I recently combined visits to the Middle East and Asia into a single 15-day trip, allowing me to see two major regions before the New Year. The itinerary also gave me a weekend to meet a good friend, TK Han, president of Air Busan. We played golf on a Saturday morning after a heavy rainstorm soaked South Korea the day before; it felt like a good omen that the weather had cleared for our game.
Dongpusan Country Club, a private course established in 1989, features three nine-hole layouts named Hill, Lake and Valley. We played the Hill and Valley nines for a full round on an overcast fall day. Joining us were Yong-Sam Shin, vice president of Busan Tourism, and Yong-Moon Jung, executive director of the Korea Tourism Organization’s local office. As a note, Busan and Pusan refer to the same city; officially spelled Busan today, you will still see the older Pusan spelling in some contexts.
This was my first visit to Busan, and I was pleasantly surprised by the city’s blend of modernity and natural beauty. I had expected a purely industrial port town, but found parks, scenic areas and a lively urban center that make it an appealing destination.
Valley Course
Hole 3 | 387 yards, par 4
The caddie gave excellent advice for this dogleg left, recommending a drive to the right side of the fairway to set up the best angle to the green. My drive ran left, leaving me about 200 yards from a green perched at the bottom of a slope. TK positioned himself well for an attack, and Mr. Shin followed with a strong drive into a great spot. I managed to reach the front of the green and saved par with a careful chip and two putts. Two bunkers guard the left side of the green and its undulating surface makes putting a test.
Hole 7 | 179 yards, par 3
I’ll admit I tend to highlight successes, and this hole was one I’ll remember fondly. The green sits on a peninsula and invites bold swings. TK over-rotated and landed left, his ball skimming into the water. Both Mr. Shin and Mr. Jung hit big but came up short and found the water in front. I was nervous stepping up after them but struck a confident shot that landed short of the green on solid ground instead of in the water. Choosing one more club than you think is wise on this tee. A lone bunker on the left can actually help by catching errant shots before they roll into the water. I chipped close and one-putted for a satisfying par.
Hole 9 | 416 yards, par 4
This finishing hole on the Valley presents an uphill approach toward the clubhouse and a subtle dogleg right to a well-protected green, and it’s considered the course’s toughest. From the tee the fairway feels narrow before it opens up further on, and a bamboo grove left of the tee makes a scenic backdrop. I aimed left with the rest of the group to get the best angle to the green and faced a long uphill fairway wood into my approach. TK executed brilliantly and found the green, but I ran into trouble with a series of fairway bunkers on the right and made a double bogey.
Francis and TK Han on Hole 9 of the Hill course © Francis X. Gallagher
Hill Course
Hole 2 | 506 yards, par 5
The second hole on the Hill provides a lovely fall panorama from the elevated tee. By the back nine I was running out of steam and recorded mostly bogeys, with this hole taking a double. The hole features a slight double dogleg—one bend off the tee and another just before a right-side green—plus a narrower fairway and a ravine on the right that can swallow errant shots. Mr. Jung had trouble with that ravine, prompting some good-natured teasing. I scrambled onto the green after a few messy shots and moved on, imagining a chance to play the hole better another day.
Hole 8 | 197 yards, par 3
TK was the only one of us to hit this green in regulation. The par 3 runs downhill across rolling contours to a generous green protected by a long bunker that stretches along the left side of the fairway. My tee shot fell short and right of the green while the others found similar trouble. TK’s clean shot to the center of the green led to a steady two-putt par; the rest of us settled for bogeys.
Hole 9 | 432 yards, par 4
Good finishing holes are memorable, and the ninth on the Hill delivers. The elevated tee looks down to a green tucked left behind a pond at the end of a dogleg. I pushed my tee shot toward the water and left but stayed in play, leaving a difficult approach. TK played conservatively to the center of the fairway, while Mr. Shin’s drive went left into a tight stand of skinny trees. I managed to get my ball over the water to the right of the green and played a simple chip, while Mr. Shin executed a great shot over the trees to save par. TK also made par, and Mr. Jung and I finished with bogeys.
After shaking hands we headed for showers and a relaxed Korean lunch in the clubhouse. Golf offers a wonderful way to connect with friends worldwide; our round at Dongpusan was a true weekend of camaraderie with a longtime friend from Air Busan.
Dongpusan Country Club
131, Maegok-dong, Yangsan-si
Gyeongsangnam-do
South Korea
tel 82 55 388 1315