"I don't understand why Korean companies are turning a blind eye to the fact that they have already released AI-powered robot golf carts that can significantly lower the cost of carts. Is it because they can't resist the sweet temptation of profiteering from electric carts?"
If I were the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism <Planning Series> ⑦
The use of electric carts is linked to caddies... "high cost factors"
A common complaint among Korean golfers who are suffering from high cost is excessive cart fees. Currently, most golf clubs use electric carts regardless of the golfers' intentions for smooth round play, and caddies are in charge of the operation. It is good to include electric carts for golfers. However, there is a big problem when derivative costs are too high.
If a team of four golfers uses an electric cart, they currently pay a cart fee of 100,000 won to 130,000 won per team, which is allocated 25,000 won to 32,500 won per person. In addition, if you consider a caddy fee of 140,000 won to 150,000 won, 35,000 won to 37,500 won will be added, and golfers will have to take an additional 60,000 won to 70,000 won out of their wallets due to the electric cart. You might think that 60,000 to 70,000 won per round is manageable. However, due to the nature of addictive golf, it is quite burdensome for golfers who frequently have to go on a golf course to pay 60,000 to 70,000 won more each time.
In my blog post titled "Korean Golf Courts Go Too Much" published on April 11, I discussed the profit in golf courses in detail. According to a report by KBS, if an 18-hole golf course purchases 80 electric carts (15 million won per unit) and rolls them for 100,000 won per team, it will recover the entire amount of the investment in just six months. Electric carts usually last about 10 years. As golf courses collect fees for nine and a half years, their net profit amounts to a whopping 32.5 billion won.
"I can't stand the exploitation of golf courses anymore"... Public opinion worsens
What kind of business in the world can make a huge profit like electric cart fees for golf courses? The source of this profiteering is the money in the wallet that has trampled and stolen weak golfers. They are exploiting the weakness of not being able to book as they please due to the mismatch between supply and demand, forcing golfers to "blood tears."
However, golfers sensed the vicious behavior of golf courses and began to move. Not only the media, but also YouTubers and bloggers like me are strongly criticizing the behavior of golf courses. This is evidence that it is spreading to public opinion. Taking that public opinion into account, the relevant authorities have emerged as a task that must be dealt with, especially, the profiteering of golf courses, especially electric carts.
In this situation, a domestic venture company has attracted unusual attention by developing a fourth-generation intelligent robot cart, or an artificial intelligence (AI) golf cart, and putting it on the market. Founded in 2014, the AI robot cart is equipped with amazing functions with "HelloCaddy" by TTNG, www.talktalkgolf.com Co., Ltd. According to the company's data, it weighs 30kg, 720mm×1,030mm×865mm, has a maximum speed of 9km/h, a driving time of 7-10 hours, and a driving distance of 15-25km, and the ability to drive a slope is designed to be 15 degrees.
Korean venture company AI robot cart 'Hello Cady' launched
It can carry any caddie bag because it has a loading capacity of 50 kilograms. At the time of shipment in 2020, the price per unit was 3.5 million won (3.8 million won for installing the system), which was less than a quarter of the cost of purchasing a four-seater electric cart (15 million won). The robot cart has been exported overseas and is being operated at Kolon Garden Golf Course in Gyeongju in Korea. The use of the robot cart is spreading as it is being piloted at the Army Golf Course, Jeju Lotte Sky Hill, Cheonan Sangnok cc, Blue Heron cc, and Gochang cc.
According to the data introduced by the company, it emphasized the role of "My own caddie" to support the caddie service needed in the round by utilizing ▲ Convenient and Smart Robot Cart ▲ IT, which carries a golf bag and keeps a certain distance along the target and tracks it. It is said that if there are many narrow roads or obstacles, it is operated in a manual mode, and when using a space with more than arm's distance, it is operated in an automatic mode.
Simply put, a wheeled robot becomes a caddie as a match assistant and follows around, allowing golfers to enjoy a comfortable round. The robot follows the golfer at a certain distance based on its autonomous driving function, and GPS functions accurately identify the current location and provide a map of the course, how to use it, and the distance to the hole through the display (8-inch) and voice.
The AI robot cart that golfers have been anxiously waiting for is 'spreading'
The robot caddie communicates wirelessly and informs the safety distance with the team in front of it, so it is said that safety measures such as collisions between robot caddies are fully taken. I don't want to intentionally promote TNTG, but in any case, the AI robot cart must be a concept self-cart that golfers have been waiting for.
The green fee for April 2023 at Kolon Garden Golf Course in Gyeongju is 39,000 won on weekdays, 44,000 won on Fridays, and 55,000 won on weekends, and the AI cart fee is 7,000 won for 9 holes and 12,000 won for 18 holes. At this level, compared to the cost of a regular golf course, it is calculated that 50,000 to 57,000 won can be saved, including 15,000 to 20,000 won for cart fees alone and 35,000 to 37,000 won for caddy according to no-caddie. Considering the cheap green fee, Kolon Garden Golf Course can enjoy the round at 51,000 won on weekdays and 67,000 won on weekends based on 18 holes.
Kolon Garden is enjoying more benefits from the implementation of the no-caddie system thanks to AI robot carts. Golf clubs that insist on electric carts are clamoring for caddies because they cannot find caddies. The government has taken the "worst measure" of allowing foreigners to import caddies regardless of the will of golfers who pay caddies.
"The policy to allow foreign caddy imports is the worst action"
When golf course owners complained of a shortage of caddies, the government ignored the call even though it had to first examine the reactions of the golfers. And I don't understand why they couldn't induce golf courses to use Hello Caddies produced by domestic companies. When foreign caddies were allowed to be imported, there was a lot of criticism among golfers that it was because the relevant authorities played in the lobby of golf course owners.
If the company had been encouraged to use AI carts to help domestic venture companies rather than foreign caddies that would lead to the outflow of national wealth, the company would naturally grow rapidly. Based on that power, TTNG will develop better products through more research. The right policy could have put Korean AI carts on golf courses around the world, but the government took the lead in blocking this golden opportunity.
Golfers who have to keep paying expensive cart fees are also angry, but it is also unfair and ridiculous in terms of policies to foster the national industry. Korea is a country that considers golf a luxury sport and pushes its policy to the end without changing its perception of golf, a popular sport enjoyed by more than 10 out of 100 people. It is the public officials of the Republic of Korea who pushed ahead with the policy of importing foreign caddies even though excellent cart products are being produced in Korea.
"Golfers turn a blind eye and block growth opportunities for domestic companies"
They do not see the pride of a government official. They are criticized for lacking the love and patriotism of the people. If I were the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, I would thoroughly investigate why these strange and sloppy measures have been taken, and at the same time gather enough public opinion from all walks of life to come up with proper measures.
Today, in the face of a flurry of public opinion that Cartby occupies the golf course's profiteering category, we have criticized the government's policy of allowing foreign caddies to be imported even though a domestic company has developed an AI robot cart containing the wishes and hopes of golfers.
The Story of Maudae’s life and golf continues.
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