Popularity of Screen Golf in Korea and Its Sociocultural Meaning

Jung-Rae Lee and Ki-Nam Kwon
Additional contact information
Jung-Rae Lee: Department of Leisure and Sports, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, 2559 Gyeongsang-daero, Sangju-si 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea
Ki-Nam Kwon: Department of Leisure and Sports, College of Ecology and Environmental Science, Kyungpook National University, 2559 Gyeongsang-daero, Sangju-si 37224, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the popularity of screen golf, golf played using an indoor golf simulator, in Korea and to further explore its sociocultural significance. This study conducted a case study in which purposeful sampling was employed to recruit 15 participants. The results revealed that screen golf was popular in Korea because its facilities were easier to access; screen golf centers were found at convenient locations, and screen golf was more affordable than playing golf at the golf course. The combination of screen golf and the bang culture that is particular to Koreans has led them to accept the former as a familiar space for leisure activities. The results further revealed that screen sport has sociocultural significance in that its considerable popularity has led to the integration of virtual reality (VR) sports into daily life, thus making the division between sports and games less evident. Golf, a sport once considered as being an exclusive hobby for rich elites, has become popular among the general public, destroying the hierarchal notion that some sports harbor. This is meaningful as screen golf has played the role of an agent for sport socialization, encouraging people to participate in golf even on a course, unlike any other VR sport. Furthermore, this pastime has secured its position as a subculture in and of itself, becoming popular throughout the world.

Keywords: popularity; screen golf; sociocultural meaning; case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/13178/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/13178/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:13178-:d:702103

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().