Park Juntae, CEO of Greenit, "100% Contactless Golf Course Goal"

Domestic Golf Course Operation Information System 'Number 1' Company
Managing About 240 Out of 500 Golf Courses
Partnering with Yanolja Cloud to Target Global Market
Combining Travel and Golf "Aiming for World No. 1 Within 5 Years"

"I will become the best in the world," is the bold ambition. This is the story of Park Joon-tae, CEO of GreenIT, the number one venture company managing domestic golf course operation information systems. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 1st, he said firmly, "The goal is to increase the domestic market share to 70% within two years," and added, "I will become the best in the Southeast Asian market in a short time." He continued, "The global market is vast," and revealed his dream, "I want to be number one on the global stage within five years."

Born in 1975, CEO Park graduated from Hoseo University with a degree in Computer Engineering. After briefly working at a golf-related IT company, he founded IT’ONE in 2005. He has dedicated nearly 20 years to this field. In April last year, the Murex Fund acquired existing top three companies IT’ONE and Munos to officially launch GreenIT, with CEO Park taking the helm.

Park Joon-tae, CEO of Greenit, expressed his ambition to "become the world's number one company in golf IT with a program that combines golf course management information systems and leisure."

GreenIT is a company that combines 'Green,' representing golf courses, with 'IT.' Its main business is the development and distribution of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions. It provides golf course operation information systems, game control systems, and contactless services. In May, it launched and began servicing 'Gollaga,' a B2C golf course reservation application. GreenIT welcomed more than 20 new golf courses as partners in the first half of this year alone. Currently, it manages about 240 out of approximately 500 golf courses in Korea.

CEO Park explained the reason for choosing this new challenge: "In the early days, most golf courses managed operations and customer service manually," and "I judged that providing IT-related solutions to golf courses had business potential." In 2005, he faced many difficulties. Changing the conservative golf courses, distrust in golf course reservation systems, and members' concerns about personal information leakage were not easy processes. He confessed, "I worked hard with only technical skills, but it was very tough. For three years, I never took a salary."

CEO Park persuaded customers by working directly on the ground. From 2010, golf course operation information systems became established, and internet and mobile reservation and booking systems were activated. He said, "Since 2015, golf course IT solutions have become essential." In 2017, he met a strong supporter, Golfzon. With investment from Golfzon County, operated by Golfzon, stable company management became possible. He recalled, "With fixed costs secured, we focused more on technology development," and "public golf courses began benchmarking Golfzon County's operation information system."

GreenIT grew even more after the COVID-19 pandemic. As demand for contactless kiosks and mobile services increased, sales surged. It supplies not only leading domestic golf courses but also overseas golf courses in Japan, Vietnam, and more. Last year, GreenIT partnered with Yanolja Cloud, a global company providing AI-based SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions for travel, leisure, F&B, and residential industries. GreenIT is creating various synergies by combining Yanolja Cloud's expertise and infrastructure. CEO Park emphasized, "Yanolja Cloud is responsible for airlines, accommodations, and rental cars, and golf is our specialty," adding, "The combination of travel and golf is producing greater effects."

Although CEO Park works in a golf-related company, he started playing golf only two years and six months ago. He laughed, saying, "I couldn't play golf because I was busy." He has become deeply fascinated by golf. His best score is 91 strokes at Namyeoju Golf Club. He likes Gapyeong Pristine Valley Golf Club the most for its accessibility and well-maintained courses. He explained the advantages, saying, "Golf itself is very fun," and "Playing rounds for 5 to 6 hours allows you to understand the tendencies and personalities of your partners. I think exercising helps build rapport much more than drinking alcohol."

Park Joon-tae, CEO of Greenit, is improving company culture by encouraging the use of English names within the company and supporting employees' beginner golf expenses.

GreenIT started with eight employees but has grown into a mid-sized company with 126 employees. CEO Park is also strengthening the company's internal growth. He said, "Since we are a golf solution company, it is important to understand golf. I hope all employees play golf." Since early this year, CEO Park has prepared free screen golf booths and professional lessons around the company for employees to use. He actively supports employees to play rounds. He added, "After employees started playing golf, they became more proactive at work," and "It seems to be a good motivation for working."

CEO Park is putting effort into changing the company culture. He is creating a system of horizontal relationships rather than vertical ones, encouraging collaboration and sharing among members. He even changed the way people are addressed, starting to use English names. CEO Park's English name is 'JT.' He said, "If you mention ranks first, it creates a hierarchical relationship. Even if you have great ideas, it's hard to speak confidently," and "Calling each other by English names is still awkward, but I think it's a small change."

CEO Park dreams of fully unmanned golf courses. This means making reservations, entering, self-check-in, food and beverage orders, and payments easy through kiosks, tablets, and mobile phones. He expressed his ambition, saying, "The unmanned golf course system using mobile will spread to over 90% usage within 1 to 2 years," and "I will make it the best company that benefits both golf courses and golfers."