Changwon Special City to Implement Phased Paid Park Golf Courses Starting July 5

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam Province will implement paid park golf courses starting July 5, as the grace period for usage fees under the "Changwon City Park Golf Course Management and Operation Ordinance" expires.

Implementation of Paid Park Golf Courses.

This paid system will first be applied to five out of the total nine park golf courses?Daesan-myeon, Buk-myeon Disabled, Hogye, Yongwon, and Sosa?where auxiliary and convenience facilities are fully equipped and operations have stabilized. The remaining four courses (Jangcheon, Gapo, Pung-ho, and Gwangseokgol) will be converted to paid use in phases by the end of June 2026, after completing turf planting and facility improvement works.

The city has established a membership management, reservation, and payment system in line with the paid system launch on July 5, and facility improvement works are in their final stages. The Daesan-myeon Park Golf Course, which has the highest number of users, completed its second phase of construction?including turf planting, restrooms, and shelters?from November 2023 to April this year, with a final third phase of improvement works remaining to address any deficiencies.

Community convenience facilities have also been significantly enhanced. In addition to the existing restroom and 12 folding shade canopies, three more restrooms, 12 pergolas, and one water supply facility have been installed. By the end of June, when the heatwave season begins in earnest, one more restroom and two additional water supply facilities were installed to minimize inconvenience for users.

In particular, thorough safety measures have been established, considering that most park golf course users are elderly. Nursing staff will be stationed on-site at all times, and heatwave shelters and infirmaries will be operated. Additionally, automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have been installed at three locations in total, with one added to the newly completed third course, up from the previous two locations.

The reservation and payment system has also been newly established. Users can conveniently access the park golf courses without the hassle of submitting proof documents each time, as the Changwon Facilities Corporation's integrated reservation system automatically verifies local/non-local status and discounts for those aged 70 or older upon membership registration.

Kim Youngcheol, head of the Sports Promotion Division, stated, "Many cities and counties in Gyeongnam Province and across the country have already implemented paid park golf courses, and Changwon has been relatively late in doing so. Although initial processes such as online membership registration may cause some delays in entry compared to usual, we will do our utmost to ensure that any inconvenience to users is minimized through thorough preparations."