Pledges to expand park golf courses, made in large numbers during the June 3 local elections, are being carried out one after another. Local governments are competing to build large-scale park golf complexes, aiming to host major national tournaments that combine competition with lodging, dining and tourism to stimulate regional economies.
North Jeolla Province is pushing ahead with a provincial park golf course of more than 180 holes at a total project cost of 30 billion won, according to local governments on the 3rd. The province plans to draw up a basic plan in the second half of this year, hold a competition among cities and counties, select a site in the first half of next year, break ground and open the course in 2030. It is also considering raising the share of provincial funding for construction costs from the current 30% to as much as 70% to encourage cities and counties to take part.
Gunwi County in Daegu is also moving quickly on a large park golf course of 180 holes. With a total investment of 46.5 billion won, it plans to complete 81 holes by the end of this month in the first phase and add 99 more later.
The largest park golf course in the country is currently the 108-hole Uiseong Wicheon Park Golf Course in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, which recently opened. The 180-hole courses planned by North Jeolla Province and Gunwi County would become the largest in the country once completed.
Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province, which pledged to build a 108-hole provincial park golf course, is also pursuing the project with a budget of 29 billion won and a target completion date of June 2027.
Local governments are building large park golf complexes to revitalize their economies. The calculation is that national tournaments drawing hundreds of players and their families can translate into local spending on lodging, dining and tourism. Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province, with a population of 22,820, has become a leading benchmark after drawing about 600,000 visitors from outside the county a year on the strength of its park golf business. "Major national tournaments are held on 36-hole courses certified by the Korea Park Golf Association," an industry official said. "Since 180 holes amount to five courses of 36 holes each, a simple calculation of about 472 users per course means the complex could accommodate roughly 2,360 people a day."
As local governments move aggressively to build park golf courses, the central government is working to standardize them. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has commissioned the Korea Institute of Sport Science to develop a standard model for park golf courses, with plans to survey and analyze site types, the number of holes, ancillary facilities and operating entities and formats by the end of this year. The aim is to bring order to construction and operating standards that now vary by local government.
Experts agree that large park golf courses are needed but say demand and fiscal conditions in each region must be examined closely. "In an aging society, there is a need to expand park golf courses to meet demand among older adults for leisure and everyday sports," said So Soon-chang, a professor of public administration at Konkuk University. "But wasteful spending can be reduced only if the appropriate supply is calculated through a comprehensive analysis of each region's demographics, actual demand, the existing supply of facilities and the priorities of local finances, and the scale of each project is set accordingly."
