"There is great pride in hosting the world's first professional park golf tournament. Now is the time to grow beyond the framework of recreational sports and nurture it into a proper professional tour, like field golf."
Lee Jung-gil, 82, the renowned actor who debuted as a KBS contract talent in 1965 and has portrayed presidents, corporate chairmen, and national elders in countless productions, is these days designing the future of Korean professional park golf as chairman of the Korea Pro Park Golf Association (KPPGA).
Meeting recently with Seoul Economic Daily at the association's office in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Lee said, "Park golf can grow sustainably only when it moves beyond the recreational sports stage and establishes itself as an industry and a sports content." He added, "Creating a stage where professional players can dream and take on challenges is the association's most important role."
Since taking office as chairman of the Korea Park Golf Association in 2018 and through the launch of the KPPGA, Lee has consistently pursued park golf's "elite sportification" and "market-economy-based industrialization" over eight years. His judgment is that if it remains merely at the level of cheaply enjoyed recreational sports, the limits on attracting participants are clear.
Currently, the number of park golf players in Korea is, by unofficial estimates, on the verge of surpassing 1 million. But compared with the surging demand, infrastructure and institutional frameworks remain in their infancy, according to Lee's diagnosis.
The first stage to lead park golf's industrialization is the "2026 KPPGA Samcheok Open with High1," to be held in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, on the 23rd and 24th. According to the association, it is the first official tournament featuring the first- and second-generation professional players the association has produced, and it marks the first park golf tournament worldwide to carry the "pro" title.
The association plans to build a regular tour system starting with this tournament and to fully launch a professional player development system. Lee said, "The industry can grow together only when an environment is created in which professional players can make a living and grow into star players." He added, "I hope the Samcheok Open becomes the starting point that opens the era of Korean professional park golf."
Lee emphasized that securing fairness and trust is the top priority for the full settlement of the professional system. "Since it is the first tournament, there will be some trial and error, but we can never compromise on the transparency of the game rules and operations," he said. To this end, the association bore the budget burden and significantly expanded its tournament operations personnel. To fundamentally block cheating such as misreporting strokes, it will deploy a total of 18 officials per hole and will more strictly manage the duties of markers within the same group.
Equipment standardization is also one of the key tasks the association is pursuing. Currently, domestic park golf equipment specifications rely heavily on Japanese standards, and controversies over fairness from the use of some modified equipment continue. Lee said, "On the professional stage, certified equipment must be used under identical conditions." He added, "Within six months, we will establish our own certified club and certified ball standards tailored to Koreans' body types and modern sports criteria, and in the long term, we plan to pursue international standardization linked to markets such as North America."
Lee also cited the creation of dedicated venues where professional players can compete stably as an urgent task. Currently, most park golf courses remain recreational sports facilities of the 66-stroke standard, built by local governments for residents' welfare. In response, the association is pushing to create 72-stroke professional-only courses that take into account gallery flow and broadcast infrastructure. Lee said, "I expect that within two to three years, dedicated courses with private capital participation will begin to emerge in earnest." He explained, "Related discussions are underway in some regions, including Pocheon in Gyeonggi Province and Gimhae in South Gyeongsang Province."
The plan to utilize par-3 courses from field golf is also drawing attention as a realistic alternative. Lee said, "The Westwood & Phoenix Park Golf Course in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, converted a par-3 course into a park golf course and is achieving results in attracting visitors." He added, "Using existing golf infrastructure makes it possible to secure large-scale courses relatively quickly, so benchmarking moves are continuing in other regions as well."
Repeatedly emphasizing the word "creation" throughout the interview, Lee explained that the acting life he devoted his entire life to and his management of the association are essentially connected. "An actor is a profession that must always prepare a different color beneath the surface and form a deep bond with the public," he said. "The industrialization of sports is likewise a process of creation that builds social consensus on the essence, upholds the values of compromise and moderation amid diverse interests, and generates new value."
Having served as chairman of the support association for the Korea Social Welfare Society for 16 years and obtained a bachelor's degree in social welfare at age 79, among other steady involvement in the welfare field, Lee stressed that he will not let go of the values of welfare and coexistence even amid industrial growth through professionalization. "Once the market stabilizes, I want to expand specialized tournaments and social contribution programs for the disabled and vulnerable groups," he said. "I am convinced that park golf can grow into a sport that not only embraces the marginalized but also bridges generations and classes. My role is to protect the warm essence that park golf possesses," he said emphatically.
