Retail industry sees young golfers boost sales

Lee Eun-ji, 28, recently started to take golf lessons. For long, she had thought golf was sports for people her parents’ age, but this year, it came to her as a nice outdoor activity to enjoy, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Frankly, I thought golf would be boring because it looked like a quiet sport. But with COVID-19 keeping me at home, I looked for different outdoor activities and landed at golf,” Lee, an office worker in Seoul told The Korea Herald.

Similar to Lee, many in their 20s and 30s are starting golf as their new hobby, leading to sales growth of golf items, according to the retail industry Tuesday.

Emart, a retail giant, said the sales of golf equipment increased by 22.4 percent from Oct. 14 to 27, compared to the same time last year.

By golf clubs, the sales of drivers rose 40.3 percent, while woods and iron sets went up by 25.6 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively. Golf bags and golf balls were also more popular than a year earlier, going up by 26.4 percent and 25.4 percent respectively, Emart said.

Heal Creek, a golf wear company, said its outlets broke their monthly sales record of over 100 million won in October.

According to the company, the brand’s Gyeonggi Jukjeon branch and Deokso Sampae branches saw sales go over 100 million in October, while the overall sales of all of its outlets jumped in average of 47 percent in the same time, compared to the year before.

Emart said it has started a discount event on golf items, starting from Thursday to Nov. 11.

Heal Creek said the improved sales performance is due to an influx of customers in their 20s and 30s, who are starting golf for the first time this year.

To meet the rising demands on golf items and services among the 20s and 30s, retail businesses are coming up with promotions and items.

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven said Tuesday it is rolling out a mobile voucher for Golfzon, an indoor golf simulator studio chain -- a first such product among its rivals.

The 50,000-won voucher ($44) can be used in all Golfzon indoor golf simulator studios across the country and affiliated golf courses, and also, in Golfzon markets to buy golf items, 7-Eleven said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)