Public Golf Course Entrance Fees Should Be 34,000 Won Lower Than Non-Member Rates at Membership Courses

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Finalizes and Announces 'Notice on Designation of Public Golf Courses'
Fee Standards Apply Average of May and October...Mandatory Display of Admission Fees and More

Choi Bogeun, Director of the Sports Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is explaining the contents of the "Notice on the Designation of Public Golf Courses" at the Government Seoul Office on the 9th. Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seohee] Starting next year, to be designated as a public golf course, the entrance fee (green fee) must be set 34,000 KRW lower than the non-member price of a membership golf course.

On the 9th, Choi Bogeun, Director of Sports at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, held a press briefing at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, explaining the contents of the administrative notice on the "Designation of Public Golf Courses," which is part of the revision and enforcement decree of the "Act on the Installation and Use of Sports Facilities" (hereinafter referred to as the Sports Facilities Act).

According to the notice, to be designated as a public golf course, the entrance fee must be 34,000 KRW lower than the non-member price of a membership golf course. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained that the 34,000 KRW was calculated by converting the difference in individual consumption tax and property tax between membership and public golf courses on a per-user basis.

Earlier, on May 3rd, the National Assembly revised the Sports Facilities Act to classify golf courses into "membership golf courses" and "non-membership golf courses," and among the non-membership golf courses, those meeting certain usage fee requirements are designated as "public golf courses."

As a follow-up measure, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism amended the enforcement decree of the Sports Facilities Act on the 3rd of this month, defining the standard for public golf course usage fees as the average entrance fee for non-members at membership golf courses in the metropolitan area during peak seasons (May and October). This notice contains specific standards for applying the law and enforcement decree.

Accordingly, businesses seeking designation as a public golf course can apply to the mayor or governor when registering as a non-membership golf course. Afterward, the mayor or governor transfers the application to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will verify the requirements and notify the mayor or governor and the applicant of the designation decision within 30 days.

The government also decided to include in another notice, the "Standards for Displaying Golf Course Usage Fees," a requirement to mandate the display of entrance fees, cart usage fees, and ancillary service fees starting January 1st next year.

This measure is to guarantee the right to know for golf course users, excluding individual caddie fees, which are separate business charges. Each golf course must display usage fees on their website and on-site.