[Shangguan News] GOLFZON China’s Indoor Golf Boom Rises in Shanghai

Shangguan News (上观新闻) reported that the 2025 Shanghai City Amateur League indoor golf competition has concluded, featuring events such as a long-drive challenge and a 9-hole team competition held on golf simulator platforms.

The article noted that indoor golf venues operated by partners of the China Golf Association numbered 1,859 as of the end of 2024 and are set to surpass 2,000 nationwide in 2025, with the trend toward networked and standardized operation of the indoor golf market becoming increasingly pronounced.

In Shanghai, chain expansion and penetration into residential living areas centered on core commercial districts and communities are now in full swing. Rucker Park and GOLFZON China have opened a co-branded club in Shanghai, unveiling a multi-sport complex model that brings together basketball, frisbee, and other activities alongside indoor golf in a single space.

The article also stated that policy support from the city of Shanghai—such as running a sports consumption festival and issuing sports consumption coupons—is contributing to the growth of the new indoor golf format. In 2024, per capita sports spending in Shanghai reached 4,362.7 yuan and total consumption amounted to roughly 108.2 billion yuan, with women, families with children, and young people emerging as the main consumer segments, broadening the conditions for the growth of “light-equipment, high-experience” disciplines such as indoor golf.

It further reported that as the China Golf Association introduces online youth-grade assessments on simulator platforms and designates certain network-connected golf venues as assessment hubs, golf is becoming more accessible to young people.