Heritage is eternal. Time passes, but elegance does not fade. That is the story of Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju, which I recently visited. The threshold to this once-secret space, where VVIPs used to enjoy golf, has been lowered. At the same time, it has been transformed into a place where more people can experience its long-cultivated refinement and remember Jeju in a new way. It is more than suitable as a family travel destination. As you walk the course, it feels as if you are strolling through a well-kept European garden and then a Japanese garden in sequence. The scenery, where the sky, sea and mountains come together at a glance, looks like a painting. Birdsong drifting through the old forest turns every moment of the round into a scene from a Jeju trip. That does not mean course management has been neglected. On the public course, cool-season grass that struggles in the heat has been boldly replaced with Korean turf, keeping the course conditions consistent throughout the year. Lotte Skyhill Jeju turns the extraordinary into the everyday. It is time set aside for fathers who have often stood a step away from family trips.
▶ Beyond exercise, a high-involvement hobby and a pillar of sports tourism
Jeju is widely regarded as one of Korea's top travel destinations. The number of flights between Jeju and Seoul is among the highest in the world, which shows just how many people visit the island. When people think of Jeju, the Olle Trail is one of the first things that comes to mind. It has become a symbol of emotional travel, where people can slowly walk along the coastal roads and oreum, feel Jeju's nature and share conversations. The image of a mother and daughter walking together adds to that sentiment.
So is there a Jeju travel destination with the same emotional appeal for fathers and sons? If you have ever wondered, golf may be the answer. Golf is one of the few sports that people of all ages, skill levels and genders can enjoy together. For men, there are few better ways to spend quality time together than through sports. In addition, golf has recently become a high-involvement hobby as it has grown more popular. That is why golf courses are increasingly drawing attention as travel destinations that play a key role in sports tourism.
Lotte Skyhill Jeju offers enjoyment that goes beyond a simple golf course and feels closer to a sports-entertainment destination. There is a special reason for that: its well-developed surrounding infrastructure. The course is located in Seogwipo City, where many major tourist attractions are found. Nearby, there are also a variety of family-friendly accommodations, including Jeju Art Villas, pensions and hotels. With the sea and mountains blending together, visitors can enjoy different charms of Jeju in every season according to their tastes. The rental equipment is well prepared, so if you have a little time, you can enjoy a round without much burden on a day trip. In other words, if you feel like it, you can use the course anytime without any special preparation.
That is not all. There are many ways to enjoy a round here. Lotte Skyhill Jeju operates a 'dog-friendly round' program to meet demand from customers who want to play golf with their pets. One dog is allowed per team of two to four people, and dog waste bags and snacks are also provided.
Another feature is the flexibility in how groups are formed. A team does not have to consist of four people. Two- and three-person play is possible. However, for two-person play, course operations limit it to certain time slots. On weekdays, rounds are available before 8 a.m. and after 1:30 p.m., and on weekends after 1:30 p.m., making it convenient for travelers. For two- and three-person play, even family members who are not golfing can join as gallery members and ride in the cart by paying a set fee of 100,000 won per person.
Anyone who has ever been to a golf course knows this: a golf course with green fairways, surrounded by trees, is not just a place to play sports. It is like a carefully tended garden. That is why there were so many family visitors, including children, on my recent visit to Lotte Skyhill Jeju.
Kang Sang-min, deputy general manager of Lotte Skyhill Jeju, said, "The course designer for Lotte Skyhill Jeju was Robert Trent Jones Jr., a master who designed 13 of the top 100 golf courses in the United States." He added, "The resort consists of the members-only Sky and Ocean courses and the public Forest and Hill courses, and all of them were designed to use Jeju's natural landscape without damaging its stone walls, forests or terrain." He explained that visitors can take in Hallasan, views of Jeju's sea and the island's unspoiled natural environment all in one place. Lotte Skyhill Jeju is close to a first-generation golf course on the island, having opened in 2005. Over time, it has come to hold Jeju's own sense of time. As a result, the sounds of birds nesting nearby are pleasant to the ear, and wildlife such as rabbits, water deer and pheasants can often be seen, so even accompanying gallery members never get bored. The dense trees, moss and stones surrounding the course are reminiscent of Muchewat nearby.
▶ The feel of Korean turf, with greenery in abundance
For a golf course to play a meaningful role in sports tourism, the quality of the round, or what golfers call the 'feel,' is just as important as the travel experience. Lotte Skyhill Jeju has proven the excellence and stability of its course by successfully hosting the KLPGA Tour every year. In particular, the turf on its public course was recently changed from cool-season grass to Korean turf, or warm-season grass. It was a bold response to climate change, aimed at maintaining consistent turf conditions throughout the year.
Deputy General Manager Kang said, "Jeju has recently been facing a climate crisis caused by warming temperatures." He added, "Even with the best management, cool-season grass can sometimes burn under extreme heat, so we replaced the turf to provide golfers with the best possible experience." The switch to Korean turf on the public course was a major project that mobilized all employees. He said, "There was not a single part of the construction, from the beginning to the end, that was not touched by our staff." He added, "That effort has turned into affection for the turf, and we are managing it with the mindset that each blade is like our own child."
The members-only course has also seen major improvements in the playing environment. Since March, the tee-off interval has been extended from seven minutes to eight minutes, and private check-in routes and exclusive lockers have been introduced to enhance customer convenience and privacy. The turf remains cool-season grass. Although it is more difficult to manage, the course keeps it in order to offer a differentiated experience from the public course. This strategy of focus and differentiation is expected to benefit both the members-only and public courses. After all, it is not easy to experience two different kinds of feel at the same golf course.
Kim Se-hyung, Sportschosun, fax123@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
