There Was a Reason for the Tight Tee-Off Intervals... "15 Million Won in Sales in 1 Minute"

Average Weekend Tee-Off Interval at Domestic Golf Courses '6 Minutes'
"Hurry Up" Pressure Raises Safety Concerns
Experts Urge "Golf Courses to Uphold Service Spirit"

A view of the Old Course at St Andrews, UK, where this year's The Open was held. The tee-off interval for The Open is 12 minutes, but the average weekend interval at domestic public golf courses is only half that, at 6 minutes.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seohee Lee] Jeong (36), who played his first-ever field round at a golf course in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, had a bewildering experience. Despite paying extra fees and playing in a team of three, he had to play as if being chased throughout the round. Whenever the game seemed to slow down even slightly, a game marshal appeared to urge faster play, and to maintain distance from the team ahead, he had to practically run throughout all 18 holes. This so-called "rabbit chasing" style of game progress resulted in the round taking only 3 hours and 50 minutes. Jeong said, "I was riding the cart, hitting, and then getting back on the cart repeatedly in a frenzy, and before I knew it, my first round was over," adding, "Later, I became anxious early on, fearing the caddy’s harsh commands."

Chased by 6-Minute Tee Times, Half of Pro Tournament Intervals... Rising Concerns Over Safety Accidents

The average tee-off time interval at domestic general golf courses is known to be about 7 minutes. On weekends, the interval is even tighter at 6 minutes. Prestigious golf courses catering to a small number of members typically allow a more relaxed 9 to 10 minutes.

What about professional tournaments? The PGA Tour Championship in the U.S. is played in teams of two with 11-minute intervals. The Open Championship also uses 2-player teams with 12-minute intervals. Domestic professional tournaments have 3-player teams teeing off every 10 minutes.

Of course, professional players do not use carts to move around. Still, a tee-off interval of just about 6 minutes is quite tight for amateur golfers. Based on 4-player teams, it requires every golfer to make no major mistakes on the tee shot and to execute the second shot perfectly to keep up. As a result, delays in game progress lead golf courses to repeatedly urge customers to speed up their play, creating a vicious cycle.

The problem is that such tight game progress greatly increases the risk of safety accidents. According to data published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism last year, there were a total of 3,772 ball-striking accidents on golf courses over five years from 2017 to 2021. This is the most common type of golf-related safety accident. That averages over 700 incidents per year and more than 65 per month. Considering unreported cases, the actual number is likely much higher.

Among ball-striking accidents, 40% involve being hit by balls coming from other holes. Cases of players being struck by balls from the following group or adjacent holes are frequent. The tighter the tee-off intervals and the more rushed the game progress, the higher the probability of such ball-striking accidents.

Caddies who assist with game progress are also in a difficult position. Because failing to maintain the game pace results in penalties, they have no choice but to urge players to speed up despite customer complaints. Im (43), who worked as a caddy at a golf course in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Customers with little field experience tend to make mistakes when they become anxious," adding, "Therefore, I am cautious about pressuring customers to speed up."

Reducing Tee-Off Interval by 1 Minute Increases Daily Revenue by 15 Million KRW... "Golf Courses Must Improve Service"

The reason golf courses reduce tee-off intervals despite customer complaints after paying tens of thousands of won in fees is simple: it directly affects revenue.

In fact, a difference of 1 to 2 minutes in tee-off intervals has a surprisingly large impact on revenue. According to industry sources, increasing the tee-off interval by 1 minute reduces daily revenue by nearly 15 million KRW.

For example, assuming an 18-hole playtime of about 4 hours and that rounds can be booked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., reservations can be accepted until 2 p.m. If the tee-off interval is set at 7 minutes, the golf course can accommodate up to 68 teams per day. Reducing the interval by 1 minute to 6 minutes allows up to 80 teams. Considering that a 4-player team pays about 1.3 million KRW to the golf course, this results in a daily revenue difference of approximately 15.6 million KRW.

Experts explain that tee-off times depend entirely on the service spirit of the golf course. While there are legal provisions requiring golf courses to provide services that allow customers to enjoy comfortable play, there are no specific regulations on tee-off intervals. Especially, unlike member-only golf courses that cover operating costs with expensive green fees, relatively affordable public golf courses tend to have shorter tee-off intervals.

Kim Jaegun, former commissioner of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA), pointed out that the service spirit of domestic golf courses needs improvement. Kim said, "Generally, public golf courses have an obligation to provide quality services to more citizens," adding, "However, domestic public golf courses are more focused on generating higher profits."