All Areas

South Korea

Located just off the southeast coast of South Korea, Namhae Island is the setting for the spectacular new South Cape Owners Club, where businessman and entrepreneur Jae Bong Chung first welcomed members to his luxury resort development in the autumn of 2013. The course is a Kyle Phillips design, set out on a dramatic cliff top property, with ocean views available from all eighteen golf holes.

Tees and fairways have been seeded with bluegrass, the rough contains a mix of fine fescues and putting surfaces have all been carpeted in bentgrass. Granite outcrops fringe many of the fairways. The most memorable stretch of holes on the card begins with the downhill par five 11th and carries on for half a dozen holes, highlighted by a stunning pair of waterside par threes at the 135-metre 14th and the 204-metre 16th holes.

“When you come to South Cape, you know you have arrived at a special place,” the owner, Mr. Chung, said at the official course opening. “It is a pure pleasure for the senses, with the sights, the smells and sounds of the sea all around you. There is not a golf experience anywhere that will surpass the quality of South Cape.”

South Cape Owners Club

Asia

The course at South Cape Owners Club is a Kyle Phillips design, set out on a dramatic cliff top property, with ocean views available from all eighteen golf holes.

The Club at Nine Bridges is located on Jeju Island, the volcanic island south of South Korea’s continental landmass sometimes referred to as Korea’s Maui. The club, which was developed by the CJ Group, offers only limited access to non-members. As the membership is restricted and largely Seoul based, golf here is a very sedate affair compared with the cheek-by-jowl experience around the capital.

The course was designed by Golf Plan whose two principles are Ronald Fream and David Dale. As befits a golf design firm led by a horticulturalist, the visual presentation and aesthetics of the course are excellent. The public relations releases talk about how the designers have sought to create a Scottish Highlands course and, for once, this is not mere hyperbole. The manicuring and finishing is of an order of perfection you are not liable to find in Scotland so, in truth, it more resembles an American course in a Scottish atmosphere. And this part of Jeju Island does indeed resemble Perthshire. The two nines have been laid out on a very generous allocation of land that wanders through pine-clad rolling land in the lee of Mount Halla, at 6,000 feet South Korea’s tallest mountain.

In all, there are eight bridges built on the course, the ninth of the Club’s name is metaphorical; that which connects the club to its members and guests. Nine Bridges, completed in 2001, is that rare combination of a great golf course in a stunning setting. There’s no mistaking the purpose here. It has been designed to be a championship course on a large scale. And by dint of its stunning location, excellent design, bent grass fairways, tees and greens and pristine conditioning, it succeeds.

The above is a brief edited extract from 

The Finest Golf Courses of Asia & Australasia

 by James Spence. Reproduced with kind permission.

The following article was written by Hwa Young, our Korean Correspondent and Chief Editor at Herald Sports.

Nine Bridges is a private golf club that features perhaps the finest course in Korea. The experience at Nine Bridges is based on the spirit of “Only One” the Management Philosophy of the CJ Group. Nine Bridges has been the standard for golf in Korea since opening 2001. The course is set in natural surrounding under the gaze of Mt Halla at an attitude of 600 meters. The biggest strength of Nine Bridges is that it is a nature friendly course where any disruption to nature was minimised even from the initial development. Ronald Fream and David Dale designed the course.

Nine Bridges has good conditioned facilities and top quality service, where cottages, a villa, swimming pool, Spa and multiple complexes ensure a good after round experience.

Nine Bridges hosted the LPGA four times from 2002 to 2005. It was first club to host the LPGA in Korea. In addition, The Club is also host to the World Club Championship which was established in 2002 to foster the growth of amateur golf and to form a special bond between the World’s Prestigious Clubs. The World Club Championship (WCC) is now recognised as the premier amateur club tournament in the world and is sanctioned by the R&A and the USGA.

The Club at Nine Bridges is an historic Korean golf club and has truly become the representative club in Korea.

In 2016, the PGA Tour and the Seoul-based CJ Group announced a 10-year agreement to host a PGA Tour event in South Korea. The inaugural CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges was staged in October 2017, resulting in a playoff win for American Justin Thomas over Australia’s Marc Leishman.

Architect David Dale watched the 2018 CJ Cup from the sleek, modernist teahouse behind the 14th green and commented as follows: “South Korean designs must, according to local custom, feature teahouses in the middle of each nine. We spent months routing and rerouting that stretch of the back nine at Nine Bridges to create the perfect perch for that teahouse. We did the same on the homeward stretch to create dramatic views of Mt. Halla, which is sacred to the Korean people."

Nine Bridges

The Club at Nine Bridges is located on Jeju Island, the volcanic island south of South Korea’s continental landmass sometimes referred to as Korea’s Maui.

Anyang Country Club was founded in 1968 and the mission was to create a wonderful new golf course (designed by Japanese architect Chohei Miyazawa) that would be as good as those in Europe, Japan and North America. Consequently Anyang is widely considered to be the Korean Home of Golf.

