The Cost of Playing Golf in Korea: Realistic Considerations

Playing golf can be expensive, with initial setup costing around 1 million won, monthly rounds adding up to 1.2 million won, and societal pressures to show off possessions.

### The Cost and Societal Perceptions of Golf as a Hobby
* 💸 The cost of playing golf is high, with approximately **300,000 won needed for a single round** and around **1 million won required to set up the equipment initially**.
* 📈 The green fees and caddy fees of golf courses are being criticized for being too high, but the fees are maintained due to the **reluctance of course owners to reduce them**.
* 🇯🇵 In Japan, golf has become much cheaper as a result of the **decrease in consumer demand**.
* 👜 Society's emphasis on materialism and the culture of showing off possessions are considered to be the **main reasons for the high cost of golf**.
* 💰 It is said that playing golf as a hobby is not suitable for those who earn **less than 100 million won**, but this statement is considered **discriminatory and inappropriate**.
* 🇦🇺 In Australia, the cost of playing golf is significantly lower, with the option to **play unlimited rounds for a fixed annual fee**.
* 🔮 It is predicted that many people in their 20s and 30s will leave golf by 2030, and the **outdated image of golf** and the **prevalent culture of comparison in Korean society** are seen as contributing factors.

SNS golf certification shots are often uploaded, and there is a perception that playing golf itself costs a lot of money. How much does it cost to play golf? In fact, you need a lot of money to play golf. How much do you need to spend to play golf? You probably need around 300,000 won just to go out once. So, even if you play once a week, it would be 1.2 million won in just four weeks. You can spend 1.2 million won for your hobby. Honestly, it's not easy from my perspective. It's a very difficult thing. So, I think I need to talk realistically. First of all, buying a full set is not recommended. If you can't hit the ball now, people will say, You should change your club. They talk like this. It's mostly because of the equipment. When you buy a set like that, most people change it after a few months anyway.

I'm going to change it, right? So, because it costs more, it's not recommended to change the product just because it's not good. So, how much does it cost to roughly set up this club in the beginning? When I look at it, I think it's better to go for used clubs. If you buy a used iron set, even if it's a model that's been used once or twice, the performance is still good. If you end up buying that kind of set, it would cost around 1 million won, right? The driver would be around 300,000 won, and a putter around 200,000 won. You should buy at least two wedges, which would cost around 200,000 won to 300,000 won. And for the bag, it would be at least 200,000 won, right? Golf shoes would be another 200,000 won. If you go for mid-range products, it would be around 200,000 won for each, so around 200,000 won to 400,000 won for both. A hat would be around 80,000 won. So, in total, it would be around 1 million won.

When you want to play golf, you need to prepare all the equipment and clothes. If you go out for a round about once or twice a month, it costs around 120, so you need to take lessons. How much for lessons? If you take lessons monthly, it's 400,000 won. For example, 400,000 won. So, how much does it cost in the first month? You need about 410,000 won. You need at least 410,000 won to start golfing. That's the conclusion. But why is golf so expensive? What are you doing? First of all, there are many clubs. Usually, people carry 14 clubs, so there are many clubs. And then, in the case of a soccer field, you just play on a field that is square-shaped. But a golf course is much larger and requires a lot of maintenance costs. So, I can understand why golf is quite expensive to some extent. It costs a lot to maintain. But now, excluding the initial fixed costs, for example.

I go for a round of golf about four times a month, and it costs around 1.2 million won. But these days, there are a lot of discussions like, Why is the caddy fee so high? Why did the green fee go up during the pandemic, and why isn't it going down even though the pandemic is over? What do you think about these kinds of discussions, sir? There are talks that these costs are overrated. I think the costs are a bit too high. In my opinion, they should be lowered a bit for better popularization. But why aren't they going down? Why aren't they going down? Currently, you have another profession. If you were asked to lower the fees, would you want to lower them, even if you don't know how much you are currently receiving? It wouldn't be possible, right? No, it wouldn't be possible. Then, golf courses are the same.

Won't it be burdensome? I'm just receiving this much, so if you ask me to reduce that, you probably wouldn't want to reduce it. Obviously, when I look at it, you shouldn't just blame the golf course. Ultimately, consumers are the ones in a market economy, in capitalism, so we leave it to the market. It's okay if consumers come less. In Japan, it became much cheaper. Why is that? Because ultimately, if consumers come less, they don't pay as much. Consumers don't come for that amount. For example, if you charge 200,000 won and only charge 300,000 won for green fees, consumers won't come. Then, what should we do? We should lower it. We should lower it. For example, if consumers come and say it's expensive, it's meaningless. Even if you pay a lot of money in the suburbs, it's meaningless to say it's expensive while paying. It's meaningless to spend a lot of money on a vanity pyramid, which is now used a lot by people in their 20s and 30s.

