The Club at Nine Bridges
In South Korea, the heart of Asian entertainment, lavish entertainment coexists with a thriving traditional culture. It is also a paradise for golf enthusiasts, with more than 800 golf courses spread around the country. In South Korea, golf isn’t just a sport—it’s a fervor. Over the past few decades, this passion has only grown stronger. It’s heartening to see so many talented golfers, men and women alike, rise from this nation and grab the spotlight in global tournaments.
These South Korean golf courses are always being upgraded with first-rate amenities, providing a wonderful golfing experience. For those seeking a trendy and thrilling golfing experience, South Korea is home to some of the region’s greatest golf courses. These golf courses in South Korea are outfitted with first-rate facilities and amenities to guarantee that golfers have a wonderful time.
Whether you are an experienced pro or just starting, be sure to visit our top 15 golf courses in South Korea to experience the best golfing experience the country has to offer.
The Club at Nine Bridges
Jeju Island, the most stunning and well-liked island in South Korea, is where The Club at Nine Bridges is situated. This club is considered one of the best golf courses in South Korea. Only a small portion of the club, which was created by the CJ Group, is accessible to guests. Golf here is relatively calm compared to the bustling experience around the city because the membership is restricted and mostly located in Seoul.
Ronald Fream and David Dale were the designers of this course, and they did a great job providing a beautiful visual presentation and aesthetic. The club at Nine Bridges is a storied Korean golf club and is now unquestionably regarded as Korea’s representative club. Nine Bridges was the first club in Korea to host the LPGA and hosted the LGPA four times. Nine Bridges also offers top-notch amenities and services, including cottages, a villa, swimming pools, and more to ensure that you are well taken care of after your round of golf.
South Cape Owners Club
The unique South Cape Owners Club – one of the best golf courses in South Korea, opened its doors to visitors for the first time in the fall of 2013 and is situated on Namhae Island off the southeast coast of South Korea. The Kyle Phillips-designed golf course is situated on a stunning clifftop property and offers ocean vistas from each of its 18 holes. A startling amount of natural coves and bays are incorporated into the routing, with holes located both up and down a succession of steep bluffs. A few longer holes curve around beaches and bays, while others tiptoe through valleys and inlets and along slender plateaus. Even more thrilling are the par threes. The golfer reaches a point of sensory overload after the round.
In addition to the golf, the resort offers some incredible facilities, such as elegantly furnished bedrooms and a continually curving clubhouse made of white concrete that is oddly alluring. A pair of midway homes with glass panels that are located on the mid-nines jutting from cliff edges and with unobstructed 180-degree sea views may be even more unforgettable.
The Blackstone Golf Resort on Jeju Island is another contemporary South Korean golf experience that is dominated by a massive clubhouse and an expensive golf course, but this time there is also some nice architecture mixed in.
Here, bent grass is used for the fairways, tees, and greens, and the surfaces are typically excellent. Although the rough topography and gently shifting ground didn’t provide spectacular golf, the JMP Design design team did a respectable job of incorporating some fascinating movement into their layout.
Blackstone Golf & Resort
Early on, there are some beautiful flowing fairways and prominent greens with fantastic collecting chipping areas and small false fronts; this is more of a pleasant surprise than a truly world-class course. A front nine par five that has a ridge cut over the hole to force excellent shots toward the green and reject offline shots by forcing them into out-of-position regions is an example of quality shaping work. The 18th hole is a respectable heroic par five that offers a chance to reach the green in two and rewards a strong drive. In the middle, holes like the 13th and 14th are pretty fine, but several others are ruined by the persistent use of false fronts and some excessive green contouring. Nonetheless, Blackstone is still a good attempt and entertaining to play.
Anyang Country Club
The Anyang Country Club was established in 1968 to build a magnificent new golf course that would rival those in Europe, Japan, and North America. As a result, Anyang is sometimes referred to as the Korean Home of Golf.
Robert Trent Jones Jr. was commissioned in 1997 to redesign the club’s layout and build a new, more difficult, and strategic Anyang. To give the course a new look throughout each of the four seasons, a variety of flora and trees, including cherry blossoms, were planted. You get the impression that you are playing the course in a really lovely garden thanks to this new alteration. The mature trees that make up the course not only present a challenge for the player but also add a very unique draw to the club. The Club is also run by Samsung’s founder, Lee Byung Chull, whose goal was to establish to be one of the best golf courses in South Korea.
Woo Jeong Hills Golf Course
Perry Dye, the famed architect’s son who developed the renowned Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, designed the Woo Jeong Hills golf course around 100 kilometers from Seoul. Here, every par 3 is exceptional and difficult. Greens are protected by wavy fairways, water hazards, and deep bunkers. Add to that island green, which is also adapted here and is unique to Dye’s style. The 18th Green is surrounded by a grassy, natural amphitheater whose slope can hold a large number of spectators without the need for spectator stands.
