{"id":5929,"date":"2026-10-26T15:59:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/?p=5929"},"modified":"2026-11-02T09:31:37","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T00:31:37","slug":"column-professor-jeong-hak-lees-perspective-how-off-course-golf-is-shaping-the-future-of-golf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/column-professor-jeong-hak-lees-perspective-how-off-course-golf-is-shaping-the-future-of-golf\/","title":{"rendered":"[COLUMN] Professor Jeong-Hak Lee’s Perspective: How Off-Course Golf Is Shaping the Future of Golf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\ud83d\udca1<\/strong> AI Summary<\/strong> Off-course golf is lowering barriers to entry and broadening participation through screen golf and indoor practice facilities. Across the global golf industry, golf experiences are expanding beyond traditional courses into diverse spaces supported by digital technology. GOLFZON’s CITYGOLF combines screen golf with real greens in an urban setting, demonstrating the potential for new golf spaces and business models. Looking ahead, off-course golf is expected to improve accessibility and contribute to the industry’s sustainable growth by creating stronger connections with on-course golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future of golf is not being shaped on golf courses alone. A new golf culture is emerging in screen golf venues people visit after work, indoor practice facilities close to home, and urban golf facilities that combine digital technology with real greens. In the past, the golf industry’s growth was largely measured by how many people played on traditional courses. Today, we must also consider how many different ways people engage with the sport. In this sense, the expansion of off-course golf represents more than simply an increase in facilities. It reflects a broader shift in golf’s accessibility, consumption patterns, and industry structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off-Course Golf: Lowering Barriers to Entry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Off-course golf offers a new starting point by making the sport more accessible to beginners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important roles of off-course golf is reducing the financial, time, and psychological barriers associated with taking up the sport. For beginners, a golf course can be an appealing yet intimidating place. Playing a round requires preparing equipment and appropriate attire, finding playing partners, and setting aside considerable time for travel and play. Beginners may also worry that their lack of experience could slow down other players. Screen golf and indoor practice facilities help ease these concerns. They allow people to enjoy golf close to home in relatively short sessions, practice challenging shots repeatedly, and learn at their own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift is part of a broader global trend. According to The R&A’s Global Golf Participation Report 2025<\/em>, released in 2026, 112.2 million adults and juniors participated in various forms of golf across the regions surveyed, excluding the United States and Mexico. Of these, 68.3 million participated in off-course formats. The key takeaway is that golf participation is expanding well beyond traditional courses. According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), more than 48 million people participated in on-course and off-course golf in the United States in 2025, and approximately two-thirds of first-time on-course golfers had previous off-course experience. These findings suggest that screen golf and practice facilities serve as important entry points where people can discover the sport and develop an interest before heading onto a golf course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off-course golf holds particular significance in Korea. High urban density, demand for leisure activities close to home, and advances in digital technology have helped establish a foundation that connects everyday urban golf experiences with traditional courses. In this environment, off-course golf should evolve beyond simply providing places for people to gather and become a space that encourages lasting engagement with the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combining Screen Golf with Real Greens: CITYGOLF’s New Approach to Golf Spaces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Beyond improving physical spaces, off-course golf must also evolve toward platform innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban golf facilities that combine screen golf with real greens are redefining the boundaries between on-course and off-course golf. GOLFZON’s CITYGOLF is a representative example. According to media reports citing the company’s announcements, GOLFZON opened its first CITYGOLF facility in Tianjin, China, in September 2024, followed by a second location in Yanji in August 2025. Under this format, players hit tee shots and iron shots using golf simulators, while short-game play around the green takes place in a physical playing area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The significance of this model goes beyond creating a larger screen golf facility. Digital technology reduces the physical space needed for long-distance shots, while short-game play, where distance perception and touch are particularly important, remains in a real playing environment. By separating and then reconnecting these different aspects of the game, CITYGOLF creates a link between digital and physical golf experiences, offering a new way to enjoy a round within an urban setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The possibilities extend beyond operating individual facilities. By connecting playing records, lessons, membership management, local leagues, and tournament content, a single facility could develop into an integrated platform that encourages continued participation. Korea’s golf simulator technology and operational expertise could also expand into overseas business models that bring together facilities, instruction, and content. The potential use of underutilized commercial spaces in urban areas is another opportunity worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting Off-Course and On-Course Golf: New Growth Opportunities for the Golf Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Ultimately, the future of golf lies in connection rather than replacement. The future envisioned through off-course golf is not one without traditional golf courses. Rather, it is one in which more people can choose how to enjoy the sport according to their time, financial circumstances, and lifestyles. Different pathways to participation can coexist, from practicing at a neighborhood facility and enjoying screen golf to experiencing a new form of play at an urban golf facility and occasionally heading out to a golf course surrounded by nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make this possible, the golf industry must move beyond competition among individual facilities and focus on connecting the entire customer experience. Measures of success should also extend beyond the number of new facilities and one-time visits to include attracting and retaining new participants, diversifying ways to engage with the sport, maintaining affordable access, and improving the quality of instruction. The future competitiveness of golf will depend not on who can replace traditional courses, but on who can give more people reasons to start playing and continue enjoying the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, off-course golf could become a key driver of structural change and new growth opportunities in the golf industry by making the sport more accessible and broadening its participation base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Professor Jeong-Hak Lee<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Professor, Department of Golf Industry, Kyung Hee University
Member, Performance Improvement Committee, Korea Golf Association
Member, International Cooperation Expert Committee, 2027 Chungcheong World University Games
Vice President, Korea University Golf Federation
Vice President, Korean Society of Golf Studies
President, Korean Society for Sport Management<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\ud83d\udca1 AI Summary Off-course golf is lowering barriers to entry and broadening participation through screen golf and indoor practice facilities. Across the global golf industry, golf experiences are expanding beyond traditional courses into diverse spaces supported by digital technology. GOLFZON’s CITYGOLF combines screen golf with real greens in an urban setting, demonstrating the potential for new golf spaces and business models. Looking ahead, off-course golf is expected to improve accessibility and contribute to the industry’s sustainable growth by creating stronger connections with on-course golf. The future of golf is not being shaped on golf courses alone. A new golf culture is emerging in screen golf venues people visit after work, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"family":[15],"class_list":["post-5929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story","category-group-story","family-golfzon-korea"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5929","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5929"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5959,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5929\/revisions\/5959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5929"},{"taxonomy":"family","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.golfzon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/family?post=5929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}