Furniture, then home interior, and then taking out a lot of loans to buy a house, cars, watches, and golf, in the top tier. First of all, when I was in Korea, I didn't play golf at all and didn't even think about it. Because I didn't have much income, I think I earned a little over a million won as an academy instructor. That was about 24 years ago, or even earlier, about 25 or 26 years ago. But I didn't even consider playing golf. I thought golf was too expensive, and I just thought my budget should change, my abilities should change. When I went to Australia, I started playing golf, and now, compared to back then, as golf has become more popular, and there are many people playing, I think I should play too. And my friend said it's a show-off, but when I look at this, normally.

The person who is showing off right now is focusing on that, right? Why do they show off so much? It's not good to show off like that. I think the person who shows off could be a victim. Because society encourages that atmosphere. When they show off, they receive attention. For example, posting pictures of a body profile, dining in fine restaurants, and uploading them like this. Then people see that and think there are people who give attention to it. Similarly, luxury goods are the same. If you bring a bag after seeing luxury goods, people don't even know what it is, they just think it's a shopping bag, and they don't even care. Then who would spend a huge amount of money on that? They paid tens of millions of won for it, but what is this? Where did they buy it? If you do this, there is no need to buy it, right? That's right, so that's how it is.

When it comes to things like bags, where people don't really attach much meaning to them, if that kind of atmosphere is created, it's the same even if the bag is a natural brand. So, first of all, people need to change their perception of others' gazes, and that kind of atmosphere needs to be resolved. Rather than saying it's a problem of people showing off, I think we need to change the overall societal atmosphere or individuals' consciousness. If there's no one who acknowledges showing off, why would anyone show off? That makes sense. It seems like there needs to be a significant change in perception. They say it's materialism. People focus too much on money or what they possess, which leads to an atmosphere of showing off. In a way, it can be seen as a naive idea that has never been considered before. If people receive recognition for showing off, then they will continue to do so.

I want to be recognized, but if the atmosphere doesn't allow for showing off, I will probably disappear a lot. And I shouldn't be swayed by that. It doesn't matter what others have. So, I should become someone who doesn't react much. I shouldn't boast about myself. I should become someone who doesn't show off what I have or brag about things like that. Those thoughts of wanting to show off with things I have, that's not me. It's not about showing off my inner self, like saying, I did this much volunteer work here, so it was meaningful. It's not about bragging about how much I've developed internally or how much I've thought. It's about realizing the meaning of life, growing in that way, and boasting about those aspects, not about boasting about what I currently have.

I think we need to consider that it focuses a lot on material things, such as having certain items. And why many people have issues with self-esteem. In fact, when you live a life that helps others, your self-esteem goes up a lot because you feel that you have value. So, when you feel that you, as a person, are having a positive impact on society, your self-esteem can rise significantly. However, instead of boasting about what items I have, when I see people admire them, my self-esteem will increase. I think this is a bit close to fantasy. By thinking a bit more and considering the impact I have on society, I think about what actions would be good. There are many discussions like this. If you earn less than 100 million won, you shouldn't play golf.

So, for example, there's a saying that if you can't earn at least around 6.5 million won, you shouldn't have golf as a hobby. Do you think it's true that you shouldn't have golf as a hobby if you earn less than 100 million won? However, saying since your income is not that high now, don't play golf may sound a bit discriminatory, so I don't think it's appropriate to say that. Just for example, you can purchase golf clubs at a very low price somewhere and enjoy playing screen golf, so you can enjoy golf as much as you want. Saying since your income is not that high now, don't play golf seems a bit off. However, it may be possible to express concerns when thinking about it. If you earn this much and play golf, you won't be able to save, and if you have a family, it could cause some financial problems in the household. So, it might be possible to express concerns.

I think you can understand the goodness. If you play golf with this income level, it seems like it might exceed the budget a bit. I think you can say things like that. Then, let's think about the cost of playing golf in Australia and Korea. How much difference is there in the cost of one round of golf? Before, when we calculated, if you go four times a month, it's 1.2 million won now, right? If you think about it like that, in the case of Australia, now, playing unlimited for a year at 1.5 million won, which is about 120 million won. You can also play unlimited for 120 million won. It's like a membership here. It's a place where you can just play for a year. It's not a concept of deposit. Just like going to our gym for a year, I pay 1.5 million won to play unlimited golf for a year. So, for a year, I can play unlimited rounds without paying extra. You can play unlimited 18-hole rounds, for example, 18-hole rounds.

