The Korea Golf Course Business Association is compiling a "golf industry white paper" that pulls together data on the sector, part of an effort to support its long-term growth.
Choi Dong-ho, chairman of the association, said accurate data would provide the starting point for strengthening the industry's resilience. "Confronting where the golf industry actually stands with accurate data and drawing up a systematic blueprint will be the practical starting point for strengthening the resilience of Korea's golf industry," Choi said in congratulatory remarks at the 2026 Korea Golf Industry Forum, held on the 11th at The Plaza Hotel in central Seoul. "The association is working on compiling a golf industry white paper."
It will be the association's first such publication. The white paper is due out late this year or early next year, and is expected to cover overseas cases as well as the domestic industry, along with taxation and labor issues related to golf.
"Our golf industry is facing the hard reality of falling numbers of players and a contracting market," Choi said. "It is more urgent than ever for the entire golf ecosystem — courses, driving ranges, equipment and apparel — to build the self-sufficiency to withstand external shocks." He added that overcoming the downturn and building durable resilience requires "a detailed, on-the-ground diagnosis spanning the whole industry, rather than vague concern," underscoring the need for the white paper.
"I hope the insights and alternatives discussed at this forum are actively reflected in government policy so that our golf industry can keep developing even amid the downturn," Choi said. "The Korea Golf Course Business Association will work with its member companies to actively support an overhaul of the industry's fundamentals and to fix rules that need improving, so that golf can play a bigger role as a leisure and tourism industry for the public."
