Top Ten Courses of Mainland Korea

[Tom_Doak]

I've been posting pictures from my golf trip with Clyde Johnson on Instagram, but now that we've crossed the Yellow Sea to China, Instagram is blocked and I can't post my intended wrap-up of our thoughts there.  So, I've moved it here, even though you'll have to go back to Instagram if you want to see any of the photos.


We visited ten courses on the Korean Peninsula in a week's time, skipping over Jeju Island as a personal protest which I needn't explain here.  So, our "top ten" is by no means all-encompassing, but I did my homework as best I could, and tried to see projects by a bunch of different designers, and on that point at least we were very successful.


Clyde and I each wrote out our own top ten, and have combined them into this list.  We actually had nine of them in exactly the same order, all but the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club of Korea, which I rated quite a bit higher than Clyde.  We felt much the same about it, that it is a good course but lacks a sense of place and could almost be mistaken for the Trump course in NYC, and Clyde was just more harsh in his grade of it for that reason.


I note that our ranking is quite different from the rankings published by the South Korean golf magazines, and I wonder whether some of that is due to "incentives."  No such considerations came into play for us; we were treated like visiting dignitaries everywhere we went, so there's no chance for one course to get a leg up over another in that way.  Anyway, herewith, our top ten:


1.  South Cape Resort


2.  Whistling Rock GC
3.  La Vie Est Belle GC (Old course)
4.  Pine Beach Golf Links


5.  Anyang CC
6t.  Jack Nicklaus GC of Korea
6t.  Yeosu Gyungdo GC
8.  Phoenix Park Resort


9.  Haesley Nine Bridges GC


10.  La Vie Est Belle GC (Dunes course)




I won't publish my Doak Scale scores right now, because I always want to reflect on those a bit and make comparisons with courses I've already rated ... but you can infer quite a bit from the spacing in the listings above, if you have any imagination at all.

[Thomas Dai]

Not a country I've visited but from the photos the terrain appears to be pretty severe golf wise. I understand South Korea can get pretty cold in the winter. Are the courses playable 12months p/a or are they seasonally restricted?

Atb

[Tim_Cronin]

Tom, you missed the Shadow Creek of Korea: Pyongyang GC, home of the North Korean Open (really). It's the Shadow Creek of Korea, cost a rumored $74 million. But if the course record is 34, it must be a pushover.


Play if if and while you can.

[Max Sternberg]

Was just out there late December and while it is certainly a colder climate, many courses are open year-round. Temperatures were in the mid-40s while I was there, but as a single, it was impossible to get out since Korean courses require you have a minimum of 3 and usually 4 to make a time. Walk-ons are a non-starter.

The terrain in many areas is severe, but land and construction costs are the bigger barriers to golf course development in South Korea. The most suitable sites are in densely populated areas, making land cost-prohibitive in most instances. Construction costs are something like 40-50% higher than in the US. The result is that most courses are built as executive amenities and showcase facilities for the large South Korean corporations. Until costs come down, golf for the masses will continue to be limited to the range and screen golf.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

South Cape's story from Kyle Phillips:


http://www.kylephillips.com/news/how-kyle-phillips-created-a-world-class-course-from-land-deemed-unsuitable-for-golf/




http://www.kylephillips.com/news/spectacular-south-cape-golf-course-debuts-in-south-korea/

[David Davis]

Tom,


Thanks for doing this. Glad you guys were able to see these courses. Would be very very curious as to where Nine Bridges Jeju would of fit in for you guys. I look forward to hearing Clyde's thoughts there.


I had mentioned to you that South Cape was really my favorite by a wide margin in Korea but the maintenance was a little strange, mainly in that they had fine grasses but let the fringe grass very long. I went back and checked my photo tour and believe you can really see that even from a distance and you will know what I meant. I guess that this wasn't the same or I know you would of at least mentioned this.


So definitely don't want to thread jack but here was the photo tour I did of South Cape Owners Club for anyone that would like to see how beautiful this place is.


http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,62893.msg1497236.html#msg1497236

[Mike Nuzzo]

Thanks for sharing Tom
I don't know much more than what was posted here.
Who designed these courses, besides Nicklaus and Phillips?
How would an ordinal list of the best routed courses compare with your best overall list?
Good luck in China.

[Derek Dirksen]

Architects are as follows


1 - Phillips
2 - Ted Robinson Jr
3 - I believe it is a Korean architect
4 - Golfplan
5 -
6 - Nicklaus
6 - Japanese architect with RTJ II remodel
8 -
9 - Golfplan
10 - I believe it is a Korean architect

[Rich Goodale]

If you are considering the whole peninsula, I'd be sceptical of the dog track that at least one of the Kim-Jong family scored 47 with more aces than Seve achieved in his entire career.....

[Mike Nuzzo]

Thanks Derek
Whistling Rock looks like I'd give it a 4 or 0 (waste of $).
My guess for Tom's scores based on his listed groupings: 7, 5, 4, 2, 0.
Cheers

[Joel_Stewart]

Thanks Derek
Whistling Rock looks like I'd give it a 4 or 0 (waste of $).
My guess for Tom's scores based on his listed groupings: 7, 5, 4, 2, 0.
Cheers

I think you're probably wrong on this especially since Doak and crew finished renovating it. I've seen the photos of it as a quarry and it was about as bad as a site could look. What they have done is amazing.

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:


Eric Iverson has renovated two of the three nines at Whistling Rock, and if the third nine is indicative of what he was starting with, he's done a hell of a job.  Everything about Korean golf is over the top (clubhouses, tea houses, rock work), and the only one of these ten courses that was really walkable is Anyang.  But there were a bunch of interesting shorter par-4 holes at Whistling Rock, which seemed to be a brand new idea for Korean golf.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Where will we be able to find the reasons for the personal protest over Jeju Island?


And what is the etymology of a name like La Vie est Belle?  Why use a French term for a golf course in Korea?  And according to a web site the architect is Mun-Hwan Ahn.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Thank you Tom
I was basing my opinion on the youtube video of the course - which was probably closer to the opening.
Happy Travels

[Joel_Stewart]

Mike:


Everything about Korean golf is over the top (clubhouses, tea houses, rock work)

The other day Whistling Rock posted on Facebook that they not only employ a wine sommelier but also a tea sommelier AND a water sommelier? That is over the top!

[Li Na]

I am pleased to see your ranking here, I was really wondering it.
Hope you have a good trip in China.
I already saw your pics in China from SNS. 

[Tom Dunne]

I only played one round in S. Korea on my visit in the fall of '15, but it was at South Cape, which is a truly spectacular place.


Departures has removed the previous "paywall" from my feature, so I thought I'd share it here. I went over to focus more on the clubhouse architecture and overall golf culture, but hope this is a worthwhile view nonetheless:



https://www.departures.com/travel/golf/golfing-clubhouses-in-south-korea?iid=sr-link1

[David Davis]

I only played one round in S. Korea on my visit in the fall of '15, but it was at South Cape, which is a truly spectacular place.


Departures has removed the previous "paywall" from my feature, so I thought I'd share it here. I went over to focus more on the clubhouse architecture and overall golf culture, but hope this is a worthwhile view nonetheless:



https://www.departures.com/travel/golf/golfing-clubhouses-in-south-korea?iid=sr-link1

Nice article Tom thanks for sharing. I was really impressed with the music library and spent a couple evenings there with Mr. Chung and his wife. Very interesting people. The story of the speakers was quite remarkable really. One pair having been created by Hitler with indeed the mission to create the best speakers ever made for listening to classical music. The course really is spectacular as well. It deserves far more recognition.