In 1996 the club changed its name to Anyang Benest Golf Club. The word Benest was derived from the combination of the words best and nest. Why? We’re not entirely sure, but the name Benest clearly did not catch on, so the club changed its name back to Anyang Country Club in 2013.

Robert Trent Jones Jnr was called in to renovate the layout; in 1997 a new, more challenging and strategic Anyang was reborn. Amazingly, the course was sown using its own unique grass, named Anyang Jungji, which grows densely and stands bolt upright so the ball sits invitingly on top.

The Anyang Country Club is run under the stewardship of Lee Byung-Chull, the founder of the Samsung Group, his objective was to create Korea’s best private golf club and a course that would inspire ordinary players rather than one intended for tournament play.

The course is cut through mature trees, which not only prove a challenge for the crooked driver but also brilliance of seasonal colour. This is a very special tract of land and it’s easy to see why locals call Anyang “Home”.

Anyang Country Club

Anyang Country Club, formerly known as Anyang Benest Golf Club is cut through mature trees, which not only prove a challenge for the crooked driver but also brilliance of seasonal colour.

One of a number of South Korean enterprises that Nicklaus Design has been involved in since the opening of the Golden Bear’s Mountain and Lake nines at Phoenix Park in 1998, the 18 holes at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea are situated within a modern residential development in the Songdo International Business District.

Songdo is an ambitious multi-billion dollar “smart city” project which lies just over an hour’s drive from Seoul, on the shores of the East China Sea and it utilises more than 1,500 acres of reclaimed land along the Incheon waterfront.

A substantial amount of soil was shifted to shape the fairways here and the course is set out in two returning nines, named Urban and Links, with holes on each circuit routed around sizeable housing components.

Water hazards form an integral part of the strategic test and over half the holes on the card feature ponds or lakes that come into play either off the tee or close to the green.

In October 2015, golfers worldwide enjoyed the course at close quarters on television when the International Team played the United States Team in the 11th edition of the Presidents Cup. The US team won for the sixth successive time with a 15½–14½ victory.

The Jack Nicklaus Korea course hosted the third edition of the UL International Crown on the LPGA Tour in 2018; it’s the first time the event was staged outside the USA. South Korea came out on top of the eight-nation event, with the women professionals of the home country beating the England and the United States teams into second place.


Jack Nicklaus Korea

The 18 holes at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea are situated within a modern residential development in the Songdo International Business District.

Woo Jeong Hills was opened in 1993 and is as close as you can find in Asia to a big, brutish, US tournament course. From the start, the club entertained ambitions to host the national championship and this honour was granted in 2003. Two American’s won the first two Korean Opens to be held here: John Daly and Edward Loar who pipped Ernie Els by four shots. In the bad weather that dogged the championship in 2004, Loar was the only player to finish under par. Rickie Fowler became the third American to win the Korea Open here in 2011, claiming his first professional title.

Perry Dye is the son of Pete Dye and of Alice Dye. The family is most famous for designing the 

Stadium Course at the Tournament Player’s Club at Sawgrass

 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Son Perry has carted the family imprint to Woo Jeong Hills where it appears at the 13th. Splash! is a manageable 150 yards from the blue tees but a wholesome 212 yards from the black tees. Played from here into a breeze and a splash is the most likely outcome. It proved to be Els’ undoing at the 2004 Korean Open. He scored 5 here and with it his challenge fizzled.

In North Asia where business golf has long been the pre-eminent version of the game, most courses are built around the average skill level. For men this means a handicap of about 24 shots (the current world average for male golfers). Wee Jeong Hills is a little bit more difficult than most courses you are likely to play.

The above is a brief edited but updated extract from 

The Finest Golf Courses of Asia and Australasia

Woo Jeong Hills hosted its 15th Korea Open in June 2017 (the event's 60th anniversary). To mark the milestone, the tournament winner (Chang Yi-keun) and runner-up (Kim Gi-whan) both received exemptions into the 146th Open at 

 when Jordan Spieth lifted the Claret Jug. The event is also part of the 2018 Open Qualifying Series for The 147th Open at 

Woo Jeong Hills

Woo Jeong Hills Country Club was opened in 1993 and is as close as you can find in Asia to a big, brutish, US tournament golf course.

Opened at the end of 2013, Wellington Country Club lies just over an hour’s drive away from the capital, near the city of Icheon. It’s an ultra-private golf facility so don’t bother to look for its website as there isn’t one.

Twin eagles adorn the club’s motif, symbolising the exclusivity of this VIP club, and its elite membership is drawn from the great and the good of Korean society, with a sprinkling of wealthy celebrities to no doubt enhance the clubhouse ambience.

Built by the Hyosung Group, one of Korea’s largest industrial conglomerates, the first two 9-hole circuits at Wellington are named after the Greek mythological creatures of the Griffin and the Phoenix.

