South Korea Is A Country That Adores Golf. Here's Why!

Is it just us or is every other Korean celebrity posting golf content on their Instagram these days? It's hard to not notice our favorite oppas and unnies looking stylish on the fairway, so we had to do some digging: Why are Koreans obsessed with the sport? 

We have to admit—we used to think of golf as a sport our dads play. It's not as mainstream and trendy, as, say, tennis or basketball, but we've started to notice that it's gaining more and more popularity in other countries. In South Korea particularly, A-list stars like Park Seo-joon, Hyun Bin, and his wife Son Ye-jin are huge fans! #BinJin couple even flew to the States for their honeymoon with sets of golf clubs in tow! 

According to the New York Times, "South Korea is the third-largest market for golf in the world, behind only the United States and Japan." NY Times also reports that the country has a whopping 117 private and public golf courses of 18-holes, that now offer night golfing, due to the sheer demand of tee time from golf fans in the country. Locally, we've heard of or seen South Korean nationals flock to our own Philippine golf courses, perhaps wanting to extend their leisure time to not just green grass but also exotic sand and sea. With the bustling city Seoul being filled with golf fans, and the South Korean capital being limited to just one golf course that is only open to military personnel, fans have even resorted to screen golf, which is basically playing the sport virtually! Talk about a major sport obsession!

Koreans' obsession for the sport is evident in the amount of elite professional golfers they have, most especially in the women's division. According to the Olympics, "the country has dominated the women's game for the past decade with seven-time major winner Inbee Park taking gold at Rio 2016." It is remarkable too, that "there are no less than 17 women winning a total of 34 majors starting with Pak Se-ri's victory in the 1998 LGPA Championship." It may indeed be an expensive sport, with golf club membership fees, apparel and equipment, and travel as part of the overall expense list, but South Koreans just can't get enough of it!

And of course, we at Metro.Style have witnessed a lot of remarkable golf scenes in our beloved K-dramas, making its impact undeniable. Who remembers that cute and kilig golf course scene in 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' with Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a, or the ubiquitous scene of chaebols talking business at a golf course, a la 'Business Proposal'? The K-drama world absolutely adores golf, and a lot of celebrities like Park Shin-hye even endorse huge golfing brands in the country, too. Whether you are convinced that you should be heading to the nearest golf driving range to try learning the sport already, or just curious as to which hallyu celebrities swing their clubs on the regular, swipe through the gallery below to find out!

Lead photo via Hancinema.