{"id":3134,"date":"2026-06-09T09:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/3.34.14.113\/en\/2026\/06\/09\/how-golf-simulators-rewrote-the-grammar-of-golf\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T07:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:43:03","slug":"how-golf-simulators-rewrote-the-grammar-of-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/how-golf-simulators-rewrote-the-grammar-of-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-Course Golf Takes Center Stage in the Global Golf Ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The number of off-course golfers is rising worldwide thanks to golf simulators<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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A golf course in Scotland<\/strong> \u00a9 gettyimageskorea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Born in the 15th century on the eastern coast of Scotland, golf was for a long time a sport reserved for those with time and leisure to spare. Wide stretches of turf, long rounds, high costs \u2014 as industrialization and urbanization advanced, the fairways seemed to recede ever farther away, and the barrier to entry showed little sign of falling. Yet over time, that barrier began to come down too.  The reason was off-course golf, powered by simulator technology. It is already a familiar sight in Korea, but the screen golf culture is now spreading across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Off-Course Golf?(Off-Course Golf)<\/strong>  <\/strong>Traditional 18-hole field golf is called On-Course Golf, while Off-Course Golf refers to simulator golf, driving ranges, entertainment-style golf and the like.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Golf Moves Indoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2000, in the same year and on different continents, two companies each began to rewrite the grammar of golf in their own way. Topgolf, founded in Watford, England by brothers Steve and Dave Jolliffe, embedded RFID chips in golf balls to turn the driving range into a game space where players could compete on score. That same year, GOLFZON started out in Korea, and in 2002 it created a screen golf platform that recreated an entire 18-hole course indoors. If Topgolf transformed the golf range into a space for gaming and socializing, GOLFZON delivered the thrilling sensation of playing on a real course indoors. Their directions differed, but both companies fused IT and network technology with golf to lower the sport’s barrier to entry, allowing far more people to come into contact with the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Golfzon-P\/P+, Korea’s first-generation screen golf simulator<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In Korea in particular, it grew faster than in any other country. According to the Korea Golf Industry White Paper published by the Yuwon Golf Foundation, the screen golf market posted a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.70% over nine years, outpacing field golf (8.22%). By GOLFZON’s count, cumulative domestic rounds had already surpassed 50 million by 2016, and the company now records more than roughly 90 million rounds annually in Korea alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Door Flung Open by the COVID Pandemic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The worldwide expansion of the screen golf trend was given an extra push by the COVID pandemic. According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF, USA), the United States had 6.2 million simulator users as of 2023, a 73% increase from pre-pandemic levels.\u2074 While some markets, like Korea, saw demand recalibrate after the pandemic, in the United States the number of simulator users has held at a high baseline and established itself as a new mode of golf consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the NGF, golf participation in the United States reached 48.1 million people as of 2025, a 41% increase from 2019. Calculated on the basis of NGF data, of the roughly 14 million new participants, the on-course increase accounts for about 5.1 million (36%), meaning the remaining 8.9 million or more (64%) came in from off-course. Of the 48.1 million, those who enjoy off-course golf also make up more than half. Golfers who played only on-course numbered about 10.1 million (21%), those who enjoyed both on- and off-course about 19 million (40%), and those who played only off-course about 19 million (40%); golfers who enjoy off-course golf either alongside on-course play or exclusively accounted for 79% of the total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This trend is not confined to the United States. According to the R&A (The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, UK), the body that establishes the rules of golf worldwide, total golf participation across the 148 countries under the R&A’s jurisdiction stands at 108 million people. Of these, 43.3 million (40.1%) played a traditional 9-hole or 18-hole on-course round at least once over the past year, while 64.7 million (59.9%) enjoyed golf solely through non-traditional formats such as driving ranges, simulators and adventure golf. In other words, the population that enjoys golf without ever setting foot on a course outnumbers on-course golfers. The R&A stated that ‘the growth of non-traditional formats is driving the increase in overall participation.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global<\/strong> <\/strong>On-Course<\/strong> vs <\/strong>Off-Course<\/strong> <\/strong>Golfer<\/strong> <\/strong>Status<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Global On-Course vs Off-Course Golfer Status_re-1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Off-Course Is the Primer for On-Course Golf<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some view the spread of off-course golf as a threat to traditional field golf. The data, however, points in a different direction. According to the USGA, the number of rounds registered in the handicap system in the United States in 2025 exceeded 82 million \u2014 an all-time high \u2014 and the share of 9-hole rounds has risen for five consecutive years. In other words, as off-course participants grow, so too does the population flowing onto the course. The same is true in Australia. Golf Australia assessed that during the 2024\/25 season, off-course experiences continued to drive on-course participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United Kingdom and Scotland, golf’s birthplace, the expansion of screen golf continues as well.  In a March 2026 article, BBC Sport reported that 82% of on-course golfers in the UK and Ireland had experienced other forms of golf. R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon stated, “The growth of non-traditional golf is driving participation among adults and juniors around the world, and these new forms of golf are becoming an important gateway into the sport.