The 2017 Korea Golf Index, recently released by the Korea Golf Association, said the golf population was 6.36 million. Considering the fact that the number of spectators entering the most popular professional baseball league in Korea was 8.4 million last year, the golf population in Korea is enormous.
A Japanese golf media outlet reported the announcement under the title “6.7 million Japanese golfers and 6.36 million Korean golfers?”Japan’s productivity headquarters announced that Japan’s golf population was 6.7 million last year.Japan, a country with a population of 126.8 million, is also a golf giant with more than 2,200 golf courses.It is strange if Korea and Japan, which have a population of less than half that of Japan and about 500 golf courses, have similar golf populations. When looking at LPGA and PGA competitions, Koreans’ performance is particularly outstanding.In the women’s competition, Koreans and Koreans are definitely ranked in the top rankings. It’s really a tremendous standout.
The director of the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute explains, “It was caused by different definitions of the golf population.”According to a 2017 social survey conducted by the National Statistical Office last year, Korea’s golf population was about 3.86 million, the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute estimated.The National Statistical Office said it surveyed about 39,000 household members aged 13 or older residing in 25,704 sample households, and 6.7 percent of them went out to golf courses at least once within a year.
Their average number of rounds was 9.4 per year.Based on the total number of golf course visitors (36.31 million) and the average number of rounds (9.4 times), the Korea Leisure Industry Institute calculated that the golf population in Korea was 3.87 million.In other words, only one person played the round on the golf course with the golf population.Both Japan and the United States calculate the golf population on this basis. Based on this standard, the U.S. golf population is 23.75 million as of last year.The 6.36 million golf population announced by the Korea Golf Association included “people who have played golf more than once in golf courses, indoor and outdoor golf practice ranges, and screen golf courses over the past year.”In other words, the meaning of the “golf population” was different from that of Japan, which does not count as the golf population for those who only went to the practice range.Even so, the fact that Korea’s golf fever is never inferior to golf giants the United States and Japan remains unchanged. Statistics show that golf is a popular sport enjoyed by the middle class, he said. “The government policy and the golf industry should recognize that golf has become popular enough and carry out policy and marketing activities.” Currently, however, the Korean golf industry, especially golf courses, costs about $200, and membership is about $100,000 to $1 million. Booking of popular golf courses is full bookings because it is only packed every weekday and weekend, and it is more expensive than anywhere else in the United States, Japan, and Europe. Due to this popularity, Korea is now seen as a flood of golf club brands and golf clothing.Various TV channels broadcast domestic and foreign competitions and even organize channels with celebrities. Even the lesson academy, teaching professionals, tour professionals, etc. focus the public’s attention
KilSung Choi
ASIA JOURNAL
