Korea Golf Association (KGA) and Women’s Golf
The Korea Golf Association (KGA), founded in 1959, is the national governing body for amateur golf in South Korea. It regulates the sport, manages handicapping and national championships, and develops elite players through a structured national team system. The KGA is affiliated with the R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, ensuring Korea’s integration into the international amateur-golf framework.
Women’s Golf in Korea
Women’s golf in Korea is one of the great modern success stories of the game. The KGA oversees both men’s and women’s amateur programmes, including the Korean National Golf Team, which comprises equal numbers of male and female players. Funded entirely by the KGA, this system provides world-class coaching, facilities, and competition opportunities. Many of Korea’s leading professionals — including global stars such as Pak Se-ri, Inbee Park, and Jin-Young Ko — began their careers within this amateur structure.
The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), founded in 1978, runs the women’s professional tour and works closely with the KGA to create a clear pathway from junior and amateur golf to the professional ranks. This dual structure — KGA for amateurs and KLPGA for professionals — has produced one of the most successful ecosystems for women golfers anywhere in the world.
Women’s Participation and Representation
South Korea has one of the highest female participation rates in the world.
Women account for approximately 45% of adult registered golfers, a figure unmatched in most other golf nations.
This reflects the strong social acceptance of golf as a lifelong sport for women, and the success of visible female role models emerging from the KLPGA and LPGA Tours.
At governance level, the KGA includes women across its coaching, administrative, and national-team structures. Training camps and selection policies are fully integrated, ensuring equitable support for both male and female athletes. The association’s investment in women’s performance, combined with the KLPGA’s professional opportunities, has made Korea a global powerhouse in women’s golf.
Commentary
Korean women’s golf represents a model of modern success built on structure, opportunity, and cultural support. Unlike many Western nations, where women’s participation declined with age or seniority, Korean women remain active members, competitors, and leaders throughout their lives. The country’s 45% female membership demonstrates that when women are visible, valued, and structurally supported, they shape not only their own success but the identity of a golfing nation.
Senior and Veteran Women’s Golf in Korea
Unlike the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth, Korea does not have an independent senior or veteran women’s golf association. Instead, senior and mid-amateur women continue to participate fully within the structures of the Korea Golf Association (KGA), local clubs, and the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) amateur and legends circuits.
Many Korean women remain active golfers well into later life, competing in club and regional tournaments, volunteering as referees, officials, and coaches, and mentoring younger players. This reflects Korea’s cultural emphasis on lifelong participation and respect for experience — qualities that have helped sustain one of the world’s most balanced golf communities.
While there are no formally distinct ‘senior women’s associations,’ the same organisational equality that defines the KGA’s approach ensures that older women are not separated from mainstream golf but included within it. Their continued visibility in competition, administration, and mentorship roles demonstrates how integrated participation can preserve the continuity and strength of women’s golf across generations.