Public golf courses in South Korea averaged 85,642 visitors per 18-hole course last year, according to the Korea Public Golf Course Association.
The association, headed by Chairman Woo Jeong-seok, announced Wednesday that the average number of visitors to public golf courses nationwide reached 85,642 per 18-hole course last year, down 4.2% from 89,376 in 2024. Visitor numbers have been declining every year since 2022.
Green fees at public courses in the Seoul metropolitan area also dropped. Weekday fees fell 8.2% to 146,000 won from 159,000 won in 2024, while weekend fees declined 8.7% to 188,000 won. Courses outside the capital region saw average fees decrease by approximately 1 to 2 percent.
The Korea Public Golf Course Association held its 2026 annual general meeting on Tuesday at Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and announced a total budget of approximately 1.696 billion won for this year. At the meeting's awards ceremony for excellence in golf course management innovation, Bellastone CC CEO Hong Jae-won and Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture & Tourism Corporation President Kim Nam-il received the top honors.
Meanwhile, the Korea Golf Course Management Association, headed by Chairman Choi Dong-ho, announced on the 18th that total visitors to the nation's 524 golf courses reached approximately 46.41 million last year, down roughly 1 million (2.1%) from approximately 47.41 million in 2024. The survey showed that 152 membership courses recorded approximately 14.57 million visitors, while 372 public courses drew approximately 31.84 million visitors.