[Field 3GO] Gunsan Golf & Resort, Largest Course in East Asia

World's First Special Construction Method on Abandoned Salt Farm Site
World's Longest Hole Jeongeup Course Par 7 · 1004m
Domestic Oysters, Hairtail, Beef, Pork, and Napa Cabbage
Gogunsan Archipelago and Large-scale Reclaimed Land Saemangeum Also Attractions

Golf culture in Korea is gradually changing. It is shifting from a personal hobby to a family leisure activity. Golf is no longer just the enjoyment of golfers but a sport to be enjoyed with family. Due to this change, it is not enough for a golf course to be good alone. There must be food and attractions along with excellent field conditions. We introduce the ‘Field 3GO’ golf courses suitable for spending happy times with golf. The first golf course of the year 2025, the Year of Eulsa, is Gunsan Golf & Resort located in Okseo-myeon, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk.

Gunsan CC is the largest golf course in East Asia with 81 holes. Photo by Gunsan CC

◆EnjoyGO= Gunsan CC boasts the largest scale in Korea. It opened on May 25, 2007. It was built on 1.3 million pyeong (approximately 4,297,520㎡) with 81 holes. The course area is 810,000 pyeong (about 2,677,686㎡), and the lake area is 470,000 pyeong (about 1,553,719㎡). It is the largest golf course in Asia. It is a traditional, historic, and prestigious country club. It is a masterpiece designed by world-renowned course designer Neil Howard, his first design in Korea. The golf course was created on a reclaimed salt farm site using a world-first special method with soil containing salt. It is an authentic American-style lake course. Beautiful but unforgiving.

Gunsan CC is characterized by naming its courses after regions in Jeolla Province. Photo by Gunsan CC

The course names are derived from local place names: Jeonju, Iksan, Gimje, Jeongeup, Buan, Namwon, Sunchang (each 9 holes), and the Tournament Course (18 holes). There are 18 holes for members and 63 holes open to the public. The member-only Tournament Course is European style and quite challenging. The public courses offer various charms. It features the world’s longest hole, Jeongeup Course Hole 3 (Par 7, 1004m), and Gimje Hole 1 (Par 6, 661m). All holes remain green throughout the four seasons. The weather is good enough to allow rounds even in winter.

Gunsan CC offers a variety of course difficulties. Golfers can enjoy golf on courses suited to their skill levels. The entire course is uniquely surrounded by water. There are 26 bridges. They manage the turf environmentally by producing liquid fertilizer from the grass. Various fish such as carp and crucian carp live in the reed-planted waterways. Diverse migratory birds, including egrets, visit the golf course all year round. It is gaining attention as a new migratory bird sanctuary.

Accessibility is excellent. It is a nationwide golf course. 85% of Gunsan CC visitors are golfers from the Seoul metropolitan area. It takes two hours to reach the golf course from Seoul. You can use the Cheonan-Nonsan Expressway and Gongju-Dongseo Expressway. There are various golf tour package products available. You can enjoy golf rounds, sightseeing, shopping, and gourmet tours.

At the Gunsan CC clubhouse restaurant, you can enjoy fresh seafood dishes. Photo by Gunsan CC

◆EatGO= At the Gunsan CC clubhouse, the best service is provided. You can taste a variety of seafood dishes. In the morning, dishes such as Korean beef (Hanwoo) mushroom soup, seaweed oyster soup, and Hanwoo beef bone soup with greens are served. Popular lunch dishes include freshwater eel rice bowl and Gunsan seafood jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup). Dishes like Oryong sea cucumber, fish-flavored eggplant shrimp, shrimp dumplings, Donggo chili shrimp, and Jeju silver cutlassfish stew delight the palate. Four-person sets such as assorted mushrooms and galbi hot pot, pork kimchi hot pot, fan-shaped beef brisket doenjang shabu-shabu, and seafood seaweed scorched rice soup offer great value. Oysters, cutlassfish, beef, pork, rice, and cabbage are all domestically sourced.

Gunsan CC has a golf hotel with a total of 98 rooms. Photo by Gunsan CC

The Gunsan CC golf hotel offers great views. Saemangeum and Seonyudo can be seen at a glance. There are a total of 98 rooms. Room types include Royal Suite, Golf Double, Gold Twin, Suite Deluxe, Suite Twin, Suite Triple, Deluxe Double, Deluxe Twin, Prime Double, and Prime Twin. Rooms range from doubles to eight-person rooms. Amenities include body wash, shampoo, body sponge, hangers, bottled water, hairdryer, water cup, wardrobe, stand hanger, refrigerator, coffee pot, bidet, comb, and air conditioner.

The Gogunsan Archipelago is a premier tourist destination composed of beautiful islands along the West Coast. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

◆SeeGO= There are various tourist attractions around Gunsan CC. The Gogunsan Archipelago is representative. It is a regular on the ‘100 Must-Visit Korean Tourist Attractions’ list. It consists of beautiful islands on the west coast. There are 16 inhabited islands and 47 uninhabited islands. Seonyudo, Daejangdo, and Munyeodo are popular. You can enjoy various experiences such as walking along the beach promenade and skyline while viewing beautiful beaches. Thanks to the opening of the Gogunsan Archipelago connecting road, you can reach the islands by car. The shallow waters and clean sand around the islands make swimming possible. The abundant marine resources make it an ideal spot for sea fishing and skin diving.

If you visit Saemangeum, you can enjoy various ecosystems and landscapes. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

The large-scale reclamation area of Saemangeum is also worth visiting. Construction began on November 16, 1991, and after 19 years of work, it was completed on April 27, 2010. Approximately 2.9 trillion won was invested until the completion of the seawall and reclamation. It is 33.9 km long, with an average bottom width of 290 m (maximum 535 m), and an average height of 36 m (maximum 54 m). You can enjoy various ecosystems and landscapes. Bicycle paths and walking trails are well developed. You can spend a relaxing time and heal yourself.