A third nine, named Wyvern, opened in 2017 and it's this dragon-headed, winged, reptilian loop that joins forces with the Griffin nine to form the premier 18-hole configuration at Wellington Country Club..

Wellington (Griffin & Wyvern)

Built by the Hyosung Group, one of Korea’s largest industrial conglomerates, the three 9-hole circuits at Wellington Country Club are named after the Greek mythological creatures of the Griffin, Phoenix and Wyvern.

 golf complex first opened its doors on the island of Jeju in 1999, the architect's son, Ted Robinson Jr., visited South Korea (this time the mainland) to design an ambitious 27-hole facility for the Donglim Resort and Development company at Whistling Rock.

In a feat of major engineering expertise, Robinson and his team blasted an astonishing three quarters of a million cubic metres of rock on the way to routing three nines (Temple, Cloud and the slighter shorter Cocoon) around a very hilly 425-acre property overlooking the Chuncheon Lake basin.

Described as “a genuine golf adventure,” the three courses have been sculpted around thirteen sparkling lakes, two and a half kilometers of babbling brooks and seven spectacular waterfalls.

Mature trees that were preserved and removed during construction were put back in place and many of the more prominent rock formations on site have been brought into play, adding to the visual spectacle of the course.

The 406-yard 9th hole on the Temple nine concludes that particular circuit in fine style. Golfers are advised to carefully plot their route to the green as a stream runs along the right side of the fairway before cutting across the fairway to empty into a lake to the left of the hole.

There are two short par fours on the Cocoon nine (1st and 4th) and both are driveable but each is completely different. The 1st is the shortest par four at Whistling Rock (341 yards from the tips), but a stream runs down the left side and that's the driving route required to find the green on this arrow straight hole. The 4th is an acute 359-yard doglegged right hole and it's certainly reachable for big hitters by cutting across the dogleg, but the carry is fraught with watery danger.

In 2015, Vice President of Renaissance Golf Design, Eric Iverson, was commissioned by Whistling Rock Country Club to renovate the layout, primarily to improve the strategic value and variety of the original Ted Robinson design. His work with Brian Schneider in 2017 included redesigning the last two holes on the Temple nine into a short par four 8th and all-or-nothing par three 9th.

Whistling Rock (Temple & Cocoon)

In a feat of major engineering expertise, three quarters of a million cubic metres of rock was blasted to create the three nines at the very hilly, 425-acre, Whistling Rock property...

Built for Hanwha Group, one of Korea’s biggest engineering and construction companies, the course at Jade Palace Golf Club was designed by Harley Kruse from the Greg Norman Design team, opening in the summer of 2004. Hanwha operates a number of clubs and resorts, with Jade Palace positioned as its flagship facility.

Situated close to Chun Chon City, the Zoysia fairways of the golf course are set out on a rather hilly landscape because the flatter land in the valleys is reserved for agricultural purposes. Construction took a number of years due to the scale of the earthworks required on such difficult terrain, resulting in the movement of over four and a half million cubic meters of rock and soil during the build.

A round here begins with a short par four, tightly bunkered on the right side with a bale out option to the left for those who want to start with a safe two-shot option. The mid-length 8th is another fine par four on the front nine, routed through a local pine and oak forest.

On the inward half, the par fives at 10 and 13 are very strong, whilst the short par three 14th, which plays to an infinity green, is a rather beguiling short hole. The star of the show arrives at the last, where the green sits between a pond at the front and a dramatic rock face at the back, on top of which sits the imposing Jade Palace clubhouse.

Jade Palace (West & East)

Built for Hanwha Group, one of Korea’s biggest engineering and construction companies, the course at Jade Palace Golf Club was designed by Harley Kruse from the Greg Norman Design team, opening in 2004.

David Dale, Kevin Ramsey and the Golfplan design team laid out the original 

 course on Jeju Island so it was only natural that the developers should call in the same architects a decade later to fashion Haesley Nine Bridges, the latest version of their golf course brand.

After all, as owner Jay H. Lee’s Jeju course achieved World Top 100 recognition in the golf magazine rankings, why would he not want to re-hire the same company?

With Marsh Benton – Augusta National’s director of agronomy – consulting, Dale installed state-of-the-art sub-air and hydronics systems in all eighteen T-1 bentgrass greens.This allows a) air to be inhaled from or injected into the soil under the putting surfaces, preventing a build-up of excess moisture, and b) the temperature of the soil to be increased or decreased via cold or hot water circulating through underground pipes.

Hardly any wonder then that the greens at Haesley Nine Bridges are renowned for their performance quality.

Stand out holes on the front nine include the par four 4th, requiring a forced carry to the green over a series of tumbling waterfalls and the par four 9th, played to a peninsula green that fronts a stunning, ultra-modern World Architecture Award-winning clubhouse.

On the back nine, the short par four 10th is truly spectacular, involving an island fairway and an island green, with a thirty foot waterfall framing a putting surface that’s completely surrounded by water.

