GOLFZON Unveils ‘Kim Hong-taek vs. Hong Hyun-ji CITY GOLF Big Match,’ a Showdown Between Screen Golf Champions at a Hybrid Golf Course

• A showdown between GOLFZON GTOUR and WGTOUR champions and top-tier pros Kim Hong-taek and Hong Hyun-ji
• The match takes place at CITY GOLF in Tianjin, China, a 5,000-pyeong urban indoor golf course unveiled by GOLFZON in September 2024
• Following the explosive response to Part 1, including comments such as “I want to try it myself,” anticipation is running high ahead of the release of Part 2
• Part 2 is scheduled to be released on Monday, April 7, on the GOLFZON YouTube channel and the TV Screen GOLFZON channel

GOLFZON Co., Ltd. (Co-CEOs Park Kang-soo and Choi Deok-hyung) announced on the 3rd that the ‘CITY GOLF Big Match,’ featuring Kim Hong-taek and Hong Hyun-ji at CITY GOLF, an urban golf course in Tianjin, China, will be broadcast on Monday, the 7th, at 6 p.m. on the GOLFZON YouTube channel and the Screen GOLFZON channel.

The ‘CITY GOLF Big Match’ is a two-part content series starring Kim Hong-taek and Hong Hyun-ji, the leading figures behind the popularity of GTOUR and WGTOUR. On March 5, the two players faced off in a one-on-one, 18-hole stroke play format at CITY GOLF in Tianjin, a hybrid golf course that combines screen golf and field golf. Part 1 of the broadcast aired earlier on Monday, March 31, delivering a fresh kind of enjoyment to many golf fans, and drew enthusiastic responses in the YouTube channel comments, such as “I want to go there myself” and “It’s refreshing to watch two pros compete in such a unique space.” Part 2, in which the winner is decided, will be released on Monday, April 7, at 6 p.m.

‘CITY GOLF’ in Tianjin, China, where this match was held, is an urban golf course unveiled by GOLFZON in September last year, a 5,000-pyeong hybrid indoor golf course that combines screen golf and field golf. Built on GOLFZON’s cutting-edge screen golf technology and infrastructure, it is distinguished by recreating a vivid, field-like golf environment even in the heart of the city.

The core of the match is a new type of play format that combines screen golf and field golf: across 18 holes, tee shots and iron shots are played on the screen, while approaches and putts take place on the field green. Players hit their tee shots and iron shots using GOLFZON’s cutting-edge screen system, and once the ball reaches a certain range, the screen opens to allow entry into the green short-game zone. After the player’s ball position is indicated by a laser marker, the players move to that location to carry out green play such as approaches and putting.

This match, an unprecedented-scale event held at a super-sized indoor golf course, featured pros Kim Hong-taek and Hong Hyun-ji. Kim Hong-taek, who holds the record for the most wins on the GTOUR regular tour with a career total of 14 victories, has been excelling across both screen and field, winning the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in the 2024 season. Hong Hyun-ji, a player with 10 career WGTOUR victories, is also making her presence felt not only on the screen but on the field as well, including finishing third at the KLPGA S-OIL Championship in the 2024 season.

In Part 1, released on the 31st of last month, the two players’ front-nine play across nine holes was broadcast. Kim Hong-taek made a double-bogey mistake on the 4th hole but recorded chip-in birdies on the 6th and 7th holes, adding to the fun with a cycling birdie. During the scene of Hong Hyun-ji’s second shot landing on the apron of the 6th hole, the indoor water hazard area was shown, capturing attention with the characteristics of CITY GOLF that allow for a field-like round in the heart of the city. The two players also experienced CITY GOLF firsthand—such as pacing out distances on foot in the green area, just like in an actual field match—delivering a unique kind of enjoyment, and the front nine concluded with Kim Hong-taek holding a two-stroke lead.

While CITY GOLF is relatively familiar to the two golfers, who move skillfully between field and screen, it demands even more strategic and precise control and adaptability, so the back-nine round contesting the championship is also expected to be a close battle.

GOLFZON CEO Park Kang-soo said, “This ‘CITY GOLF Big Match’ is content that captures CITY GOLF’s unique strengths, allowing people to experience the dynamism of field golf even in the heart of the city,” adding, “Along with the new play format that combines screen golf and field golf, we sought to vividly convey CITY GOLF’s large-scale infrastructure and on-site atmosphere through video.” He went on to say, “Going forward, we will continue to present CITY GOLF’s differentiated content and widely showcase the new possibilities of urban golf courses.”