More Than Half of Titleist City Tour Van Visitors Are International Travelers
Snap-Up Korean-Symbol Logos — From Namdaemun to Hahoe Masks and Tigers — Are a Huge Hit
“There’s nothing like this back home, and it takes just five minutes. I’m amazed.”
Snap-Up Korean-Symbol Logos — From Namdaemun to Hahoe Masks and Tigers — Are a Huge Hit
“There’s nothing like this back home, and it takes just five minutes. I’m amazed.”
“When they printed Namdaemun on a Titleist Pro V1, it turned into the cutest souvenir. I can’t believe they finished it in just five minutes. Wow.” On the 8th, Australian visitor Connor Shoun kept praising the custom golf-ball service as he tried it out at the Titleist City Tour Van in Seoul’s Seongsu-dong. “I just wandered in and lost track of time — there’s so much to see,” he said. “We don’t have anything like this in Australia. Do you plan to open one there?”
In Seongsu-dong — a buzzy neighborhood full of pop-ups and popular brand stores — Titleist’s City Tour Van has become a must-stop for both local and international golf fans. The concept brings the same support services Titleist offers pros at tour events into a city space where anyone can experience them. In 2023, Titleist opened the first global location in Seongsu-dong: a two-story space totaling 991㎡ (about 10,660 sq ft).
A professional fitter is on site for club fitting and repairs, and visitors can test a wide selection of putters. FootJoy provides golf-shoe fitting services there as well. Like tour players, customers can get initials or symbols hand-stamped on wedges and then colored. More than 90% of wedge buyers customize theirs, walking out with a one-of-a-kind club.
The standout attraction is the custom golf-ball printing service that Connor tried — especially popular as a souvenir with travelers. Using a tablet stylus, customers draw or write their own design, and Titleist prints it onto Pro V1 golf balls. International visitors tend to pick Korea-themed logos like the taegeuk, tigers, Namdaemun, Hahoe masks, and the mugunghwa (rose of Sharon). Because the images are printed with inkjet technology, the job is done in about 5–10 minutes. A recent Instagram clip by a Japanese tourist that condensed the whole custom-ball experience nearly reached 300,000 views, drawing wide attention. Even with just over 1,000 followers, the video went viral — comments included “So cute,” “I’d be heartbroken if I lost it,” and “Where is this and how much does it cost?”
Park Seong-jun, the City Tour Van center director, said, “Visitor numbers have climbed sharply each year. This year, foreign visitors doubled from last year and now make up about 60% of our total guests.” He added, “Roughly 80% of those international visitors come from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan; Japanese tourists are about 10%, and visitors from the U.S. and Europe account for another 10%.” He encouraged people to stop by: “We’re close to the subway and surrounded by clothing and lifestyle shops and cafés that young people love — drop in casually and try a variety of golf experiences.”
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