The following article was written by Hwa Young, our Korean Correspondent and Chief Editor at Herald Sports.


Haesley means “The village with the rising sun”. The current location is surrounded by hills on all sides, and it is the most sunlit area in the basin. The site was named Haesley since the sunrise can be seen from everywhere on the course.

Haesley Nine Bridges (Par 72, 7,265yds) opened in September 2009 and is operated by CJ Group and it’s aiming to become the best private members club in the world. Haesley seeks to be a club with members’ communities, an active club culture and the best facilities.

Haesley has two leading maintenance tools: 1. Sub-Air System that inhales the air in the soil under the green or injects air into it through pipes installed underground using separate air-generating facility (vault) installed outside. The oxygen supplied to the soil under the green helps the grass grow consistently. 2. Hydronics system increases or decreases the temperature of the soil using the cold or warm water circulating through underground pipes. Haesley is the one and only course in the world that has these two systems installed on each of the 18 holes.

Efforts have also been made to conserve the ecosystem by planting eco-friendly native species, such as flame grasses, native grasses, and wild flowers around the property. Well-adapted to its natural environment, Haesley Nine Bridges is inhabited by elks and eagle-owls and the club is actively protecting nature by using eco-friendly fertilizers and designing a system for preventing contamination of the neighboring soils and water ways.

So, Haesley has been recognized for sustainability activities in the areas of environmental, social commitment and leadership in 2014. Holding the International Tournament “CJ Invitational hosted by KJ Choi”. The club held this tournament from 2011 to 2013, which unites the gallery and golfers as one heart, while the relationship with CJ Donors fosters a donation culture. The tournament is significant because it fosters commitment to sharing through golf – “Noblesse oblige” – a mantle pursued by Haesley.

Selected as “the best host venue” for its top-rated facilities and premium services in the 2012 Asian Tour Award Ceremony, Haesley Nine Bridges has solidified its status as the country’s best golf club.

Haesley Nine Bridges

The same design team that laid out the original Nine Bridges golf course on Jeju Island fashioned Haesley Nine Bridges...

Constructed along a rocky cliff on the remote southwest coast of the Korean peninsula, the Pine Beach course opened in 2009. It was developed by the Seoul-based Hanyang Corporation and designed by Gary Roger Baird with David Dale of Golfplan handling the bunkering and greens.

Situated on a spectacular site in Haenam, near Gwangju, the course is laid out with ten of its holes precariously perched on a jagged coastline where smaller peninsulas extend 200 metres into the sea.

All eighteen fairways were routed to take full advantage of the site’s remarkable geographical attributes, with the architect taking every opportunity to expose the course to the water’s edge.

As a prime example of this, on the 430-yard 16th, where the Yellow Sea lies along the right side of the fairway, a retaining wall was built to allow a tee placement right on the edge of the cliffs, creating a wonderful water carry.

The following edited extract by David Dale is from Volume Six of 

Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective

. Reproduced with kind permission. To obtain a copy of the book, email Paul Daley at 

“In February 2003, Golfplan had reached the halfway stage of a 27-hole project called Pine Hills, in the southernmost region of the Korean Peninsula. The ownership team came down to pay me a visit [and] the chairman said quietly as we stood off to one side, ‘we have another site we’d like to show you.’ The next day we headed to Haenam, on the south-western coast, to have a look at this second site.

After an hour of trudging we came around a corner and there it was: an incredible panoramic ocean view. It was more than a view really. It was a checklist for potential greatness: a sinewy line of plateaus at cliff’s edge; a series of pine-covered ridgelines that carried from various points inland all the way down to the Yellow Sea. Pine Beach Golf Links broke ground three years later and had a ‘soft’ playing opening in early 2009.

No opportunity for exposure to the coastline was wasted. We did eight different routings on this property before settling on the final version. The finished product produced some pretty special golf holes, each fashioned according to what this incredible property offered. The trick in routing Pine Beach was providing golfers glimpses of the coast when they weren’t actually in contact with it. This, in part, explains why the inland property is so special. And, it sports wonderful, wildly undulating terrain. And, here is another thing you don’t get at most seaside designs: long views of the ferries that track the South Korean coast all day long.

Pine Beach was our twenty-third project in South Korea and I can tell you this is generally a zoysia haven. However, we went with blue-grasses, which suit the climate well and gave us a half-inch cutting height starting point and the ability to alter fairway width at will, without colour change. Its playing characteristics are preferred to zoysia, in Korea, so it also helps Pine Beach stand out from competitors in what is a hyper-competitive club market.

This golf course was adapted to the site in every way: the architecture we applied was site-specific; the land ‘instructed’ us what to do; and Golfplan’s obsession with drawing ultra-detailed construction documents enabled our design/construction team to carry the property’s natural ridges through the golf holes. And, by accounting exactly for every cut-and-fill ahead of time, the client saved a considerable amount of money.”

