Interesting Golf Data... "Weekend Golfers Average 90-99 Strokes"

Encouragement from friends and acquaintances was the most common reason for taking up golf
Golfers played on courses an average of 11.2 times a year
Average monthly spending: 509,000 won

One in three amateur golfers in South Korea recorded scores in the 90s. So-called "bogey players" made up the largest group, while only 4 out of every 100 golfers were considered skilled enough to score below 80. The average monthly cost of playing golf exceeded 500,000 won. The cost had risen by more than 11% in two years, adding to golfers' financial burden, according to the survey.

According to the "2025 Korea Golf Index Survey" released on the 9th by the Korea Golf Association (KGA), 33.9% of people who play golf recorded average scores of 90 to 99, the largest share. They were followed by golfers scoring 80 to 89 (23.7%) and 100 to 109 (22.7%). Those scoring 110 to 119 and 120 or higher accounted for 8.3% and 7.2%, respectively. Only 4.1% of amateur golfers, considered highly skilled, scored below 80.

The average weekend golfer plays at a bogey-golfer level.

Compared with the 2023 survey, the share of golfers scoring 80 to 89 rose by 3.1 percentage points, while the share scoring 120 or higher increased by 1.7 percentage points. In contrast, the share scoring 100 to 109 fell by 3.1 percentage points, and the share scoring 110 to 119 decreased by 1.3 percentage points. The average handicap index of golfers in South Korea was 22.4. The handicap index measures a golfer's skill, with a lower score indicating greater ability. Converted to strokes, this equates to an average score of 94.4.

People around them had an overwhelming influence on how golfers got started. The most common reason cited was encouragement from "friends and acquaintances," at 42.3%. This was followed by work and business purposes (24.3%), encouragement from family (16.8%), and health and exercise (13.5%). Golf content on television, in other media, and elsewhere influenced 2.1%, while 0.3% said they were encouraged by their children.

Playing golf courses 5 to 9 times a year was the most common frequency, at 25.2%. This was followed by 10 to 19 times (24.4%) and 20 times or more (19.4%). Golfers played on courses an average of 11.2 times a year, or about once a month. They visited golf practice ranges and played screen golf an average of 19.9 and 18.8 times, respectively.

By length of golf experience, long-time golfers with 10 years or more of experience made up the largest group, at 26.5%. They were followed by those with 5 to less than 10 years of experience (18.8%), 3 to less than 5 years (17.6%), 2 to less than 3 years (16.0%), 1 to less than 2 years (12.6%), and less than 1 year (8.5%). Participants with at least five years of golf experience accounted for 45.3% of the total.

The financial burden of playing golf has grown. The average monthly amount spent on golf courses was 509,000 won, up 51,000 won, or 11.1%, from 458,000 won in 2023. Golfers spending between 500,000 and less than 1 million won a month accounted for 29.8%. The average monthly amounts spent on golf practice ranges and screen golf were 231,000 won and 185,000 won, respectively.

By age, people in their 50s made up the largest share of golf participants, at 23.7%. They were followed by those in their 60s (21.7%) and 40s (20.8%), then those in their 30s (18.3%) and 20s (15.6%). People in their 40s to 60s accounted for 66.2% of the total, highlighting the predominance of middle-aged and older golfers. The relatively high cost of golf is thought to affect participation patterns across age groups.

The market was dominated by nonmembers in terms of golf course usage. Nonmembers accounted for 79.8% of all users, while members made up just 20.2%.

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