"Expensive and Hot"... Golfers Flock to Night Rounds

Golf Course Fees Rise After COVID-19

Cost-Conscious Golfers Flock to Affordable Courses

Night Golf Offers Budget-Friendly and Cooler Rounds

With soaring green fees and caddie charges now compounded by a heatwave, golfers are increasingly turning to night rounds. Night golf, which helps ease the financial burden and avoid the sweltering heat, is becoming a new consumption trend in this era of high costs.

According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute on July 10, there were 250 golf courses in Korea operating at night as of May this year. This accounts for 47.3% of all golf courses nationwide (529 in total), excluding military golf courses. This marks an increase of 24 courses from last year and 84 more compared to 2021.

The fees for domestic golf courses have skyrocketed, making night golf, which is relatively affordable, increasingly popular. The photo is not related to any specific content of the article.

The biggest factor behind the spread of night golf is the rising cost of playing golf. In the Seoul metropolitan area, a single round, including green fees, cart fees, and caddie charges, typically costs between 400,000 and 500,000 won. Since COVID-19, golf courses have raised their fees one after another, increasing the financial burden. Even among public golf courses that receive government tax benefits, some now charge as much as 270,000 won on weekdays and 360,000 won on weekends for green fees.

Golf courses are also actively expanding their night operations to meet growing demand. By utilizing existing facilities, they can generate additional revenue and help distribute the flow of guests. In fact, more than half of all public golf courses now offer night operations. Among public golf courses with 18 or more holes, 134 out of 263 (51.0%) run at night. For 9-hole public courses, 60 out of 113 (53.6%) offer night play. In contrast, only 56 out of 154 membership-based golf courses (36.4%) do so.

Membership-based golf courses are less inclined to operate at night due to challenges in course maintenance. There are concerns about turf damage, and the burden of managing staff is also considerable. Many golf courses owned by large conglomerates, public golf courses, and member-focused clubs refrain from night operations in order to maintain course quality.

By region, night operations are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, where golf demand is high. There are 81 golf courses in the metropolitan area offering night operations, accounting for 32.4% of the total. This is attributed to the persistent demand for cost savings, given the limited supply of golf courses and relatively high fees in the region.

Night-operating golf courses are also strengthening their strategies to reduce costs through pricing and operational methods. Among public golf courses open at night, 118 have adopted either a no-caddie system or a caddie-optional system. This represents 31.6% of all public golf courses and 60.5% of night-operating golf courses.

For example, at Bellastone Country Club in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, as of July, daytime (second-round) green fees are 129,000 won on weekdays and 169,000 won on weekends, but at night (third-round), those fees drop to 99,000 won and 139,000 won, respectively. Caddie fees are also reduced from 160,000 won per team during the day to 100,000 won for a marshal caddie at night. For a group of four, this translates to saving about 42,500 won per person.

Seo Cheonbeom, head of the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute, said, "With the high-cost structure persisting and extreme heat and tropical nights becoming the norm, demand for night rounds will only increase. Golf courses are also likely to continue expanding their night operations for the foreseeable future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.