Spending at park golf merchants has more than doubled in two years as the sport draws a widening pool of players. Older adults are leading the growth, and with more facilities opening and costs easing, park golf is spreading as an everyday recreational sport.
Payments at park golf-related merchants in the first half of this year rose about 110% from the first half of 2024, according to an analysis of individual customers' credit and debit card transactions by Shinhan Card's Big Data Research Institute, financial industry sources said on the 23rd. The number of paying customers rose about 120% and the number of transactions about 130% over the same period. The analysis covered park golf courses, screen park golf practice ranges and park golf equipment stores.
The expansion was most pronounced among older players. Customers aged 60 and over accounted for 52.8% of all transactions in the first half of this year, up from 33.6% two years earlier. The 19.2 percentage point gain pushed the group past half of the total. Those in their 50s also increased their share, to 29.6% from 28.2%. Combined, the two age groups accounted for 82.4% of all payments.
While more people are playing, each is spending less. Payments per person fell 3.9% from two years earlier in the first half of this year, and the average transaction fell 6.2%. The number of payments per person rose 2.4% over the same period, indicating more frequent visits at a lower cost. The institute attributed the shift to local governments expanding facilities, making it cheaper to play.
The number of related merchants is also growing quickly nationwide. Merchants in the first half of this year rose 200.5% from the first half of 2024, roughly tripling. The Seoul metropolitan area posted growth of about 290%, followed by about 220% in the Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong region and about 210% in Gwangju and the Jeolla provinces. Merchant numbers also more than doubled in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, and in Gangwon State.
By region, transaction growth was strongest in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong, where payments rose 331.6% from two years earlier, outpacing the Seoul metropolitan area at 144.3% and Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province at 122.8%. The region also drew the most spending from metropolitan-area customers traveling outside their home region to use park golf merchants, suggesting demand is flowing to areas that are easier to reach.
"Park golf is no longer the preserve of a narrow group of enthusiasts," Shinhan Card's Big Data Research Institute said. "Spending is broadening into a sport that more people can enjoy affordably and closer to home, and we expect its popularity to keep expanding across the board."