Saudi Arabia looks to Korea to grow golf

Saudi Arabia’s golf ambitions have drawn global attention through LIV Golf and its recruitment of some of the sport’s biggest stars. At home, the kingdom faces a different task: getting more people to play.

For that, it is looking to Korea.

Thomas Rudy, chief investment and supply officer at Golf Saudi, sees Korea’s extensive course network, simulator technology and established golf culture as a model for expanding participation in Saudi Arabia, which currently has fewer than 5,000 registered golfers.

“It’s a market that's a role model for us,” Rudy told The Korea Herald on the sidelines of the 2026 Korea-Saudi Business Forum in Seoul on Tuesday.

Golf Saudi is seeking Korean partners across course development, technology and entertainment as it aims to increase the number of regular golfers to more than 30,000 within five years. Golf Saudi aligns with a number of stakeholders within the country including PIF.

“You have about 600 golf courses here, which is about 10 to 11 courses per million residents, so you are a mature golf market,” Rudy said.

“If you look at emerging golf markets like Vietnam or the UAE, we talk about 2.2 to 2.4 golf courses per million residents. … If you look at Saudi, we are a startup. We're very early. We have 0.2 courses per million residents. So we have a lot of room to grow and a lot of investment opportunities.”

Beyond traditional golf-course operators, Golf Saudi is looking to real estate developers, technology companies and startups that can help create new ways to play and experience the sport.

“Anything that's technology-driven, we invite companies from all over Korea to come and pitch new technologies to us because you're very good at development from software and hardware and we really like that,” Rudy said.

One example is Korea’s Golfzon, with Golf Saudi already distributing its golf simulators in Saudi Arabia. According to Rudy, Golfzon products account for half the simulators at a Five Iron Golf venue in the kingdom.

The objective is to lower barriers to entry and turn newcomers into regular players. Golf Saudi defines a registered golfer as someone who plays on a course at least once a month.

Its approach includes a free 10-week “Go Golf” program that offers 12 lessons, alongside golf academies, driving ranges and entertainment-focused venues. Riyadh’s first Topgolf is scheduled to open next year and is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors annually, according to Golf Saudi.

“We're here to look at the knowledge and look for partners,” Rudy said. “We want to build more driving ranges. You have great examples here. You have golf course expertise…We are very much focused on what golf will be in the future.”