전국 첫 공인구장서 파크골프 대회…열기 고조 / 연합뉴스TV (YonhapnewsTV)

[Anchor] Recently, the popularity of park golf has been rising to the point where competition to build park golf courses is taking place all across the country. The Presidential Cup National Park Golf Tournament was held in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. Gumi, home to the nation's first officially certified course, is establishing itself as a national park golf hotspot. Reporter Jung Ji-hoon reports. [Reporter] Park golf players gathered from all over the country are powerfully hitting their tee shots. The Presidential Cup National Park Golf Tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the domestic park golf field, has kicked off in Gumi. Approximately 800 players from 17 cities and provinces across the country are participating to compete for two days. [Lee Jae-eun / Representative from North Gyeongsang Province] "We put in a lot of effort and sweat to compete in the tournament this morning. We entered the competition with the determination to do our best and win." The Dongnak Park Golf Course, where this tournament was held, is the nation's first officially certified course. As the popularity of park golf rises, the number of users is also increasing rapidly. Following the certification of the official course, national-level tournaments have continued, attracting a steady stream of enthusiasts from across the country. Last year, the number of users at park golf courses in the Gumi region exceeded 500,000, and this year, it has risen to the level of 650,000. Park golf, which began as a recreational sport centered on the elderly, has recently been spreading rapidly nationwide. With popularity rising to the point where every local government is stepping up to build park golf courses, the competition to host national tournaments is also becoming fierce. [Hong Seok-ju / President of the Korea Park Golf Association] "It is quite popular because you can go to any course with just a golf club and a ball, exercise hard, and build close relationships." Based on the nation's first officially certified course, Gumi City expects to revitalize recreational sports and expand sports tourism. [Kim Jang-ho / Mayor of Gumi] "We plan to provide active support so that many people from all over the country who love park golf can come, enjoy themselves to their heart's content, and participate in local consumption tourism." Gumi City plans to further strengthen its position as a central city for park golf by hosting national-scale tournaments and expanding its infrastructure. This is Jung Ji-hoon from Yonhap News TV. [Screen provided by Gumi City] [Video coverage by Choi Moon-seop] #ParkGolf #PresidentialCupNationalTournament #GumiGyeongbuk #SportsForEveryone ▣ Subscribe to Yonhap News TV's documentary channel 'Docu-Digging'    / @docu-digging   ▣ Subscribe to Yonhap News TV YouTube Channel    / @yonhapnewstv23   ▣ The beginning of Korean news, Yonhap News TV / Yonhap News TV http://www.yonhapnewstv.co.kr/