Pine Beach (Pine & Beach)

Gary Roger Baird with David Dale of Golfplan laid out Pine Beach Golf Links along a rocky cliff top. Some have described it as Asia’s version of Pebble Beach and the par three 15th bears a striking resemblance to Cypress Point’s 16th.

The Trinity Club, developed and operated by Shinsegae E&C, is one of the leading private golf clubs in Korea, with both the course and the clubhouse designed by world-class architects in their particular field.


The club was constructed for Lee Myung-hee, daughter of the man who founded Samsung, and it’s the second course she's had built, after the one at Jayu Country Club opened a couple of years earlier (also managed by Shinsegae).

The par four 12th features 30 metres of elevation change and it’s the property’s most dramatic hole.


We’re grateful to Tom Fazio II for supplying the following information:

“The owner and team carried out years of research before taking on this endeavour. I was asked to design a tournament-calibre course that considered the higher handicap player as the second priority as the brief was, ‘We want a world-class, difficult, masculine course’.

The holes were routed through a forested, hilly environment and with no development it allowed me to take advantage of the varying topography and existing features. To preserve natural aesthetic characteristics, almost 10,000 giant trees were relocated during a massive earthwork project to ensure the work appeared indigenous.

The most elaborate drainage system was engineering to handle the rainy season. Golf course construction techniques to USGA specification were used under greens, tees, and fairways, along with a fully automated sub-air system under greens and tees to monitor moisture and temperature.”

Trinity Club

Billionaire Lee Myung-hee commissioned Tom Fazio II to design the course at the ultra-exclusive Trinity Club near Seoul, which opened for play in 2012.

La Vie est Belle Country Club (life is beautiful in French) is known as “the Korean themed club” since its grand opening in 2015. The club is situated in the hilly, mountainous area of Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Providence, which is one hour’s drive away from Seoul.

The architect, Ahn Moon Hwan, is a local Korean specialist and developer, who dreamed of making an old-fashioned Korean paradise.

There are two 18-hole courses at La Vie est Belle, the 6,515-metre Old course and the Dunes course, which each have separate clubhouses. The Old course clubhouse and golf facilities were designed and built in the traditional and historic Korean style known as the “Hanok” concept.

Each hole has its own “unique” theme that harks back to old traditional Korean landscaping. The signature par three 4th has a magnificent greensite along rocky cliffs, three rocks (shaped naturally) rise out of the water on #12 and the 15th hole features terraced rice paddy fields.

According to Hwa Young Nam, our South Korean Correspondent: “The Old course at La Vie est Belle looks back towards the old Korean heyday of the Cho-sun Dynasty. There are similar forms to be seen at 

 in Indonesia. The Kolon Group owns the La Vie est Belle facility and also the sister clubs at 

La Vie est Belle (Old)

La Vie est Belle Country Club (life is beautiful in French) is known as “the Korean themed club” since its grand opening in 2015 and it's situated in the hilly, mountainous area of Chuncheon, one hour’s drive away from Seoul.

Ballantine's Championship was the first European Tour event staged in Korea and it was held at Pinx Golf Club for three years before moving to the Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon. 

Coming from Seobu Kwan-kwang Road to Highway 1100, Pinx Golf Club is situated in San 62-3 Sangchun-Ri Anduk-Myun 2 San-rok Road and boasts breathtaking scenery as the combination of each hole and the overall golf course conjures up visions of a watercolor painting.

Three nines opened in 1999 – East, West and North – and they were the last work of the world-renowned American golf course architect, Ted Robinson. The course is surrounded by gifts of nature, as it faces Marado to the south and Han-la Mountain to the north. Nestled amidst this peaceful setting are various buildings, which exist in exquisite harmony with the surroundings.

The 9th hole (par 4) of the front nine of this membership-based 18-hole East and West course is acknowledged as an elegant work of art with a water hazard situated at the right end of the fairway and a creek crossing in front of the green and connecting with the water hazard. This not only adds to the overall scenery, but also provides for a flawless signature hole where strategic advances can be made.

For the average male golfer and professional women players, the distance from the regular tee to the hole is 324 meters. The distance from the blue tee is not that far either, 349 meters, but because the fairway slopes downward and is angled right to left, if one were to hit a shot towards the centre, the ball would most likely fall into the left bunker, or in more severe situations, the water hazard. But if one were to hit the tee shot too far to the left, the ball would end up in a long and deep rough. In which case it would be wise to forego reaching the green in two and aim for a three-on by laying up with the second shot to land the ball in front of the creek hazard in front of the green. By being irrational and aiming for a two-on, you may end up in the creek hazard or perhaps somewhere else unexpected, ruining not only the score for that hole, but for the whole game as well.

