South Korean screen golf operator Golfzon said Sunday it was accelerating its expansion in China with its City Golf indoor-course brand, which blends virtual screen golf with real greens, and is emerging as a testbed for Beijing’s digital sports initiative.
City Golf was cited by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the General Administration of Sport as one of the country's leading smart-sports cases in December 2024.
The recognition comes as Beijing rolls out an aggressive sports-industry blueprint. Under a State Council policy released in September, China aims to grow the sector to about 7 trillion yuan ($985 billion) by 2030 and position itself as a global sports powerhouse.
City Golf features an 18-hole digital course, equipped with both a screen and a green. Long-distance shots are played through simulators in conjunction with Golfzon's Motion Plate technology, which reproduces uneven terrain. Later shots around the green are performed on an actual putting area.
Golfzon opened its first City Golf site in Tianjin in September 2024 and followed with a second in Yanji in August, signaling a broader rollout across China. The company is exploring the conversion of unused factories and convention centers into new centers -- a strategy aimed at cutting construction costs and speeding local market entry.
To raise the brand’s global awareness, Golfzon plans to showcase City Golf at the PGA Show in Orlando in January, the world’s largest golf exhibition by the Professional Golfers’ Association. Visitors will be able to try an integrated 18-hole simulator round paired with actual short-game play on site, the company said.
“City Golf’s potential to lower entry barriers and develop into a new sports culture is in line with the Chinese government’s strategy,” a Golfzon official said. “We will strive to make the brand available across the globe, including in the United States, by 2026.”
andreahaneu@heraldcorp.com
