"Even Without a Caddy, It's Enough"... Today's Golfers, This One Thing is All You Need

[Financial News] Despite the recent trend of 'golf popularization', golf course fees continue to rise. As the cost of hitting the field increases, 'self-play' without a caddy is emerging as a new trend.
At the center of this is the 'golf distance meter' armed with technological evolution. It has established itself as a strategic round companion beyond a simple auxiliary device, heralding an era where it replaces the role of high-priced caddies.
According to the Korea Leisure Industry Research Institute on the 21st, as of January this year, there are 604 golf courses in Korea. Although the golf population is expanding, in the Embrain '2024 Golf Industry Planning Survey', 82.7% of field experiencers responded that "golf course fees have become expensive over the past 2-3 years." The main reason is the increase in ancillary costs such as cart fees and caddy fees. As a result, more golfers are seeking no-caddy golf courses or choosing self-play.
PineDigital's PineCaddy 'UPL9 mini' is an ultra-lightweight 103g, smaller than a credit card, and integrates ultra-fast distance measurement technology. The new product introduces a scanning function for the first time, continuously measuring the distance of all points captured while moving the device and providing immediate guidance.
With 'PineCaddy Mode', it is possible to check the distance to companions. It has strong durability in practice, supporting up to 20,000 measurements and being water-resistant. It is also equipped with slope correction and pin finder functions, advantageous for strategic course attacks.
VoiceCaddy's 'SL mini' is a high-performance model combining AI voice recognition, automatic pin position guide 'AutoPin (APL)', and an external OLED display.
In particular, it is linked with real-time pin information built in about 80% of golf courses nationwide, automatically recognizing and displaying the exact pin point from the current location. Distance measurement is possible with voice commands, reducing operational burden even before swinging or while moving. It also features course view and green view visual provision functions, completing 'strategic golf'.
MyCaddy's 'MG3' is the world's first to have an 'Aiming' function that guides address direction in addition to distance measurement. It is suitable for beginners or amateur golfers with a lack of directional sense, and integrates laser distance measurement and aiming into one for easy use without separate devices.
An industry official said, "Among golf consumers, there is a saying that 'one good distance meter is better than ten caddies'," adding, "Especially as technology evolves, distance meters are establishing themselves as core equipment for self-rounds rather than just auxiliary devices."

jimnn@fnnews.com Shin Ji-min Reporter