One also needs strategy when tackling the fast and hard green. Although the green as a whole appears to be upward sloping, it in fact, slopes downward, so that one must aim for the ball to land in front of the pin. If one aims directly for the pin, nine times out of ten, the ball will bounce off the green and straight into the rough. The bunker to the right of the green also waits with its mouth open. If the shot is too short, the ball will roll into the creek hazard or become wedged into the rough, so either way, it is a tough shot.

Pinx Golf Club hosts a Korean-Japanese professional women’s golf championship each year. Even then, the fate of single players as well as that of the team often depends on this hole.

Two-on or three-on, one must learn to make an unbiased decision about his or her ability and choose wisely.

Article written by Oh Seok Joon.

A Round of Golf with a View of the Ocean – “Paradise Course”

I’m not what you would call a “golf maniac”, writes Kim Kwang Ho. I simply enjoy the pleasures of spending time surrounded by nature. The reason my golf score is not extraordinary is also due to my unusual golf “principle” where I go to the golf course with a relaxed mind to enjoy the company of friends rather than for the golf game itself.

Because of this, I am usually very particular when it comes to choosing golf courses. The surrounding scenery is a given and I also look carefully at even the smallest details such as the service of the employees and the ambience of the clubhouse.

Once in a while when I stumble upon a golf course to my liking, I feel an intense joy – almost as if I have made a “lifelong friend”.

Pinx Golf Club in Namcheju-Kun Anduk-Myun is a perfect fit even for my picky taste. Here, nature envelopes the player as one can play a round of golf with commanding views of both the mountain and the ocean. Not only that, but the employees’ service is decidedly first-class, rendering this golf course a complete paradise.

As soon as you step into the clubhouse, a familiar tune soothes and calms your excited nerves. It is Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. The music selection perfectly complements the cozy yet non-extravagant ambience of the clubhouse.

The unfading smiles and friendliness of the employees, caddies who always pleasantly greet whomever they meet on the field – I do not recall having been greeted by a caddy from another team, even after making eye contact, while making rounds at other golf courses.

Another reason I enjoy visiting Pinx is due to my admiration of its management of its members, almost to the point where I feel apologetic for their attention.

One day last autumn, when I stepped through my front door, my wife said to me, “Dear, a gift box of tile fish arrived from Chejudo addressed to you.” Every season, the employees purchase items unique to Cheju and send it as gifts to the members – potatoes in the spring, bracken herbs (Korean edible herbs) in the summer, fish in the fall and oranges in the winter.

This is an example of putting into practice the phrase “wowing the customer” that most other golf courses would not be able to mimic. However, Pinx does not win over its customers with service alone.

Not only the greens, but also the fairways are made of synthetic grass so that even in the winter, the course does not lose its green colour. Brassica flowers in the spring and wild grass in the fall provide for more refined scenery.

From the 5th hole, one can see the San-bang Mountain, and beneath it, the spread of the ocean which almost seems as if it can be touched. This breathtaking view acts as endorphins would, cleansing away all the debris from one’s body in one instant.

Of course this place is not without its “traps”. The 18th hole (par 4, 388 yards) makes up a tough course, providing the golfer simultaneously with challenge and hope as well as despair and disappointment.

On the right is a lake and to the far left are the natural surroundings as well as the clubhouse and a creek running in front of the greens. All of this combine to make up an enchanting view, spurning a desire to come and gain mastery over the course.

Article written by Kim Kwang Ho, Chairman of e-club.


Pinx (East & West)

Pinx Golf Club boasts breathtaking scenery and the overall course conjures up visions of a watercolor painting.

First opened in 2010, Blackstone is one of the most exclusive golf clubs in South Korea. It’s located in Icheon, to the east of Kyung Gi province, around a 90-minute drive from downtown Seoul, where the terrain in this area is very hilly, with large stone outcrops punctuating the landscape.

Brian Costello of JMP Design designed the layout – he also created the Blackstone course on Jeju island four years earlier – and as the narrow, tree-lined fairways of the West, East and North nines are routed around a river and a number of small lakes it’s no surprise to find water coming into play regularly during a round here.

A stunning clubhouse anchors the development, the focal point for the 27-hole layout, where the feature holes on the North-West configuration comprise the 390-metre par four 4th hole on the North nine and the 226-metre par three 4th on the West nine.

The Ballantine’s Championship was held here between 2011 and 2013, and this short-lived European Tour event certainly put Blackstone on the golfing map. Lee Westwood won the first edition of the competition, with Bernd Wiesberger and Brett Rumford claiming the other two titles.

Blackstone Icheon (North & West)

First opened in 2010, Blackstone is one of the most exclusive golf clubs in South Korea. It’s located in Icheon, to the east of Kyung Gi province, around a 90-minute drive from downtown Seoul...

Yeosu City is located midway along the southern coast of South Korea within the Jeonllanam-do province. Yeosu City and its peninsula also comprise more than three hundred islands, most of which are uninhabited. Just five minutes by boat from Yeosu in the Korea Strait lies the whale-shaped Gyungdo Island, where you’ll find one of South Korea’s most beautiful golf resorts. Gyungdo (or Kyoungdo) translates in Chinese character set to “Whale Island”.