The 15th Korea Open was held at Woo Jeong Hills in June 2017, and to commemorate the occasion, the champion and runner-up of the competition were each granted an exemption to the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale.
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea
A distinctive urban golf course with views of both the serene natural environment of the west coast and contemporary high-rise skyscrapers is called the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea. It is located close enough to the West Sea to take advantage of the soft sea breezes and soaring seagull flocks. Contrary to most other inland golf clubs in Korea, bent grass is grown on the fairways and tee zones of this course, which makes for fantastic shots and is lined with charming fairway homes. The bent grass is always green, giving players the impression that they are walking on the carpet. Playing a round of golf on this course will be an experience like no other.
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea will put players’ talents to the test from the first tee shot to the last putt on the 18th hole, and their perseverance and precision as golfers will be duly rewarded. Every player will have a unique memory of their round thanks to the meticulous design of the course. Players will be inspired by Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea and talk about it for years to come.
Whistling Rock Country Club
The 27-hole Whistling Rock golf course is also one of the must-play golf courses in South Korea. Built to championship standards by the esteemed group of Ted Robinson, Jr., Mecanoo Architecten, Pinnacle Design, and Integrity Golf Inc., Whistling Rock is a true golf adventure in a breathtaking alpine setting that cleverly combines options and obstacles. The striking clubhouse, which was influenced by the surrounding mountain environment, serves as the landscape’s focal point.
Three courses here have been designed around seven breathtaking waterfalls, two and a half kilometers of babbling brooks, and thirteen dazzling lakes, all of which are referred to as “a genuine golf adventure.” To enhance the course’s aesthetic, mature trees that were protected and removed during construction have been replaced. Numerous conspicuous rock formations on the property have also been brought into play.
The staff at Whistling Rock is kind and knowledgeable, and they work hard to make sure you have a memorable stay. The restaurant’s delectable food may soothe the body, the mind, and all the senses. Their “massclusivity” service philosophy is to treat every visitor with the dignity, honor, and happiness they should experience as members of a select group.
Jade Palace Golf Club
Jade Palace Golf Club was created by Harley Kruse from the Greg Norman Design team and was built for the Hanwha group, one of the largest engineering and construction organizations in South Korea. Jade Palace has gone into operation in the summer of 2004. With Jade Palace serving as its main venue, Hanwha runs a variety of clubs and resorts.
Unlike other golf courses in Korea that are built in a cascade, the 18 holes at Jade Palace Golf Club are laid out in a cool radial pattern. Natural features include rocks and waterfalls, a waterway with silver grass, cold-making green fields, and trees and woods that constantly represent the changing seasons. Golfers’ emotions and eyes are captured by the various characters of the Jade Palace Golf Club’s expanding environment. The clubhouse of the Jade Palace Golf Club is also opulent and grandiose.
A timeless Medieval restaurant and wine room, an elegant English Georgian-style lounge and lobby, a men’s and women’s sauna, and locker rooms that represent masculine Tudor flair and feminine consideration are all ready to give you the most memorable experience.
Pinx Golf Club
Pinx Golf Club is an exceptional facility situated in a lovely setting on South Korea’s Jeju Island. It is a part of a distinctive luxury hotel and golf resort. This golf course is typical resort fare with lush green playing fields, cart pathways, and an abundance of manmade water hazards. It offers vistas of the island’s turquoise shoreline and several holes that offer views of the majestic Mt. Halla
The greens, which are a prominent feature of the course, and many of them are built up with smart breaks and fascinating curves, are among its strongest points. The complexes on the 5th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 14th, and 18th are the most appealing ones. The East, West, and North courses are made up of lovely bends and slopes that vary in character. Due to the courses’ precisely matched uphill and downhill slopes and uniquely created second shots for each hole, players can expect entertaining rounds. The course’s fairways and roughs are divided into different types of grass so that you may still play on green surfaces in the dead of winter.
Pine Beach Golf Course
To enjoy the best of golf in South Korea, you should not miss the Pine Beach course in Haenam, which is built with ten of its holes situated perilously on a rocky shoreline where tiny peninsulas reach 200 meters into the water. The architect made every effort to expose the course to the water’s edge while routing all eighteen of the fairways to take full use of the site’s exceptional geographic features.
The three main landscape halls served as the basis for the course’s initial design. Exceptional woodland landscape, seasonal plant, and flower sceneries The always-changing beauty of nature is occasionally preserved by finishing the hall with an emphasis on the seascape. Golfing at Pine Beach is a genuinely unique experience because of the harmonic operation of the shared landscaping features and individual modeling elements of the beach course, which is of the coastal type, and the pine course, which is of the mountainous type.
