Caddie fees at public golf courses in South Korea have risen nearly 80% over the past 20 years, according to a new survey.
Data released by the Korea Golf Consumer Agency on the 19th showed that per-team caddie fees at domestic public golf courses increased 78.9%, from 81,800 won in 2006 to 146,300 won this year.
By year, per-team caddie fees rose from 80,000 won in 2004 to 100,000 won in 2020, 120,000 won in 2014, and 150,000 won from 2023 onward.
Caddie fees have nearly doubled over the past two decades, primarily due to caddie shortages.
According to the data, fees have been rising to 160,000 won starting in 2025, particularly in parts of Gangwon Province and the Incheon area.
Among 406 golf courses surveyed for per-team caddie fees (18 holes or more, as of February 2026), 306 courses—75.4% of the total—charge 150,000 won. Sixty-four courses charge 140,000 won, while 18 courses each charge 160,000 won and 170,000 won respectively. Most courses in the Yeongnam region charge 140,000 won per team, though an increasing number are raising fees to 150,000 won this year.
Total caddie fee expenditures by golf course users reached 1.78 trillion won last year, with individual golfers spending approximately 320,000 won annually.
"The proposed amendment to the standard golf course usage terms, which Rep. Park Jung-hoon of the People Power Party requested to the Fair Trade Commission in November 2025, includes provisions prohibiting mandatory cart and caddie services as well as forced four-player rounds," said Seo Cheon-beom, director of the Korea Golf Consumer Agency. "We hope that regulations banning mandatory caddie services will be reflected in the standard terms to resolve longstanding caddie-related issues. While we welcome the diversification of caddie fee payment methods to include credit cards, this should not lead to further fee increases. This is an opportunity to introduce a caddie rating system that allows differentiated fees based on caddie performance."