The scandal of Korean brokers illegally booking tee times at golf courses in Southern California is spreading quickly.
The golf course management organization in Los Angeles has recognized the seriousness of the illegal activities of Korean brokers and announced its decision to investigate.
On March 7, LA City Golf issued a statement in response to social media posts concerning unauthorized booking and reselling of tee times, stating: “We have been made aware of the Social media posts regarding the unauthorized activity of booking/reselling tee times. LA City Golf has a strict policy prohibiting the use of any computer program, bot, offline reader, or site search/retrieval application. At this time, we are currently conducting an investigation.”
Currently, LA City Golf operates and manages 12 golf courses in Los Angeles, including Rancho Park, Wilson, and Harding.
The problem is that Korean golfers have been complaining to LA City Golf for years that brokers are using ‘bots’ and Korean seniors’ memberships to illegally book large numbers of tee times and then resell them.
A Korean golfer, who requested anonymity, said, “I don’t know how many times golfers have complained to LA City Golf about illegal booking activities, but the fact that the golf course has turned a blind eye to it has led to suspicions that some of the golf course’s employees have been working with the brokers to gain some sort of commission and then turned a blind eye.”
While the Korean brokers have been buying up tee times and reselling them at a profit, it’s the public who have been left to suffer the consequences.
“Since the damage to the general golfers has been so significant, we are currently planning to take legal action against the golf courses and brokers, centered on the members of the golf club,” said another Korean golfer. “I hope that the illegal activities that have plagued the golf industry in Southern California will be eliminated.”
Meanwhile, videos exposing the illegal activities of Korean brokers continue to be posted.
Dave Fink (channel name – Dave Fink Golfs), a famous golf coach and social media influencer, recently released a video exposing Korean brokers that sparked controversy. On March 7, he posted another follow-up video.
He wrote on social media, “There are more Korean brokers out there,” revealing the name of another Korean broker named Jung Kim.
He also released a photo of Ted Kim, the first illegal broker he named, pointing out that “even after the story broke, he’s still stealing tee times.”
Legal experts warned that the illegal tee time preemption by Korean brokers could be considered a criminal offense.
“The act of buying tickets for profit without the permission of a company or organization and selling them at a profit is punishable under Article 346 of the Criminal Code,” said Dan Lee, a lawyer at the law firm. “If the golf company is aware of this fact and does not prevent it, it constitutes consumer fraud, so a class action lawsuit may be possible.”
Following the report by the Korea Daily, a Korean broker surnamed Kim made his transaction history on Venmo private starting from March 7. Venmo is an online application for transferring money, where Kim has been receiving transfer fees, including green fees and commissions.
“Generally speaking, if you have received money for the purpose of earning some kind of profit, you must report it,” said Chan Seok Kim, an accountant at Dan Kim Tax and Accounting. “Nowadays, the IRS is closely scrutinizing the details of transactions, and there are cases of tax investigations if they think the transactions made through cash apps are repeated or intentional.”
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