Yes, it's possible. Of course, when there is a competition, there are days when the morning is not available, like Saturdays. For example, if I participate in a competition, I would pay around 10,000 to 20,000 won. If I win the competition, I would receive prizes for fun. There are such things, but I don't have to pay separately for the venue when I do rounds alone or with friends. If I were an elementary school student, I could pay 200,000 won. For middle and high school students, it could be around 500,000 won per year. They even offer discounts for those in their early twenties because they understand that early twenty-year-olds may not earn much money yet. So, in your early twenties, you could pay just 700,000 won for a year. After the end of Corona, in the media.

One of the highly publicized topics is that many are saying that by 2030, golf is leaving. Since you are on-site, what do you think about it? Do you actually feel like many people in their 2030s are leaving golf? Oh, it feels like they are leaving. Many young people with disabilities are not coming to golf courses, and especially now, young people are buying a lot of clothes. So, those working in the clothing industry are experiencing a significant decrease in sales. Oh, for those working in the golf medical field, yes. Overall, it seems like many young people are leaving. In my opinion, the image of golf is becoming outdated because there are so many cultures that need to be compared. How do you feel about this situation? It's regrettable. In fact, I might also leave such a culture of comparison.

I'm a person who compares too, and I can't be free because I'm human. Humans have egos, so they can't help but be aware that someone is watching them. So, we need to reduce that and do less of it. However, it's a pity that Korean society is so deeply immersed in a culture of comparison. It's necessary to become wiser. In fact, it's meaningless to exaggerate on social media, trying to impress others who could be acquaintances. People viewing me as more impressive in that way is meaningless. In reality, it all disappears after a short time. It's just a facade. If I had invested the time or money I spent on that into something more meaningful, for my development or into something much more meaningful, and utilized that time and money, in fact, 20 or 30 years later.

My life will completely change, right? Then, in 20 or 30 years, no one will compensate for the time and money I wasted to show off. People will acknowledge those who invested in themselves by saving that money and time instead of showing off. Because they have achieved something, gained financial stability, people will come to them and give recognition even if they stay still in 20 or 30 years. But if I waste that on meaningless show-offs, the sacrifice will be huge. My life is the same. Just having a job to show off to others is quite sad when you think about it. Completely ignoring what others think and then thinking about what I will do next.

I think that if I look at it, I might see a little more of what I need to do for my future.

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Playing golf can be expensive, with an estimated cost of 300,000 to 400,000 won for a single outing, including equipment and clothing.

Setting up initial clubs is recommended to be around 1 million won, with an additional 400,000 won for monthly lessons.

The overall expense of golf is attributed to the need for various expensive equipment, clothing, and monthly lesson costs, as well as the high maintenance expenses of golf courses.

Golfing in South Korea has become a topic of discussion due to the high caddy and green fees.

Despite the calls for lower costs to improve accessibility, the current pricing is unlikely to change due to the golf courses' financial considerations and the principles of a market economy.

The speaker's personal experience highlights how the perception of golf as an expensive sport has evolved over time.

Showing off is often driven by a desire for attention and recognition in a materialistic society.

The focus on luxury goods and extravagant experiences perpetuates the need for showing off to gain validation.

Changing the societal atmosphere and individual perceptions is crucial in reducing the pressure to show off and shifting the focus towards personal growth and meaningful achievements.

The Impact of Self-Esteem on Social Contribution and Golfing Expenses

Focusing on material possessions can negatively impact self-esteem, while contributing to society can boost it.

The idea that people with lower income shouldn't play golf can be seen as discriminatory, but expressing financial concerns is valid.

In Korea, the cost of playing golf is significantly lower than in Australia, with the option for a year-long unlimited play membership.

The Impact of Golf on Young People and Society

Golf competition fees can range from 10,000 to 20,000 won, with potential prizes for winners.

Younger students and those in their early twenties may receive discounts on annual golf fees.

The golf industry is experiencing a decline in participation from young people, potentially due to a shift in culture and priorities, leading to a sense of regret and the need to reduce the culture of comparison in Korean society.

The Impact of Self-Investment for Future Success

Investing time and money in showing off will not be compensated for in the future, while self-investment leads to financial stability and recognition.

Simply having a job to show off is not fulfilling, and ignoring others' opinions can provide clarity on future goals.