The Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province is set to host the '2026 Hwacheon King of Kings National Park Golf Championship,' offering a prize of 10 million won for both male and female winners. The tournament aims to gather enthusiasts to conclude the season, with a portion of the entry fees and prize money returned as local gift certificates to stimulate regional spending.
According to Hwacheon County, the county sports council began accepting applications for the tournament from October 26 to October 30. Participants must be registered members of the Korea Park Golf Association from January 1 to September 30 of this year. There are no restrictions on the number of participants from different cities and counties.
The preliminaries will take place over four days on November 10, 11, 17, and 18 at the Sinhae and Rose Park Golf Courses. The finals are scheduled for November 24 and 25 at the first and second courses of the Sancheoneo Park Golf Course. The competition will be divided into male and female categories, with each winner receiving 10 million won.
This year, the use of Hwacheon Love Gift Certificates will be expanded. Players who pay the 30,000 won entry fee for the preliminaries will receive an equivalent amount in local currency. The entry fee for the finals is 40,000 won, and participants will receive 20,000 won in gift certificates along with a commemorative item. For prize money exceeding 1 million won, 10% will be given in Hwacheon Love Gift Certificates.
This initiative aims to connect athlete recruitment with local consumption. By providing local currency equivalent to the entry fee, it encourages the use of restaurants and shops, while also allowing winners to spend part of their prize money locally.
Hwacheon is positioning itself as a hub for park golf, supported by a year-round schedule of national tournaments. This year's announced schedule includes five major national events, including this championship, the season-opening national tournament, a couples (family) national tournament, the Sancheoneo National Park Golf Festival, and a national health (cancer and chronic disease) tournament leading up to the championship.
Each tournament attracts different participants and occurs at various times. The season-opening tournament welcomes enthusiasts early in the year, while the couples and family tournament targets those wishing to participate together. The arrangement of the Sancheoneo Festival and health tournament leading up to the championship aims to draw diverse participants to Hwacheon, creating multiple opportunities for visits rather than concentrating on a single event.
Another notable feature is the separation of preliminaries and finals. This year, the couples and family tournament was held with preliminaries in May and finals in June, while the Sancheoneo Festival took place from August to September. The King of Kings Championship will also consist of four preliminary rounds and two days of finals, potentially encouraging repeat visits and local spending by participants.
Hwacheon has established a foundation for utilizing multiple venues for tournament operations. This time, the Sinhae and Rose courses will host the preliminaries, while the Sancheoneo first and second courses will host the finals. The aim is to increase both venue utilization and local consumption through experience gained from hosting national tournaments. However, the actual economic impact will need to be assessed based on participants' lodging and gift certificate usage.
Kim Se-hoon, the mayor of Hwacheon County, stated, “We will ensure thorough preparations for the tournament so that Hwacheon can firmly establish itself as the center of park golf in South Korea.”
The tournament is organized by the Hwacheon County Sports Council, with support from the Korea Park Golf Association and the Hwacheon Park Golf Association.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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