Hwacheon County will host the military championship at the Gandong Park Golf Course on November 14, with the official opening scheduled for November 15. The county features seven courses with a total of 117 holes and plans to connect national tournaments with local voucher refunds and free entry for guests to boost local spending.
According to Hwacheon County, the tournament, organized by the county sports council, will see participation from over 450 members of the county park golf association, referees, and officials. The opening ceremony is set for 11:30 a.m. The competition will be divided into senior and general categories, with vouchers and trophies awarded to the top three in each category. The course, located in Gancheok-ri, was completed on October 31 and spans 29,500 square meters, featuring 18 holes, a parking lot, and a ticket booth.
Starting from the official opening day, adult visitors will pay an entry fee of 15,000 won but will receive a 10,000 won Hwacheon Love voucher in return. On the same day, visitors using other courses can present their first payment receipt to enter for 5,000 won. Hwacheon residents can enter for free. Guests staying in local accommodations can also enter once for free by presenting their lodging receipt without a reservation.
In Goryeong County, visitors to the Daegaya and Dasan courses will receive 3,000 won back in local vouchers from the 5,000 won entry fee. Residents of Goryeong pay a daily fee of 2,000 won. Hwacheon aims to encourage spending by visitors and extend the stay of outside enthusiasts through voucher refunds and free entry for guests. The Hwacheon King Championship national tournament, which began preliminary rounds on November 10, also offers a full refund of the 30,000 won entry fee in local vouchers. The finals will take place on November 24-25 at the Sancheoneo Park Golf Course.
According to Hwacheon County statistics cited by Sports Kyunghyang, the number of visitors to the Sancheoneo Park Golf Course increased by 25.6%, from 473,945 in 2023 to 595,266 in 2024. In 2025, 567,402 visitors were recorded over 11 months.
Hwacheon County estimates that if 200,000 outside visitors each receive a 10,000 won refund, it could circulate 2 billion won in vouchers annually. However, it remains unclear how much of the refunded vouchers are actually spent at local businesses or how much the free entry benefit has increased lodging usage.
Nearby Cheorwon County also temporarily opened the Hwagang Park Golf Course, an 18-hole facility, on November 6. It is set to officially open in March after a winter break. In Dongsong-eup, a 27-hole Geumhak course is under construction, aiming for completion in the first half of next year. Hwacheon has been operating national tournament preliminaries and finals across multiple courses. The newly opened Gandong course is conveniently located near the planned Hwacheon Station on the Chuncheon and East-West Express Railway. As neighboring areas expand their facilities, Hwacheon's competitiveness will depend on how well it can convert tournament visitors into weekday users and overnight guests.
Kim Se-hoon, the mayor of Hwacheon County, stated, “We will do our best to revitalize the local economy and increase residents' income through park golf.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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