Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: "92% Designation Rate of Nationwide Public Golf Courses"

344 out of 375 Non-Membership Golf Courses Designated
100% Designation Rate in Daegu, Gwangju, and 7 Metropolitan Local Governments

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 1st that out of 375 non-membership golf courses operating since January this year, 344 courses (92%) that meet the requirements such as usage fees have been designated as public golf courses.

Operators of non-membership golf course sports facilities can apply to the government by setting course usage fees lower than the government-notified rates of 188,000 KRW on weekdays and 247,000 KRW on weekends. According to the "Notice on Designation of Public Golf Courses," they will be designated as public golf courses and enjoy tax benefits such as exemption from individual consumption tax for three years and imposition of property tax at a lower rate.

Choi Bogeun, Director of Sports Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The government expects that the effect of applying lower tax rates will benefit golf course users, as 76 non-membership golf courses in seven metropolitan autonomous regions?Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Sejong, Gyeongbuk, and Chungnam?have been 100% designated as public golf courses. Among the remaining metropolitan local governments, Chungbuk and Jeonnam (both 97%), Gyeonggi (94%), and Jeju (92%) followed in the designation rate of public golf courses.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism restructured the existing dual system of membership and public golf courses into a tripartite system of membership, non-membership, and public golf courses to resolve the unstable usage price issue caused by the supply-demand imbalance of golf courses after COVID-19. Designated public golf courses must set the average course usage fees in spring (April to June) and autumn (September to November) lower than 188,000 KRW on weekdays and 247,000 KRW on weekends.

To analyze the price effects of public golf course designation, the Ministry will investigate the usage fee status for non-members at public and membership golf courses and disclose the results of the first half of the year survey in August. Additionally, it will regularly supervise compliance with the prohibition of forced purchase of goods and food under the standard golf course usage terms, penalties for reservation no-shows, fee refunds, and adherence to the golf course usage fee display management standards, including course usage fees and ancillary service fees (cart, food and beverages, etc.) posted on golf course websites and on-site.

Choi Bo-geun, Director of the Sports Bureau, stated, "We will improve the system so that golf becomes a popular sport easily enjoyed by all citizens, enabling users, operators, and the local economy to coexist, and continue to revise unreasonable regulations."