Green fees at public golf courses continue to run high after skyrocketing during pandemic

[Anchor]

In the second segment examining the issues of public golf courses, today we will discuss the skyrocketing green fee problem since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The condition of the greens is terrible, and the grass has been scorched by the heat, yet they are still charging high green fees.

As complaints from visitors reached a peak, the National Assembly decided to address the issue of standard green fees.

Reporter Son Ki-seong has the details.

[Report]

At a public golf course located in Incheon.

The teeing area has patches of bare ground, and players have to tee off from mats on par 5 holes.

Despite such poor management, the weekday green fee reaches 240,000 won.

Golf courses that started raising green fees during the explosive demand of the COVID-19 period are still taking advantage of the situation.

[○○○/Golf course user: "I came here last year too, and the excuse is always the same, that the weather is too hot. If that's the case, they shouldn't be in business. From what I see, this place is not worth coming to. I’m not planning to come back either."]

The average green fee for public golf courses has increased by 31.5% on weekdays and 22.5% on weekends over the past three years since the pandemic.

They benefit from exemptions on individual consumption tax and pay significantly less property tax compared to membership courses, leading to a vertical rise in profits.

Last year, the average operating profit of 189 public golf courses reached 6.6 billion won, with an operating profit margin of 40.2%, yet they continue to charge such high green fees.

Since the standard green fee for public golf courses is defined as the average green fee, the National Assembly has prepared a revision to prevent excessive increases during peak seasons.

[Min Hyung-bae/Democratic Party: "During peak seasons, they charge significantly higher, and during off-peak seasons, they lower it drastically, creating a structure where they can match 247,000 won and 188,000 won. Therefore, we should eliminate the concept of average usage fees and set a cap on usage fees."]

Given the extreme dissatisfaction from customers due to the excessive green fees set by some golf courses, a downward adjustment of green fees seems inevitable.

This is KBS News, Son Ki-seong reporting.