[BizHanKook] In the summer of 2024, Japan’s Erika Hara came to South Korea to participate in the KLPGA Hanwha Classic as an invited player. Hara is a superstar of the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association, possessing both beauty and skill, and is currently a frontrunner in the LPGA Rookie of the Year points race. The player grouped with Hara at the time had the largest fandom in the KLPGA. As that player was introduced on the 1st hole, a middle-aged man’s command rang out as if he had been waiting for the moment: “One, two, three!” Then, many of the spectators nearby shouted in unison, “Go 000, fight!”
I watched Erika Hara’s expression at that moment. While she smiled slightly, she also looked quite surprised, as if this sight and style of cheering were completely new to her. Her already large eyes grew even wider. Hara’s reaction was repeated several times during the 18-hole round. That’s right. This is the Korean gallery. This is Korea’s cheering culture. Of course, this does not apply to every gallery. It is the story of specific player fan clubs.
Golf, a classic sport that originally prioritized solemnity, silence, and restrained cheering manners, has combined with Korea’s unique “collective fandom culture” to build an original and passionate “cheering ecosystem” unseen anywhere else in the world. While adding a “K” prefix might now feel like jumping on a long-established bandwagon, it is no exaggeration to call this “K-Golf Cheering.”
Of course, at the 16th hole of the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open in Arizona, known as “The Coliseum,” players who land on the green are met with cheers, while those who don’t face jeers rarely heard at other tournaments. When Tiger Woods and Sam Ryder hit hole-in-ones at this hole, the crowd threw so many beer cans and soda bottles that play was suspended for 15 minutes. However, even this frenzied golf atmosphere is different from the Korean golf fandom culture.
Uniformed group T-shirts and hats in a player's signature color, large placards and balloons printed with the player’s face, coffee trucks and merchandise booths set up by fan clubs in the corners of the gallery tent village, and disciplined group chants that echo across the course every time a player makes a birdie—these are scenes only seen at Korean golf tournaments, especially women’s events.
The fundamental basis for the KLPGA, which boasts unrivaled broadcasting rights fees, corporate sponsorships, and number of tournaments compared to the men’s tour (KPGA) or other overseas women’s tours, is this very fandom. Galleries are no longer just one-time “visitors” visiting the course on weekends. They are high-loyalty “core consumers” who accompany players to golf courses across the country based on their competition schedules. From a corporate perspective, there is no reason to refuse a scene where thousands of enthusiastic fan club members gather and media exposure effects are maximized. The massive crowds brought in by fandom induce corporate sponsorship participation, which leads to a virtuous cycle of increased tournament prize money and the expansion of the tour's scale.
This fandom culture creates a powerful emotional bond and sense of solidarity between players and fans. While sports viewing in the past was merely at the level of “applauding a good player,” the KLPGA fandom shares a “narrative of growing together with the player.” Fans accompany their favorite players from their rookie days as they grow into top players. They know the player’s performance and records better than anyone else. What this tournament means to a player is often laid bare in the cheering slogans they hold.
When a player faces the ordeal of missing a cut or falling into a slump, the support from fan clubs outside the ropes—with rice cakes, coffee trucks, and messages overflowing with affection—becomes a powerful mental pillar that gives the player the courage to bounce back. When their favorite player lifts a championship trophy, fans experience deep emotional immersion and reward, shedding tears as if they had lifted the trophy with their own hands.
In the past, golf galleries were largely limited to middle-aged men or business golfers. However, the KLPGA fan club culture, which adopted methods used by idol fandoms, has expanded to include many female fans, some of whom come as galleries simply because they like the player, even if they don’t play golf themselves. It’s as if they were going to a concert of their favorite singer.
The presence of an enthusiastic fandom is directly linked to TV ratings, the number of clicks on various videos, and the vitalization of official golf team YouTube and SNS channels. Fans voluntarily produce and distribute highlight videos of the players they support and create short-form content. This provides broadcasters, associations, and marketing agencies with endless opportunities for secondary content production. That’s right. Korea’s unique golf fandom culture is certainly a passionate engine that has contributed to the success of the KLPGA. But is this uniquely Korean golf fandom culture only good? It seems that is not necessarily the case.
Beyond passion, some overheated fan clubs are so immersed in the play of their favorite player that they occasionally neglect basic golf etiquette for others. For example, some leave their seats while making noise as soon as their player’s shot is finished, or begin moving while a playing partner is still preparing for a shot. There have even been instances where some were suspected of intentionally making noise during a competitor's swing.
The excessive affection and attention of fans sometimes place an unbearable weight on young professional players. The sense of shame and self-reproach a player feels when they underperform amidst a fan club’s massive cheering can be significant. Furthermore, the sharp psychological warfare, malicious comments, and disparagement between different player fan clubs in the field or in online golf communities undermine the spirit of healthy competition.
When hundreds of fans of a specific star player move in a crowd, general galleries visiting the site face great inconvenience in blocked paths and limited visibility. If the entire course becomes like a zone exclusively for a player’s fan club, spectators not affiliated with the club or those who want to enjoy a quiet round feel fatigued by the intense cheering. Sometimes it feels like the gallery at the golf course is divided into “general gallery” and “fan club gallery.” Remarks expressing a reluctance to attend galleries because of the loud, startling cheering slogans have begun to emerge. Fan club members sometimes demand silence from other spectators as if they were tournament officials when their player is taking a shot, and there are even occasional instances of them protesting to referees regarding rule decisions during play.
The KLPGA’s fandom culture is undoubtedly a unique asset that has nurtured the Korean golf industry. However, for this unique culture to be sustainable, “fandom passion” and the “intrinsic dignity of golf” must walk hand-in-hand and exist in harmony.
The most effective approach is self-regulation within the fandom and fan clubs. Consideration for playing partners other than the player being supported, as well as efforts to be mindful of non-member spectators, must follow. The dignity of the fan club is the dignity of the player.
Associations and tournament organizers should consider ideas such as significantly increasing the number of course marshals for popular groups where large fan clubs gather, and ensuring that movement and spectating can take place smoothly for everyone. Players should go beyond merely expressing gratitude to their fan clubs and exercise positive influence by saying things like, “Please cheer a little more quietly for the sake of my playing partners and other spectators,” or “Please give a big round of applause for the good shots of other players, too.” A message delivered directly by a player is more powerful than any guideline from a tournament official.
In baseball games, the sight of fans wearing their team’s jerseys and cheering together is supported even by those who are not. That is the case when they follow the rules. I hope the cheering of fan clubs wearing white, yellow, and blue colorful shirts will also receive the support of others. To achieve that, they must first understand why and for what reasons others are frowning upon the fan clubs’ way of cheering.