The island site is simply stunning and, in a similar vein to 

 (formerly known as Le Touessrok), which is set on its own tropical island in the Indian Ocean, Gyungdo Island is largely occupied by golf holes.

The resort’s founding company, Jeonnam Development Corporation (JNDC), commissioned David McLay Kidd’s DMK Design (Nick Schaan) to fashion the course, but in the end DMK Design’s signature was conspicuous by its absence and JNDC completed the course construction.

The first of the three nine-hole loops to open in 2014 was the 3,446-yard Odong, which is fashioned in typical resort style. Dolsan is the longest loop (3,735 yards), which turns clockwise before turning back counter clockwise – it’s the toughest of the three circuits. The 3,616-yard Geumo loop has a memorable run of seaside holes from #2 to #7 and the 148-yard par three 7th has more than a passing resemblance to its famous one-shot counterpart at 

Sagewood Yeosu Gyungdo Golf Resort boasts a marine theme park and 100 condominiums with swimming pools at a rental cost that won’t break the bank. The conceptual modern clubhouse is built in the style of a historical high-class Korean villa and it’s really very stylish.

Sagewood Yeosu Gyungdo (Geumo & Dolsan)

The 27-hole Sagewood Yeosu Gyungdo Golf Resort boasts a marine theme park and 100 condominiums with swimming pools at a rental cost that won’t break the bank.

Positioned to the southeast of the mainland, Jeju lies in the Korea Strait and its temperate climate attracts an ever-increasing number of visitors, a sizeable number of whom make good use of the golfing facilities that are in operation on the volcanic island..

Unfortunately, eighteen holes of the 27-hole Blackstone golf complex are unavailable to casual tourists as only members and their guests can access the East and South nines, leaving the North circuit for public play.

For golfers that do get the chance to tee it up on the private course, they’re treated to a top class golfing experience, where Brian Costello of JMP Design did a fine job of routing the fairways across a rather rocky landscape.

The 345-yard 6th on the East nine is an excellent short par four, furbished with three diagonally set cross-bunkers that guard the front of the putting surface. The 8th hole on the South nine is another terrific two-shotter. There’s no sand around the green this time as its long, narrow shape is enough to protect par at this hole.

Blackstone Jeju (East & South)

The East and South nines at the 27-hole Blackstone Golf Resort may well comprise the best 18-hole configuration at the golf complex but the public North nine has some admirers.

The Sky 72 name tag indicates the number of holes that are available at one of South Korea’s largest golf facilities. The 18-hole Hanul course and the 54-hole Bada complex (featuring the 18-hole Ocean, Lake and Classic layouts) opened for play in 2005 and golfers using either venue enjoy the use of a separate clubhouse.

Laid out next to Seoul’s international airport, the courses are also supported by an enormous 300-bay floodlit driving range and short game area. Steve Nicklaus, son of the famous Golden Bear, designed the Ocean course and it has attracted several high profile golf tournaments since it allowed paying customers onto the fairways.

The LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship, previously hosted by 

 and Mauna Ocean Golf & Resort, was first held on the Ocean course at Sky 72 in 2008, when Candie Kung from the Unites States captured the first prize by one stroke from Australian Katherine Hull. It’s now a regular event on the Ladies’ Tour.

Sky 72 (Ocean)

One of four 18-hole courses at the popular Sky 72 Golf Club golf complex, which is situated near Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, the Ocean course is a Steve Nicklaus design that first opened for play in 2005.

Some studies suggest that a high altitude lifestyle is healthy. If that’s the case most South Koreans are in luck as the country is not short of mountain terrain. The marketeers at Sagewood Country Club (formerly Blue Mountain CC) have taken the opportunity a step further, reckoning that their facility – situated 765 metres (2,500 feet) above sea level – is “known to be the altitude where humans feel most pleasant, offering the best environment for you to enjoy a healing round of golf.”

Regardless of whether or not you believe the marketing hype, there’s no doubt that Sagewood's location in the middle-mountain county of Hongcheon in Gangwon Province is scenically joyous.

Our South Korean Correspondent, Hwa-Young Nam, commented as follows:

“Soon after the opening on 10th of May 2013, Blue Mountain Country Club (now Sagewood) was acclaimed a ‘luxurious new country club’ by the golf magazines. The clubhouse is built in an Acadian style with high glass ceilings that showcase the majestic views of Nature. This is where ‘the blue sky meets the mountains’ in perfect harmony.

Fashioned by Nicklaus Design, it’s set in the utmost beauty. 27 holes configured in three 9-hole loops with some of the best conditioning and service I’ve ever experienced.

The Dream course, built on former pastureland, is a relaxing and enjoyable test with gorgeous views. The Vision loop features many water hazards and it’s an enthralling layout, requiring accuracy on every hole. The Challenge circuit feels like you’re playing golf above the clouds where you can see golf holes stretching out below you.

