[Field 3GO] Ujeong Hills CC 'The History of Korean Golf'

1993 Opening National Title Korea Open Battleground
Star-Studded Event Featuring McIlroy, Fowler, and More
Signature Hole: Ireland Green 13th Hole (Par 3)
Top Hotel Chef Gains Popularity on Cheonan City Tour

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 suitable for spending happy times with golf.

Uijeong Hills CC is the battleground for the 'National Title' Korean Open.

◆EnjoyGO= Cheonan Woojeong Hills CC is a representative golf course in Korea. It is famous as Korea’s first authentic Western-style course. It opened in May 1993. The designer is Perry O. Dye (USA), who was responsible for 12 of the world’s top 100 golf courses selected by Golf Magazine. He stayed on-site as a supervisor during the construction of Woojeong Hills CC.

Woojeong Hills CC has been associated with the ‘National Title’ Korean Open. The Korean Open started in 1958 and moved its battleground to Woojeong Hills CC in 2003. It invited world-class stars such as Nick Faldo, Ian Poulter (both England), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Sergio Garcia (Spain), Retief Goosen (South Africa), John Daly, Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim, Ricky Fowler (all USA), Vijay Singh (Fiji), Danny Lee (New Zealand), Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), and Ryo Ishikawa (Japan). Especially, world No. 2 McIlroy visited Korea three times in 2009, 2011, and 2013.

There are 12 ponds within the course. Sixteen holes border ponds, creating excellent landscaping beauty. The strategic placement of ponds allows for cross hazards. Each hole has 5 to 8 teeing grounds, giving the feeling of playing at a new golf course every time. Perfect turf management keeps the fairways and greens always at the highest level. The fairways are zoysia grass. During course construction, Seoul City University’s Turf Research Institute collaborated on soil improvement, turf selection, and management to ensure perfection.

The signature 13th hole at Ujeong Hills CC is an island course similar to TPC Sawgrass.

The signature hole is the 13th hole (par 3). It features Korea’s first island green. It is a land where the ‘God of Golf’ is capricious. The hole is nicknamed ‘Splash’ because the ball often plunges into the water. It is similar to the 17th hole (par 3) at TPC Sawgrass, where The Players Championship, known as the fifth major of the PGA Tour, is held. Reading the swirling wind around the hole is crucial. Ishikawa sank his tee shots into the water consecutively in rounds 1 to 3 in 2009. He bowed his head, saying, “I aimed for the center of the green every time but couldn’t hit the center of the face.”

Korean-style landscaping stands out. The harmony of mounds on the fairway and the horizon of ridges emphasizes layered beauty. There are 15 practice bays and a 280-yard driving range. Tee-offs are at 7-minute intervals, allowing smooth, uninterrupted play. Parking for over 300 cars is available simultaneously. Five-seater electric golf carts are used. Members’ handicaps are strictly managed. An annual club championship is held. Accessibility is good; it takes 40 minutes from Seoul Tollgate.

At Ujeong Hills CC, Kaisen-don, a Japanese-style seafood rice bowl, is popular.

◆EatGO= The clubhouse restaurant offers a definite feeling of being well treated. It provides differentiated menu development and services never experienced at other clubs. All food uses top-quality, pollution-free ingredients delivered directly from the source. The restaurant staff includes a manager, chef, and elite employees with years of experience at luxury hotels. Guests can enjoy Korean, Western, Chinese, Japanese, and fusion cuisines while viewing a landscape like an oriental painting. To ease the crowded return journey, various types of lunch boxes and all menu items sold at the restaurant can be taken out. The clubhouse also displays various artworks and Woojeong Hills’ awards.

Kaisen-don is popular. It is a Japanese-style rice bowl topped with seafood such as sea urchin, shrimp, salmon roe, tuna, and salmon. There is also beef bone soup with cabbage, a dish perfectly suited to Korean tastes with rich beef bone broth and soft cabbage. Other specialties include stone octopus bean sprout soup topped with chewy octopus and pollack soup with richly extracted pollack broth in perilla oil. The dishes are excellent too. Boiled pork bossam & mung bean pancakes, Korean beef brisket abalone octopus stew are perfect health foods.

The start house also offers a variety of foods. Spicy fried chicken, fermented skate pancakes, seasoned pollack sashimi, assorted sundae (Korean blood sausage) boiled pork, mango snowflake bingsu, and cold soba noodles in a bamboo basket are popular among golfers. There are two shaded rest areas providing stamina health foods and drinks, located at the 6th and 14th holes. They serve as ‘rest stops’ to reflect on mistakes from previous holes and strategize for new holes.

At Woojeong Hills CC, there is a memorial hall where you can see the history of the Korean Open.

◆SeeGO= Woojeong Hills CC has a Korean Open Memorial Hall. It is the first place within a domestic golf course dedicated to commemorating the tournament. It houses trophies from the Korean Open, which started in 1958, as well as winner jackets, signed items from players, flags from The Open Championship (known as the ‘Greatest Major’) participants, and photos and videos documenting 62 years of tournament history. The kiosk inside the memorial hall allows visitors to view yearly tournament issues, star players, and highlight videos.

Cheonan offers a city tour that allows visitors to comfortably and thoroughly explore various tourist attractions, historic sites, and cultural assets. It operates four times a week from March to November for nine months annually. Regular courses include the Independence Hall, Yu Gwan-sun martyr’s historic site, Lee Dong-nyeong’s birthplace, and Gakwonsa Temple, along with the Bread & Cafe Tour and elegant performance viewing courses. The fee is 4,000 KRW for adults, with a 50% discount for groups of 20 or more.