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Korea is the market that experienced this shift first. It has already been a decade since screen golf surpassed field golf in terms of participants, and that technology and operational know-how are now being exported across the world, including to the United States and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestic<\/strong> <\/strong>Screen Golf<\/strong> \u00b7 <\/strong>Field Golf<\/strong> <\/strong>Market<\/strong> <\/strong>Size<\/strong> <\/strong>Trend<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Domestic Screen Golf \u00b7 Field Golf Market Size Trend-1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The year-by-year figures compiled in the Korea Golf Industry White Paper demonstrate screen golf’s independent growth momentum. The screen golf market grew 131% over eight years, from KRW 1.02 trillion in 2015 to KRW 2.359 trillion in 2023. In particular, even during the period when the field golf market contracted following the 2016 enforcement of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (the Kim Young-ran Act), screen golf grew steadily and broadened its base. Over the long term, both markets show an upward trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Path of Entry Has Changed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to an R&A survey, 37% of on-course golfers in Canada and 36% of on-course golfers in England first encountered golf through indoor, non-traditional formats such as simulators or driving ranges before ever heading out onto the course. The NGF likewise reported that about two-thirds of golfers newly taking up field golf in the United States come in by way of an off-course experience.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A golfer tries out a GOLFZON simulator at the 2026 Pebble Beach Food&Wine event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This trend is pronounced among juniors and women. According to the R&A, about 80% of junior golfers aged 6 to 17 have experienced only non-traditional formats. Across the R&A’s nine core markets, women account for 25% of on-course adults, but that figure rises to 50% in non-traditional formats. This means off-course golf is drawing in a new population distinct from the existing golf consumer base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolution of Formats, the Growth of the Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the base of participants broadens, the scale and quality of the golf industry are rising along with it. The advancement of simulator technology has stimulated the equipment market, and the indoor lesson market has expanded rapidly as well. Precise data-driven swing analysis has raised the quality of lessons, and not only amateurs but professional players have begun to actively use simulators as training tools. Trackman is a prime example. Founded in Denmark in 2003, Trackman applied military Doppler radar technology to golf to develop a launch monitor that precisely analyzes ball flight, later expanding into virtual course simulators and opening its doors to everyday golfers as well. Founder and CEO Klaus Eldrup-J\u00f8rgensen said, ‘When we started the company, we never imagined the simulator would become the core of the business.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kim Hong-taek \u2014 dubbed the emperor of screen golf after reaching a career total of 12 wins with his victory at the GOLFZON-hosted ‘2023 Shinhan Investment Corp. GTOUR MEN’S Round 7’ \u2014 went on to conquer the 2024 GS Caltex Maekyung Open, a major-class event on the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The new format did not just create new markets. It also opened a new stage of challenge for players. Launched in 2012, GTOUR and WGTOUR are the world’s first screen golf pro tours, created by GOLFZON, expanding screen golf beyond a mere practice space into the realm of competition and spectatorship. Pro Kim Hong-taek, the emperor of the screen with a GTOUR-record 16 wins, claimed his first KPGA tournament victory in 2017 and then captured the 2024 Maekyung Open after a seven-year wait, asserting his presence on the course as well. Having reached three career wins by the 2025 KPGA Busan Open, he has become a symbol of the two-way player who moves freely between screen and field, while Pro Hong Hyun-ji, the WGTOUR prize-money leader, holds a full KLPGA card and has consistently placed in the field top 10. The structure granting GTOUR and WGTOUR major champions entry into the KPGA and KLPGA main draws, respectively, shows that the screen has established itself as an official gateway to the course.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A golfer takes a shot from the tee at GOLFZON CITY GOLF China’s second location, the Yanji branch, the venue of the 2025 GOLFZON China Open<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Format innovation continues as well. Launched in January 2025, TGL is a league in which PGA Tour players compete in team matches in a space combining simulators and a real green; it has redesigned golf into two-hour media content for American sports fans who want fast, fast-paced play. Meanwhile, GOLFZON \u2014 which has always prized realism \u2014 unveiled CITYGOLF, the world’s first hybrid platform combining a screen with a real green, in 2024. Begun in 2022, the GOLFZON China Open elevated its standing onto the CITY GOLF stage from 2024, growing into a full-fledged global tour; in 2026 it has grown into a world-class event with a total purse of about KRW 4.25 billion, featuring players from Asia, the Americas and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A New Starting Line for Golf<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The future of off-course golf is bright. According to Trackman’s outlook reported by BBC Sport, the number of indoor golf rounds in the UK is projected to surpass outdoor rounds by 2028. In Korea, that became reality a decade ago. And the technology and platforms that led that change are now spreading across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The barrier to entry is falling, participation is rising, and the market is growing. As constraints of time and space disappear, golf is opening up to more people in more diverse ways. A cycle in which one starts on the screen and heads out onto the course, then returns to the screen to test the skills honed on the course, is expanding the golf ecosystem. Golf, which began on the coast of 15th-century Scotland, has stepped beyond the field five centuries later. And the Korean golf industry stands at the very center of that transition. Off-course, then, is not golf’s final destination but a new starting line where more people can meet the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The number of off-course golfers is rising worldwide thanks to golf simulators Born in the 15th century on the eastern coast of Scotland, golf was for a long time a sport reserved for those with time and leisure to spare. Wide stretches of turf, long rounds, high costs \u2014 as industrialization and urbanization advanced, the fairways seemed to recede ever farther away, and the barrier to entry showed little sign of falling. Yet over time, that barrier began to come down too.  The reason was off-course golf, powered by simulator technology. It is already a familiar sight in Korea, but the screen golf culture is now spreading across the world. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"family":[15],"class_list":["post-3134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","family-golfzon-korea"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3134"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5152,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3134\/revisions\/5152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3134"},{"taxonomy":"family","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/family?post=3134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}