Photo = Getty Image Bank
–
Due to an administrative order prohibiting gatherings of five or more people for the prevention of Corona 19, an emergency has occurred in golf courses in the metropolitan area. For the time being, golfers visiting a golf course in the metropolitan area have to make a group of three or play a round without a caddy.
Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do announced that private meetings with more than 5 people will be banned from 0:00 on the 23rd to the 3rd of the following month. Accordingly,’private gatherings’ (except for funerals and weddings) in which five or more people gather indoors or outdoors are prohibited. In general, golf courses with one caddy attached to one group of four and five people attending together are also subject to this executive order. If this is violated, both the business owner and the user must pay a fine (3 million won).
The golf course industry cannot hide its embarrassment. This is because the ban on groups of more than 5 people is a stronger measure than the ‘3rd step of distance’ (prohibition of groups of 10 people or more) originally expected by the golf course industry. A total of 175 golf courses in the metropolitan area (as of 2019, Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute), which are subject to this administrative measure, account for about 32.7% of the nation’s 535 golf courses.
Some golf courses in the metropolitan area are closed, but not many golf courses in the metropolitan area are emergency. Right now, a message is being sent to the reservations for groups of 4 to be built during this period, saying,’Only 3 people except 1 can visit’, but the backlash is strong. An official at a golf course in the metropolitan area said, “There are golf courses that urgently proceed with’no-caddie 4 player play’, but there are also safety issues, so most of them have to bear losses and arrange reservations in groups of three.” Another representative of a golf course in the metropolitan area said, “I have not heard any explanation from the local government yet, so I heard the news through the news.” did.
The local governments are expected to prepare detailed instructions before 0:00 on the 23rd and deliver them to the golf course. A Gyeonggi-do official said, “It was a sudden decision, so we could not properly inform the golf courses about this administrative order.” “As it is an emergency measure to prevent the spread of Corona 19, please cooperate.”
Reporter Jo Hee-chan [email protected]
–
Ⓒ Hankyung.com prohibits unauthorized reproduction and redistribution
–
