The practice environment used by professional golf tour players is moving into apartment complexes. Global brand TrackMan, along with domestic brands Golfzon, Kakao VX, and GTSN, are aggressively targeting this market with golf simulators.
According to the golf industry on the 14th, TrackMan, a launch monitor that displays various shot data, has been installed at a golf hitting bay within the community facilities of "Hanwha Forena Jeju Edu City," currently being presold in Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju. It is the first time TrackMan has been installed in a multi-family housing complex in Korea.
TrackMan is the world's No. 1 launch monitor, using missile-tracking principles to produce an effect equivalent to 20,000 frames of imaging per second. As it generates a wide range of data, it is a premium simulator mainly used by tour players who must execute technical shots depending on the situation. For this community center supply, TrackMan developed a newly redesigned product that allows the device, previously sold mainly for studio use, to be utilized in open spaces. "The 17 club and ball data points that world-class tour players on circuits such as the U.S. PGA Tour rely on can now be experienced within apartment communities," a TrackMan official said. "Because apartment community costs are paid out of residents' management fees, cost-effectiveness used to be the top priority, but recently, brand recognition and the inclusion of cutting-edge features have also become important criteria."
Golfzon recently launched a simulator rental business for apartment complexes based on a monthly fee model. The service allows residents to use the latest devices, including an artificial intelligence (AI) shot diagnosis function, on a rental basis. Since there is no initial cost burden, it is expected to bring fresh momentum to the market.
GTSN, the leader in the apartment community market, is focusing on boosting usage rates by hosting screen golf tournaments for residents who have installed its devices, and by preparing events that allow usage points to be redeemed for products such as golf balls and golf umbrellas. "Perhaps due to the economic downturn, the number of people practicing golf inside their apartment complexes rather than at private practice ranges is growing significantly," a GTSN official said. "In line with market trends, we are also pursuing differentiation by developing an all-in-one simulator that does not require installing a sensor on the ceiling."
