While park golf courses in most regions are closed during the Chuseok holiday, some local governments are running theirs on flexible schedules to accommodate holiday travelers returning to their hometowns and families. The measures, which include opening courses free of charge and staggering closing days across different sites, are aimed at capturing holiday leisure demand.
According to local governments on the 23rd, the city of Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province will keep all nine of its park golf courses — Gumi, Dongnak, Yangpo, Seonsan, Dogae, Haepyeong, Okseong, Goa and the Eoulrim course for people with disabilities — open without a closing day through the holiday. To encourage local spending, teams that present same-day receipts totaling 50,000 won or more will be admitted without a reservation. On Chuseok day itself, the city will drop the distinction between local and non-local users so that returning visitors can also play freely.
The city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province had initially designated the entire holiday as a closure period, but has since staggered closing days by course and opened all of them free of charge in light of demand during the break. The Daesan-myeon, Bukmyeon course for people with disabilities and Sahwa Park courses will close on the 23rd and 24th before opening free on the 25th and 26th, while the Hogye, Gapo, Sosa, Yongwon, Jangcheon, Pungho and Gwangseokgol courses will open free on the 23rd and 24th and then close on the 25th and 26th.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is also applying flexible schedules to park golf courses alone, in contrast to most public sports facilities on the island, which will be closed during the holiday. The Sangdo-ri, Mirinae and Ara-dong courses will open on the 24th and 26th, and the Hoecheon Sports Park course will open on the 26th. All courses on the island will be closed on the 25th, Chuseok day.
The city of Yeoju in Gyeonggi Province has set the closing days for its three park golf courses — Ohak, Jeomdong and Daesin — on the 24th and 25th, and designated the 26th, the last day of the holiday, as "Family Rounding Day." The city has set aside separate tee times so that residents can enjoy the sport with their families during the holiday.
Local governments are adjusting park golf operations for the holiday because family leisure demand rises during the break. "We have opened the courses every holiday season so that families can enjoy their leisure time at park golf courses during the Chuseok period, when many people return to their hometowns," a Gumi city official said. "We plan to run them this year as well so that users face no inconvenience."
Rules differ by course, however, on crowding from first-come, first-served admission, whether advance reservations are required and whether residents from other regions may play. Visitors are advised to check detailed operating rules on the website of the relevant city, county or district office, or the facilities management corporation, before heading out.