Lotte Skyhill Country Club
The golf course at Sky Hill, which is owned and run by Lotte, one of the biggest South Korea golf courses, was built in 2005 and presently has four nines: Ocean, Sky, Hill, and Forest. It was designed on an undulating terrain that occasionally calls for a blind tee shot or approach shot.
Old stone walls surrounding dry streambeds and difficult rock formations are skilfully incorporated into the construction of several of the holes. The club held both male and female professional events in the ten years after it initially opened, including the Herald KYJ Tour Championship and the Lotte Mart Women’s Open, and as a result, it is now a well-known tournament location on the Korean circuit.
Haesley Nine Bridges
The CJ company launched Haesley Nine Bridges in September 2009, and it aspires to be one of the best golf courses in South Korea. Haesley strives to be a club with vibrant member communities, top-notch amenities, and an active club. Heasley translates to “the village with the rising sun” in Korean. The club’s current location is the sunniest place in the basin and is bordered on all sides by hills, which is why it is called Haesley.
The “CJ Invitational hosted by KJ Choi” was an international competition that was conducted in Heasley from 2011 to 2013. Because it fosters a commitment to giving via golf, the tournament is important. Haesley Nine Bridges has cemented its position as the premier club in South Korea after being chosen as “the best host venue” in the 2012 Asian Tour Award Ceremony for its first-rate amenities and first-rate services.
Hwasan Country Club
The fairways of the Hwasan Country Club course are laid out on a rather steep terrain to the southeast of the South Korean capital. The course was designed by Lim Golf Design in the middle of the 1990s. The layout is excellent for strategy, with several of the difficult par four holes being short.
Only the first and 18th holes include water but there are plenty of other challenges to overcome before recording a score on this course. The 583-yard, double dogleg par five first hole and the 376-yard, downhill sixth hole, which curves left to the green off the tee, are two other famous holes on the front nine.
Sagewood Country Club
Sagewood Country Club (previously Blue Mountain Country Club) was hailed as a “luxurious new country club” by golf publications shortly after its debut on May 10, 2013, and it still has that title today. The clubhouse is constructed in the Acadian style, and its lofty glass ceilings display magnificent views of the outdoors. This is the spot where “the blue sky meets the mountains” harmoniously.
The Dream course is a serene and delightful challenge with stunning vistas. It was constructed on former pastureland. The Vision Loop is a captivating course that demands precision on every hole and has several water hazards. The Challenge circuit gives you the impression that you are playing golf above the clouds while looking down over a long length of golf holes.
The short par three-fourth hole of the Challenge is situated at the highest point and has a little clubhouse where you may pause, take in the scenery, and snap some breathtaking pictures.
La Vie est Belle Country Club
Since its official debut in 2015, La Vie est Belle, which translates to “Life is beautiful,” has been referred to as “the Korean-themed club.” The club is located in Chuncheon, Gangwon, a rugged, mountainous region one hour’s drive from Seoul.
The 6,515-meter Old course and the Dunes course, both of which have their clubhouses, are two 18-hole courses in La Vie est Belle. The Old Course clubhouse and golf facilities were created and constructed by the “Hanok” idea, a time-honored and traditional Korean design.
Every hole features a different, “unique” concept that pays homage to older, traditional Korean landscaping. Three rocks emerge out of the lake on the 12th and 15th holes, which have terraced rice paddies, while the famous par three fourth hole has a magnificent green site along sheer cliffs.
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View Comments
Hello,
My client is looking for the golf course in Seoul that can driving within 2 hours.
Do you have any recommendations ? Please see whether they are available for 3 visitors for private session on April 7, 9, 11, 2024 (any day subject to availability).
The preferred morning time slot is between 6 and 11:45 am, and 2 electric golf carts should be requested.
Regards,
Jeff
Dear Jeff,
For your client's golf outing near Seoul, I recommend these courses:
- Ananti Club Seoul
- Anyang Country Club
- Taekwang Country Club
- Pine Ridge Resort & Villas
- Jade Palace Golf Club
- Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea
For availability on specific dates and requests like electric golf carts, you should contact these courses directly. Booking in advance is recommended to ensure they can accommodate your needs.
Thank you!
Thanks Tommy. I will contact with them directly.
Hello, we are traveling to South Korea end of June for 9 days. We'd like to spend a couple of days golfing. We are considering visiting cities outside of Seoul and combine with golfing. Any recommendations for an area--jeju, busan, etc. Also, is it possible to rent sets of golf clubs once we are there? Thank you for your help. --Jane