The Challenge’s short par three 4th is located at the highest point where there’s a small clubhouse where you can stop and drink in the views and take some spectacular photos. All three 9-hole courses follow the typical Nicklaus risk, reward and heroic concept.”

Sagewood (Dream & Vision)

Fashioned by Nicklaus Design, Sagewood Country Club (formerly Blue Mountain CC) is set in the utmost beauty. 27 holes configured in three 9-hole loops with some of the best conditioning and service we've ever experienced.

One of several Korean projects undertaken by Robert Trent Jones Jnr since the late 1990s, the 36-hole golf complex at Sky Hill Jeju Country Club occupies a very serene setting, with the emerald waters beyond Seguipo Beach stretching out to the south and the mist-shrouded peak of Mount Sambang and its temple caves lying to the west.

Owned and operated by Lotte, one of Korea’s largest conglomerate companies, the golf facility at Sky Hill opened in 2005 and it now comprises four nines – Ocean, Sky, 

 – which are laid out on an undulating landscape that lends itself to the occasional blind tee shot or approach shot.

Some of the holes feature ancient rock formations and old stone walls lining dry streambeds, which were cleverly integrated into the design. As the architect explains, “during construction, we found granite and living rock that are unique Jeju elements and we enjoyed using them to create the artistic and functional character of Sky Hill Jeju Country Club”.

In the decade after it was first opened, the club hosted a number of male and female professional tournaments, including the Herald KYJ Tour Championship, ADT CAPS Championship, Lotte Mart Women's Open and Lotte Cantata Women's Open so it’s now a well-known tournament venue on the Korean circuit.

Skyhill Jeju (Ocean & Sky)

One of several Korean projects undertaken by Robert Trent Jones Jnr since the late 1990s, the 36-hole golf complex at Sky Hill Jeju Country Club occupies a very serene setting...

Unveiled in 2009, the Jim Fazio-designed course at South Springs Country Club (known originally as Phoenix Springs Country Club) is owned by the brother of the well-known golf celebrity Seok-kyu Hong, the two-time commissioner on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association.

He also operates the Phoenix Park sister course, which is a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that opened for play in 1998.

The Lake and Mountain nines form the 18-hole challenge at South Springs and they extend to 7,271 yards from the back tees. As might be expected from Jim Fazio – “the specialist of visual impact” – there’s no shortage of daring bunkering and dramatic greensites here.

Fairways are constructed with Joong-ji, a type of Korean Zoysia grass (with bentgrass used for all the putting surfaces) and the holes are routed around seven lakes and a number of prominent rocky outcrops.

South Springs epitomises modern Korean golf and its outdoor hot spring facility is one that golfers should make good use of when they’ve finished their round on the course.

South Springs (Lake & Mountain)

Unveiled in 2009, the Jim Fazio-designed course at South Springs Country Club (formerly Phoenix Springs) is owned by the brother of the golf celebrity Seok-kyu Hong, the two-time commissioner on the Korean LPGA.

The Star Hue Golf and Resort is set in Yangpyeong County, close to Mount Yongmunsan and Mount Yumyeongsan, where the Star and Hue nines on the 18-hole layout extend to 7,211 yards from the back markers.

The resort is quite the place to see and be seen these days, with any number of Korean celebrities relaxing in the fairway-side condos and making use of the leisure facilities to discreetly unwind, away from the glare of publicity in the capital.

Architect Song-ho designed the course, with shaping done by Tom Peck, who carved the fairways from a heavily forested landscape, so every hole is played in splendid isolation, offering a complete escape from the outside world.

The KLPGA Bogner MBN Women’s Open has been played at Star Hue since the 2014 season.

The Star Hue

The mountain golf course at The Star Hue Golf and Resort is set in Yangpyeong, close to Mount Yongmunsan and Mount Yumyeongsan, where the tree-lined Star and Hue nines extend to 7,211 yards from the back markers.

Designed by Lim Sang Ha of Lim Golf Design in the mid-1990s, the fairways of the Hwasan Country Club course are set out on rather hilly terrain to the south east of the South Korean capital. The layout is strong on strategy, with much of the challenge focused on several short par four holes.

Water only ever comes into play at the 1st and 18th, but, in between these opening and closing holes, there are plenty of other obstacles in the way to posting a score here: some intimidating ridges and ravines require heroic carries, numerous bunkers need to be avoided and several heavily contoured greens demand close attention.

Two of the more memorable holes on the front nine are the 583-yard opener, a double doglegged par five and the 376-yard downhill 6th, which kinks left to the green off the tee.

On the inward half, the 212-yard 11th is regarded as the signature hole at Hwasan Country Club. It’s played to a bunker-free, two-tiered green that tilts from back to front, with a number of grassy mounds – shaped like miniature volcanoes – surrounding the green.