South Koreans Prefer Golf Cafes to Courses
Virtual golf becomes a hit in South Korea, where the real thing costs a fortune.
SEOUL, South Korea, July 5, 2008 — -- When Myung-Hoon Hwang, 39, and his close friends get together on Friday nights, it used to be billiards and drinking all night. But nowadays their passion is hitting golf balls sometimes until 5:00 a.m., at Golfzon, an indoor virtual reality golf café.
The so-called "screen golf cafés" are rising hot spots in South Korea, a nation fanatically in love with the sport.
Some 5,000 cafes mostly situated in business districts are connected online nationwide, powered by the world's most highly wired technology.
Several online hosts such as Golfzon (www.golfzon.com) and Family Golf (www.aonetour.co.kr) operate a virtual community where they keep track of scores and offer real-time cash prizes to any members hitting a hole-in-one during their games.
"We're going to bet on who is buying dinner tonight," says Hwang as he clicks on St. Andrews Old Course in Scotland, which the team agreed to play for the night. There are 60 more of the world's best courses to choose from.
The simulation program replicates every detail from hills and water hazards to even trees planted in exact locations.
"It really feels like you are out there," says Soon-Hyo Park, 36, as he picks a club to tee-off at the 4th hole.
After he takes his shot, three other golfers respond with excitement. A window pops up on the screen showing exact distance hit, swing speed and distance left to the green. Virtual birds fly and tree branches shake as if the wind blows, in accordance with the pre-programmed wind condition.
Next up, Hwang's second shot lays on a downhill slope.
"I'm not having much luck today," he says grudgingly, as the mat slowly tilts downward.
An estimated 200,000 Koreans play this virtual golf game every day, six times more than the number of golfers playing the real outdoor courses, according to the Korea Golf Association (KGA).
The soaring popularity of screen golf owes much in part to prohibitively expensive green fees in Korea. On average, each golfer spends about $300 per round; that is, if they are rich enough to buy a membership or have connections to member friends.
