by five facilities each. The average operating profit margin for public golf courses last year was 55.7%, down 2.8 percentage points from 2024.
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Among membership golf courses, Seoseoul Country Club (Paju, Gyeonggi Province, 18 holes) of the Hoban Construction Group ranked first with an operating profit margin of 41.8%. Bora Country Club (Ulju, Ulsan, 27 holes) ranked second with 38.9%, and Gihung Country Club (Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, 36 holes), in which the Korea Retired Police Officers Association holds a 50% stake, ranked third with 37.7%. Hansung Country Club (Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, 27 holes, 36.4%) and Goseong Nobel Country Club (Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, 27 holes, 36.3%) followed.
The average operating profit margin for membership golf courses was 36.6%, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points from 2024. By region, there were six membership golf courses in the Seoul metropolitan area, the highest number among the regions, and four in the Yeongnam region. By course size, there were five 27-hole courses, four 18-hole courses, and one 36-hole course.
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Suh Cheonbeom, head of the Leisure Industry Research Institute, said, “Profit margins were higher for golf courses located near major cities such as the Seoul metropolitan area, which have a large golfing population, and for those operating 27 holes. This year, due to economic downturns in Korea resulting from the U.S.-Iran war, there is a high possibility that operating profit margins for golf courses will decrease to pre-COVID-19 levels.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
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