Golf and tennis boom amid pandemic; related items popular as Seollal gifts

코로나 장기화로 늘어난 2030 골린이와 테린이… 골프, 테니스 대세 되더니 명절 선물로도 등장 Many sports have struggled amid the pandemic but golf and tennis thrived,... becoming more popular than ever before. Formerly, mainly played by those in the older age brackets... now, more and more people in their 20s and 30s are picking up the sports. Eum Ji-young tells us more. Looking to stay active during the pandemic, 20-something Kim Kun-young picked tennis as the ideal socially-distanced sport. "I wanted to stay active despite the pandemic and unlike sports that I played before the pandemic like soccer or just going to the gym, I wanted to try something new." Tennis clubs have been experiencing a boom in membership amid COVID-19 as the sport does not require physical contact with one's opponent and playing in the open air cuts the risk of infection. Local credit card company Shinhan card compared the number of new businesses opening from January to September in 2019 and in 2021. The data showed the opening of tennis courts skyrocketed by 174 percent. Along with tennis, golf has been another sport that has been winning despite the pandemic with the opening of outdoor golf courses soaring by 131 percent. "Golf has become more and more popular as people flocked to golf courses amid social distancing. Last year, the number of people who play golf in South Korea increased by about 450 thousand,... and almost two-thirds of them were in their 20s or 30s." "I started learning golf two weeks ago. When I watch videos on YouTube, many young people are learning golf. And on Instagram or on other social media, many people who look a similar age as me play golf. So I started learning golf to keep up with the latest trend." "As there are restrictions in overseas travel, the demand for golf surged. Before the pandemic, mainly those in their 40s or 50s had been interested in playing golf but nowadays, those in their 20s and 30s are also mainstream." The popularity of golf has led to an increase in the sales of golf clothes and equipment. Local department store Shinsegae said sales of golf-related items have jumped by nearly 23 percent last year compared to the previous year and golfwear has surged by 56 percent. Firms have also launched gift sets for the Lunar New Year holiday. "Many young people come to look for nice gifts for their families and they also buy affordable gifts as well." "When we have family gatherings, we often exchange golf-related items like colored golf balls as presents." The department store said that for golf items last year, the number of customers in their 30s had the highest growth of any age group at nearly 44 percent. Those in their 20s and 30s are setting the trends, with almost twice as much on-year growth as those in their 40s and 50s. Eum Ji-young, Arirang News. #golf #tennis #COVID19 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Arirang News(Twitter) :   / arirangtvnews   📣 News Center(YouTube) :    / newscenter_arirangtv   2022-01-31, 12:00 (KST)