GOLFZON CITY GOLF Draws Intensive Coverage from Major Chinese Media: “A New Growth Engine for China’s Sports Industry”

• Major media outlets including Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily express strong interest, consecutively reporting on the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ and GOLFZON’s ‘CITY GOLF’ business
• CITY GOLF’s second Yanji location earns positive reviews from Chinese media as a digital golf course model that can be enjoyed even in the heart of the city
• The tournament proceeds amid the cheers of galleries who visited the venue from Round 1, with cumulative viewership of live broadcasts on local video platforms surpassing 60,000

GOLFZON Co., Ltd. (Co-CEOs Kang-soo Park and Deok-hyung Choi) announced that its CITY GOLF business is drawing significant attention in China through the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’, held from August 28 to 31 at GOLFZON CITY GOLF’s second China location, the Yanji branch. On the 29th, GOLFZON stated that, in connection with the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’, numerous major media outlets—including the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper and state-run media—reported on the GOLFZON CITY GOLF Yanji second location, earning CITY GOLF recognition as an emerging ‘new growth model for China’s sports industry’.

In particular, GOLFZON noted that Xinhua News Agency (新华网) reported, “The GOLFZON China Open and GOLFZON CITY GOLF courses are newly redefining the ‘Chinese standard’ for the global digital golf industry. From the construction technology of digital golf courses and the business model of tournament operations to the methods of expanding public participation and the framework for international exchange and cooperation, China’s endeavors are becoming a reference model worthy of study for the world’s digital sports industry.” GOLFZON added that China Daily (中国日报), Guangming Daily (光明网), Global Times (环球网), China.org (中国网), China News Service (中新社), and People’s Daily Online (人民网) also consecutively published favorable coverage, allowing the company to gauge firsthand the level of interest in GOLFZON CITY GOLF within China.

The ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ and the CITY GOLF business covered by Chinese media including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, China Daily, Guangming Daily, Global Times, China.org, China News Service, and People’s Daily Online are expected to further strengthen GOLFZON’s standing in China’s sports market going forward. Chinese media evaluated the CITY GOLF business not merely as a scaled-down golf course, but as a digital sports platform that combines ICT technology with screen golf expertise, citing as key strengths its ability to make efficient use of compact spaces, its easy accessibility for urban residents, and the IT-based data analysis and educational benefits it provides. They also took note of its potential to create diverse social value, such as youth education programs, leisure activities for working professionals, and health management for the elderly in China.

This tournament also carries significance in the context of strengthening sports industry cooperation between Korea and China. Amid the advancement of China’s national ‘Digital China’ strategy and the ‘strengthening sports through science and technology’ principle of the 14th Five-Year Plan for the sports industry, the construction and operation of CITY GOLF can be seen as aligned with the ‘National Fitness’ and ‘Sports Power’ strategies. People’s Daily evaluated, “This tournament already serves as a bridge for sports and cultural exchange in Asia. Cross-border digital competition strengthens China’s voice in international digital sports while spreading the achievements of China’s digital industry through sports exchange, demonstrating a new form of sports diplomacy.” In fact, some local governments and companies are reportedly considering cooperation with GOLFZON, drawing attention to the potential for expanded local partnerships and investment in the future.

Jin-pyo Hong, Head of the GOLFZON CITY GOLF Business Division, said, “There were many reactions from major Chinese media and on the ground describing it as ‘a new sport that anyone can enjoy in the middle of the city’, which allowed us to confirm the market’s future potential.” He added, “Going forward, we will cooperate with various cities across China to gradually expand CITY GOLF. Rather than simply opening CITY GOLF venues, we will build a comprehensive sports ecosystem encompassing youth golf education, community sports programs, and IT data-based lessons, establishing ourselves as a brand that leads the popularization of golf in China.”

Meanwhile, the ‘2025 GOLFZON China Open’ is being held from August 28 through 31 at GOLFZON CITY GOLF’s second China location, the Yanji branch. The GOLFZON CITY GOLF Yanji second location is a complex space comprising a CITY GOLF course with an area of approximately 23,000㎡ (about 7,000 pyeong) along with commercial supporting facilities. Built and designed as a dedicated CITY GOLF venue, it features an open field of vision, island greens, and other distinctive elements, delivering an even more vivid and thrilling course experience.

The competition is a 72-hole, four-round stroke play event in which a total of 120 players compete—100 players who pass the main draw after the Round 2 cut, plus 20 invited international professional players. With a total prize purse of 10 million yuan (approximately 1.9 billion won), the winner receives 3 million yuan, and prize money is awarded on a graduated scale to all finalists. Invited players include nine domestic players such as Jin-ju Hong and Ha-neul Kim, who finished as runner-up and third place respectively at the inaugural ‘2024 GOLFZON China Open’ held at CITY GOLF last year, as well as So-hyun Ahn, Na-yeon Choi, and Kyung-eun Bae. In addition, 11 invited players—including Yani Tseng—are participating through the Asian Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF), the China Golf Association, and FILA Golf, the official partner of this tournament.

This tournament has drawn a cumulative audience of 60,000 viewers to date through the WeChat GOLFZON China, Sina Golf, golf specialty magazine, and Satellite TV Golf accounts, generating considerable interest in the CITY GOLF China Open within China as well.