“If we want to win the national championship, we have to boldly invest in golf clubs worth 1 million..

The prize money for the soaring park golf tournament Regular golfers move in, too “Skilled people need good equipment” Golf clubs worth 1 million won are also purchased

사진 확대 Park Golf pop-up store opened in Cheonho branch of Hyundai Department Store in Gangdong-gu, Seoul for the first time in the country. [Reporter Cha Changhee]

“If we want to win the national championship, we have to boldly invest in golf clubs worth 1 million won.”

At Hyundai Department Store Cheonho branch in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, where the first park golf pop-up store in the country was established at the end of February, seniors were constantly visiting. Organized by David Golf, the pop-up store displayed various park golf clubs by price range. A customer in his 70s who visited the store said, “We came to look at the new product to prepare for the Park Golf Tournament, which is quite expensive.”

According to related industries on the 4th, the market for related goods and clothing is fluctuating as the popularity of park golf increases. General golf is overwhelmed by foreign brands, but Park Golf is strong in domestic brands. Prices are generally lower than those of regular golf clubs, but the number of high-priced products has recently increased significantly. In fact, the price of park golf clubs ranges from 200,000 won for beginners to 2 million won for high-end premium.

Kang Yoon-ok, 67, who met at the pop-up store, played a high-end park golf club hit by using persimmon wood. “The price of park golf clubs is not cheap, but expensive golf clubs will help you perform better,” he said. “I think it’s a good investment.” The price of the park golf club is well over 1 million won.

사진 확대

According to the Korea Park Golf Association, the number of members has quadrupled in four years. The number of members increased from 45,478 in 2020 to 183,788 last year. The number of members of the Seoul Park Golf Association is also rapidly increasing from 2,961 to 11,518 during the same period.

As the popularity of park golf has soared, the prize money for the tournament is also running through the roof. This is why it is evaluated that Park Golf has entered the era of “Tran’s War.”

Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do, which is called the “Holy Land of Park Golf,” hosted a total of four national competitions last year. The amount of the MVP award in this competition amounted to 30 million won each for men and women. Green jackets and solid gold embossed trophies are a bonus here. The MVP award for the National Park Golf Tournament held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, in November last year was also set at 30 million won. The prize money for winning the national competition held in Goryeong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, in October of the same year was also 30 million won, and the standard of “winning prize = 5 million won” in the past is rapidly leveling up.

사진 확대 Park Golf pop-up store opened in Cheonho branch of Hyundai Department Store in Gangdong-gu, Seoul for the first time in the country. [Reporter Cha Changhee]

It’s not just about the winner’s prize money. As the total amount of prize money for the competition has also increased, many competitions pay up to 5 million won for the runner-up prize. Even the 10th place winner can win the prize money.

Earlier this year, the total amount of the national park golf tournament held in Gangseo-gu, Busan, reached an all-time high of 200 million won. It was evaluated as a “festival for all” as general participants who failed to win the prize could also receive a small gift for the lucky prize.

As the money poured in, a player who earned about 70 million won in prize money alone appeared. In the park golf industry, there is an evaluation that “prize funding is also possible.” In fact, about 10 semi-professionals of professional golf have recently entered the park golf industry for prize money.

사진 확대 Park Golf pop-up store opened in Cheonho branch of Hyundai Department Store in Gangdong-gu, Seoul for the first time in the country. [Reporter Cha Changhee]

Lee Young-woo, president of the Seoul Park Golf Association, said, “Since the pandemic, local governments have strengthened their investment to revive the local economy, and the popularization of park golf will accelerate as the market grows.”

As competition for the prize intensifies, the phenomenon of replacing clubs whenever the latest products are released is also spreading among golfers who want better performance. A park golf member in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, said, “It cannot be said that there is no equipment in the performance,” adding, “Since only one golf club is used unlike regular golf, many members are making a lot of investment, such as changing the club often.”