GOLFZON Launches CITY GOLF, “The Future of Urban Golf Courses,” as a Full-Scale New Business

• “The future of urban golf courses”—GOLFZON rolls out CITY GOLF as a full-scale new business
• First public unveiling of “CITY GOLF,” the urban golf course that is one of GOLFZON’s key business initiatives this year
• An 18-hole course built within a 5,000-pyeong indoor space at the “Meijiang Convention Center” in Tianjin, China
• Starting with the high-growth Chinese golf market, GOLFZON pursues its dream of expanding the “CITY GOLF” platform worldwide

GOLFZON, a global total golf platform company (co-CEOs Park Kang-soo and Choi Deok-hyung), announced on the 3rd that it had unveiled its new urban golf course “CITY GOLF”—one of its key business initiatives this year—for the first time in Tianjin, China, on September 1.

Developed for the first time in the world by GOLFZON, a subsidiary of GOLFZON Newdin Holdings, with the global market in mind, “CITY GOLF” is a new hybrid golf platform business that aims to be a “premium golf course you can enjoy in the heart of the city.” Operated as a private membership golf course, CITY GOLF is an urban golf course developed by combining screen golf with real field greens, effectively relocating an 18-hole golf course into the city, and going forward the company plans to expand globally in a strategic manner tailored to the characteristics of each country and space.

At CITY GOLF, everything from the tee shot through the approach is played on screen, and from the play around the green onward the screen opens up and play continues on an actual green area. Depending on the hole, approach shots and bunker shots are also possible in the green area. Its key strength is the ability to deliver a vivid experience—as if golfers were stepping off the screen and playing on an actual field—right in the middle of the city, free from constraints of weather and time, presenting the most ideal future for urban golf courses.

The “greens,” the heart of CITY GOLF, were developed by a specialist green design firm that has designed the greens of renowned golf courses in Korea. Each of the 18 holes features a differently designed green, and all of these greens are applied in CITY GOLF, allowing players to fully enjoy the feeling of rounding at several different golf courses. Although it is a golf course built in the city, it is completed by fusing the advantages of screen and field, and it positions itself as an eco-friendly golf course that does not damage nature.

Tianjin CITY GOLF, which GOLFZON unveiled at the Meijiang Convention Center in Tianjin, China, on the 1st, was built on an 18-hole scale within a 5,000-pyeong indoor space, with 18 screens and 18 greens each, and was designed so that players can enjoy a private round in the heart of the city under natural light beneath an open 18-meter ceiling height. Starting with the Chinese market, GOLFZON plans to drive its CITY GOLF new business in earnest with the goal of entering renowned hub cities around the world.

Various amenities are also scheduled to be installed. Upon entering, there will be a pro shop selling various golf equipment and a halfway house where guests can rest and have refreshments. As it aims to be a premium urban golf course, all facilities will be furnished with high-end materials, and the convention center’s ample parking facilities are also secured. As a comprehensive golf entertainment space, it offers one-stop service that lets visitors enjoy a variety of services—golf, fitness, food, and more—in a single space, and it aims to secure a diverse base of consumers centered on golf.

A tournament utilizing the CITY GOLF platform is also scheduled to be held. On September 13, GOLFZON plans to host the “GOLFZON CITY GOLF China Open” at Tianjin CITY GOLF, with a total prize purse of 5 million yuan (about 900 million won) and a winner’s prize of 1.5 million yuan (about 200 million won), to showcase to golfers around the world the new model of urban golf course that GOLFZON has ambitiously prepared. The China Open is set to be broadcast through various channels, including regional television stations in China.

To ensure a soft landing for the CITY GOLF new business in the Chinese market, GOLFZON’s development team in Korea has been traveling back and forth to China to carry out the project directly. Hong Jin-pyo, head of GOLFZON’s CITY GOLF TF, said, “The most important thing was applying the actually implemented greens to the game,” adding, “Through cooperation with GOLFZON’s local subsidiary in China, we have built the system to perfection.”

The operation of CITY GOLF in China will be handled by “GOLFZON China,” a GOLFZON joint venture. Building on the know-how accumulated from running a screen golf business of more than 300 locations in China, GOLFZON China plans to lead a new golf culture in the Chinese market, where golf is relatively less popular, through the new golf platform of CITY GOLF.

GOLFZON CEO Park Kang-soo stated, “CITY GOLF is the most ideal urban golf course, applying GOLFZON’s world-class golf simulator technology and its field golf course operation know-how, and it is the first space where customers can actually play an 18-hole round on both screen golf and real greens,” adding, “Starting with China, we expect it to become the world’s best golf platform, offering an unprecedented new golf experience—as if playing a field round—right in the heart of cities around the world.”