It was 10:30 am on the 15th at a park golf course in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Despite the cold weather down to minus 4 degrees, 30 to 40 people gathered in the park and enjoyed park golf.
In a group of four, they showed off their well-polished swings by going around the halls marked throughout the park. I put the ball on the tee, took a practice swing, hit the ball, and focused on the way the ball flew. We did not forget to encourage each other. “Nice nice shot!” “Good shot!” shouted back There were also some who turned their wrists and turned their waists to warm up before going round.
On one side, those who were receiving swing training in the middle of the day also stood out. Lined up in a row, they practiced their swing under the instructor’s command. The instructor said, “Come on! put your hands together First of all, I’m going to do a half swing. If you do one, two, three, I’ll put it back up. The instructor said, “It went up too much. I’ll try to make the swing a little smaller,” and corrected his swing form.
He also meticulously explained the address, the preparation posture for hitting the ball. He gave his butt a little more, and emphasized securing space to hit the ball. An explanation of gripping, which is an action to hold in the hand, was also given. He explained that you have to be able to feel the weight on the club.
Swing training was followed by rounding training. At the advice of the instructor, “I can do OB (Out of Bounds) too, so play comfortably,” everyone showed off their polished swings. Fortunately, the OB didn’t come out. They smiled satisfied and moved to take the second shot.
Park golf is a sport that combines park and golf. The rules are almost the same as regular golf. The player with the fewest strokes from the start to the final hole wins. The terminology and swing are also similar. The difference is that actual 스포츠토토 golf requires several clubs such as drivers, irons, and putters, but park golf requires only one club. The ball also uses a billiard ball-shaped plastic ball. Its advantage is that it can be played in a smaller space than regular golf.
Park golf is very popular. According to the Korea Park Golf Association, the number of people who enjoy park golf has nearly tripled from about 37,000 in 2019 to 107,000 as of the end of this year. Because of its popularity, it is not easy to book a golf course. Reservations are received online, but it takes less than 10 minutes for a month’s reservation to close.
We asked the people we met on the spot the secret to the popularity of park golf. Kim Geun-suk (69), who hits the ball three times a week, explained, “I feel like my health improves after exercising on the grass, and it is attractive that I can enjoy it near downtown Seoul.”
Lee Mi-sook (66) said, “I started because people in the neighborhood asked me to learn, but it couldn’t be this good.”
There are many people who want to learn park golf. The Korea Sports Association ran a park golf class as part of the seniors’ life sports movement, and it is said to have gained great popularity. It was operated in 31 places, and about 10,000 people received training. The education was conducted throughout the entire process, from the history of park golf to familiarization with game rules, understanding of rounds, and swing practice, and it was said that the satisfaction level was quite high. In some places, there were too many applicants to draw lots.
Instructor Jin Yong-ja said, “I taught about 80 people this year, and it was nice to see them having fun. I hope to be with more people next year.” When asked if there were any memorable students, she replied, “I was a sick student, but I was happy to say that she improved while working out.”