I Have Actually Golfed in Korea

Now there are certain things to be said about golfing in South Korea.  First, because there is a lack of space in this mountainous country, you have tight fairways, a lot of rise/fall in a single hole, and there are not that many courses.  Second, this is still a rich man's game in Korea.  For instance, it will cost you at least $200 for a round of golf, but this includes: 18 holes, lunch at the turn (after 9 holes), lockers and a shower, caddy, and a cart.  Third, it is an all-day event, taking at lest 5 hours on the course and at least another 2-3 hours of driving to and from Geoje.  Fourth, most courses are private country clubs, so you need to know someone to get in.

For me, that is a lot of money to spend, even while being an expat.  Plus, it is an all-day commitment, when I can just pay $20 and go to the screen golf down the street.  But there must be something said about playing on real grass.  Finally I had a chance to go in July on a Saturday (most people go on Sundays, thus I don't have that many opportunities).  The invite was to the YoungWon Country club just an hour north of me in Busan.  It is a course snaking around the mountains, rising and falling at times sharply.  The course was gorgeous.

Sadly, the morning of it was raining quite well. . . but I won't let rain stop me!  It rained for the first 3 holes, and then very hard for the last 4 holes.

For my first time back on a real course and real grass, I played quite poorly.  My drive wasn't on, nor was I shooting my best in the rain.  Actually on the 2nd hole I actually lost the club on my downswing because of all the rain.  I took a huge divot in the ground and my pride.  But after slowing down my swing, just moving it down the fairway I told myself: "Jason!  Don't ruin all they money you paid because you aren't playing like a pro.  Go and enjoy the surroundings and golf"

Did I play that much better?  Not really, but I did enjoy it a whole lot more when I relaxed.

When it was clear, I had good drives, stayed out of the sand, and generally played a bogey game of golf.  But the holes when it rained were quadruple bogey at best sometimes.  On the 17th hole it had been raining a good 15 minutes really hard and there were actually now streams in the fairways as they drained.  Taking your hardest swing would only take a ball about 100 yards because of the water when you hit the ball and when it landed.  Then, on the greens it was like a lake.  Again, swing as hard as you wanted and the ball was only rolling about 10 feet because of the water.

At the end of the day, we were soaked.  Literally soaked through.  But was it worth it, every stinking penny!  I can't wait to go again.

 No matter the weather, a golf course is always beautiful.

 That is me in the background taking a hack at the ball.

This is the scene of the course just as we finished the last hole.  It was pouring rain.

 This is a zoomed in shot of the photo above.  You can actually see the streams/lakes of water on the fairways.

Despite the rain, it was a beautiful course.

Now, you thought this post was over, but now I want to teach you some about some things you will really only see in Korea:

Caddies: I know other courses have this same requirement, but I have never played at any of those places in the states.  This was a first for me.  You have a four person golf cart and the caddy will bring your clubs out to you at your ball.  The cart path has magnetic sensors and the cart is remote controlled, so the caddy can keep the cart moving despite giving us our clubs

Lunch at the Turn: Part of the reason each round takes 5 hours is because of the turn.  At the tee of the 10th hole, a small restaurant waits for the weary golfers.  You have a small menu to choose from and you stay for about 30 minutes while you eat your lunch.  (I had black noodles)

Out of Bounds:  In the states we have very loose out of bounds rules.  Quite often at Riverside I will play the 1st hole from the 18th fairway (because I sliced it).  This is not how it works in Korea.  They have stakes marking the boundary for every hole.  U.S. players should expect to add at least another 10 strokes when they first start playing in Korea .

After the Round: This is probably the part that weirded me out the most.  It is also another reason why golfing takes so long in Korea.  You go back to your locker, strip off your golf clothes and then go to the Showers/Hot Tub area.  First you shower and then go right from the shower to one of three hot tubs (all at different temperatures).  In the hot tub you sit and chat with your group about the round you just had, etc.  All in the buff.  And you can't skip it because it would offend your foursome (and we had a Korean with us so we could even come to the golf course).  I must say, the shower was nice.  The hot tubs, just a little disturbing.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I have been golfing, and it is a little different the in the U.S.

And no, I am not going to tell you what I shot.