[Field 3GO] Seowon Valley CC, a 'True Tournament Course'

2000 Paju Open High-Class Membership Golf Course
Selected as One of Korea's Top 10 Courses and Best Tournament Course
Large Driving Range and Short Game Practice Facilities Available
Green Concert Offers Rich Attractions Every Year in the Fourth Week of May

Golf culture is gradually changing. It is shifting from a personal hobby to a family leisure activity. Golf is no longer just a pleasure for golfers but a sport to enjoy with family. Due to this change, a golf course being good alone is not enough to be the best. There must be good field conditions, food, and attractions. We introduce the ‘Field 3GO’ golf courses that are suitable for spending happy times with golf.

Seowon Valley is recognized by tour players as the best tournament course in Korea.

◆EnjoyGO= Seowon Valley is a high-class membership golf course located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. It opened in June 2000. It boasts numerous awards such as Korea’s Best Course, Eco-friendly Best Golf Course, and one of Korea’s Top 10 Courses. It is a tournament course recognized by professional players. It has hosted the Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Tour and the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.

Last year, it was voted the best tournament course by KPGA Tour players, with an overwhelming 73.75% of the votes, ranking first. The Dabo House D Open of the KLPGA Tour will also be held there this September. Players praised, "The course condition at Seowon Valley is excellent. Among domestic tournament courses, the green management is the best." They added, "The tournament environment is flawless. It is a course where you can fully demonstrate your skills."

Seowon Valley has perfect auxiliary facilities. It features a large driving range 300 meters long with 90 bays. There is also a short game practice area where you can train various shots such as bunker shots, approach shots, and trouble shots. The Seowon Course is charming and colorful. The Valley Course is open and challenging. Overall, the course looks easy to attack but requires precise shots. You can fully enjoy the thrill of taking on a challenge.

The 11th hole at Seowon Valley is the most challenging hole for domestic male players.

The 2nd hole of the Seowon Course (Par 5, 548 yards) impresses with its wide-open scenery. Three ponds and a valley waterfall come into view at once. The 6th hole of the Seowon Course (Par 4, 413 yards) is the number one handicap hole. A large pond and a beach bunker are located to the right of the green. The beautiful harmony of blue, green, and white stands out. The fairway is widely spread. The 11th hole of Seowon Valley (Par 4) is the most difficult hole for male players. The average score was 4.55, 0.55 strokes higher than the par. The green hit rate over four days was only 18.08%. Seowon Valley has quite a few holes that golfers want to attack aggressively, but overambition is discouraged.

◆EatGO= Seowon Valley feels like a hometown full of affection. The course is filled with fruit trees such as Chinese mulberry, apple, pear, and persimmon. The vegetables used in the food are grown in their own garden. The soybean paste, soy sauce, and red pepper paste, aged for over five years, have excellent flavors. The Valley House is a modern European-style building with a red roof that fits well. It has one basement floor and three above-ground floors, with a simple and modern feel. It is a comfortable and cozy resting place. There is a restaurant and banquet hall that make the most of the window views. They prepare dishes that take care of customers’ health.

Seowon Valley launches various new menu items every year through a chef competition.

On the right side of the clubhouse lobby on the first floor is the start house. You can see the beauty of the circular flower bed created in all four seasons. Especially popular is the well-being juice enjoyed while sitting under the terrace parasol. To the right of the Valley House is a large dining hall. It has a total of 40 tables based on four people per table. The restaurant offers a variety of menus that take care of customers’ health. Various seasonal dishes are served to suit tastes. The saejogae (razor clam) shabu-shabu is impressive. The ‘beef of the sea,’ saejogae, and the special broth are fantastic. It restores forgotten appetites.

Seowon Valley holds a chef competition every year to provide customers with new and diverse menus. The dishes introduced through last autumn’s competition include beef tenderloin rice bowl with chogo mushrooms, assorted mushroom yukhoe bibimbap, fried chicken, and crab meat fried rice.

◆SeeGO= Seowon Valley is rich in attractions. The Green Concert, which started in 2000, is representative. It is held every year on the fourth week of May. It is the world’s only large-scale free charity event held on a golf course. The fairways and greens of the golf course are decorated as the stage and audience seats, and Korea’s top musicians perform. When hungry, visitors visit the food market. Employees from Hwaseong Rest Area on the highway, affiliated with Seowon Valley, come out to sell udon, baked potatoes, Makgeolli, and more. The Green Concert draws about 40,000 spectators every year. The cumulative attendance has exceeded 500,000. Five hundred employees participate in this event. More than 600 million KRW is invested annually. This year’s event will be held on May 25.

Seowon Valley has been hosting a free Green Concert every year during the fourth week of May since 2000.

Byeokchoji Cultural Arboretum near Seowon Valley is also a popular spot. It covers about 120,000 square meters and has about 1,400 plants including various trees, shrubs, aquatic plants, rare plants, and flowers. The European-style arboretum is a hot place. Seasonal festivals continue with spring flowers and tulips (April-May), hydrangeas and roses (May-August), autumn flowers and dahlias (September-October), and chrysanthemums (October-November). Experience programs such as pot painting and planting, ceramic hand painting, topiary, ceramic handicrafts, and recreation are offered.

There is also a historical exploration course. Jaun Seowon was established to honor the scholarship and spirit of Yi I of Yulgok. It includes the family graves of Yi I’s clan and takes about an hour to tour the entire site. Trees that have endured for hundreds of years catch the eye. The Yulgok Cultural Festival is held every October. At the Yi I historic site in Paju, cultural tourism guides are available. If you want detailed historical and cultural explanations, it is recommended to inquire by phone before arrival.