Professional equipment standards and usage rules will be applied for the first time at Korea's first professional park golf tournament.
According to the Korea Professional Park Golf Association (KPPGA) on the 23rd, at the first professional tournament "2026 KPPGA Samcheok Open with High1," held on the 23rd-24th of this month at Dogye Park Golf Course in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, only equipment designated by the association among gear manufactured by 15 "technical partner" companies selected by the association may be used. Players using other equipment cannot participate in the tournament at all.
In the process of selecting technical partners, the association comprehensively evaluated product safety, quality control systems, stable supply and after-sales service (A/S) capabilities, and the potential for player support. Club head materials and structure, shaft length and strength, and ball rebound and durability were also among the key review criteria.
The technical partners and approved equipment selected by the association are: Tomok Korea (TP-6); PIPOT (PIPOT GENTLY, PIPOT TWINKLE); Pileo Mizuno (HF03, MS04); Keystone (MK-PRO, MK-MASTER); Woongjin Development (Hole-in-One WJ-1, Hole-in-One WJ-2); K-Parkro (Dr.Pro-N); New World Park Golf (N-07, N-08); Jonathan Park Golf (KC-03, KC-05); JS Jipyeong (MG SEN PRO); Bando INT (BD-001); Geomok International (Woongbi G302); Raon Atti (Maru Classic); GTR Screen Park Dobong Branch (Zeromis ZR01); Camp Valley (Nexus Park); and Green Heritage.
In particular, metal and titanium heads may also be used, provided they are made by a technical partner company and designated by the association. Currently, most domestic tournaments allow only wooden heads. An association official explained the reason for allowing the use of metal and titanium heads, saying, "A new standard suited to the professional competition environment is needed." For a fair tournament, the association plans to check players' clubs and balls in advance and to conduct equipment inspections during play as well.
"The technical partner system is not a measure to exclude specific brands, but a mechanism to secure the fairness of the professional stage and the reliability of equipment," an association official said. "We plan to build the foundation of a Korean-style professional park golf industry by cooperating with companies that can continuously carry out player support, quality control, and technology development." He added, "Professional courses have enhanced distance and strategy compared to recreational sports courses, so the consistency of equipment performance has a significant impact on competition results," and continued, "Going forward, we will establish detailed specifications suited to the Korean physique, and develop the standards in a direction that considers durability, reproducibility, fitting potential, and safety."
