Life was good for David Fisher in 2009. The Indiana native had been living in Palm Desert for seven years while working for Pinnacle Design on golf course projects in Southern California. Then the chance to work on a new 27-hole, Ted Robinson Jr.-designed course called Whistling Rock in Korea came to the firm.
It turned out to be a life-changing project.
“I had gone to Los Cabos in Mexico for jobs and traveled to Ireland once for a golf trip,” Fisher said. “But Korea was never on my radar. Not even as a place to go for pleasure.”
After making the trip across the Pacific Ocean countless times (Korean Airlines and Singapore Airlines have direct flights between LAX and Seoul’s Incheon Airport) to work on the project, Fisher quickly became a fan of the country.
“I slowly started falling in love with the culture and just the way the people live in Korea,” he said. “I enjoyed being there.”
Whistling Rock, located in the foothills of the Gangwon Provincial mountains an hour northeast of Seoul, is ranked No. 2 in the country by Golf Magazine Korea. The 425-acre site includes three challenging and scenic nines — Cloud, Cocoon and Temple — that move up and down the mountainous terrain. Each nine comes with an artfully designed teahouse, and the elegant clubhouse is more like an art museum because of various sculptures. (Nine large and colorful balls are also placed throughout the 27 holes).
Fisher continued to visit the course as a consultant after it opened in 2011. When the president of the company that owned Whistling Rock noticed Fisher’s enthusiasm for the club and country, he offered him a full-time job as vice president of International Business in 2014. Fisher accepted, married a South Korean native and is now fully immersed in the country’s lifestyle and golf industry.
“There’s a combination of a very old culture, as compared to the U.S., with a lot of sophistication and modern characteristics,” he said. “And then there’s the food. I just love the food and the way people eat. It’s a very important part of the day. They don’t eat fast. They take time to sit down and enjoy the conversation and food, no matter how busy they are.”
That’s just one of the many cultural distinctions visitors will find in South Korea. Seoul, the country’s capital city, highlights that fascinating mix of old and new. You can stay at the ultra-modern, high-rise Intercontinental COEX Hotel in the Gangnam District (made popular by the infectious Gangnam Style song from 2012), pound balls at its indoor hitting bays and then head across the street to walk the grounds of the Bongeunsa Temple, which dates to 794.
When Fisher hosts family and friends, he often takes them for Korean barbecue (the Maple Tree House in the Itaewon neighborhood is excellent, with meat cooked on a grill in the middle of your table), to see a historic palace (Gyeongbokgung on the northern side of the city is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces) or visit the downtown area to see the modern infrastructure. More adventurous types might like hiking a portion of the 12-mile path that makes up Seoul’s ancient city wall.
As for golf, despite success in the professional ranks, particularly on the LPGA Tour, golf ranks behind baseball, soccer and basketball in terms of popularity.
Economics plays a part in that position because private clubs are incredibly expensive. Membership at Whistling Rock costs $1.3 million, an amount refunded after 10 years. Haesley Nine Bridges, another dazzling course almost overshadowed by its elegant clubhouse, is not much less. Even Taekwang Country Club, a popular 36-hole complex (18 open to the public) just south of Seoul, costs members $70,000 per year. But it does offer golf under the lights up to 11 p.m. and is so popular that there are two greens on most holes due to the high volume of golfers. Still, visiting golfers are likely to gain access to those private courses, provided you contact them well in advance of your trip.
Be aware, though, that the level of formality is much higher than what’s common at private clubs in the U.S. At Whistling Rock and Haesley Nine Bridges, you arrive in your suit carrying golf clothes. After changing, there’s breakfast, nine holes, drinks and a meal — likely hot noodles and/or man du rather than a hot dog or hamburger — another nine holes, time in a hot tub/sauna/plunge pool after golf, and then another meal and more drinks. Female caddies also use remote controlled-golf carts that carry all of a foursome’s clubs.
High membership fees mean the masses often head instead to multi-level driving ranges – like the four-decker at Taekwang Country Club where Jang Ha-na, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour in 2016, can be found practicing on the top floor – or to the popular indoor golf simulators found at Golfzon all over Seoul.
As for the 45-year-old Fisher, bouts of homesickness come and go. Although he doesn’t miss the desert heat, when he does get back to the Coachella Valley he gets in as much golf as possible, often at courses like SilverRock, Desert Willow and Indian Wells Country Club. That will be followed by a visit to his favorite hamburger joint (Eureka!) where he’ll sit at the bar with friends and enjoy a cheeseburger and beer.
For now, Fisher is working to raise Whistling Rock’s reputation on an international level.
“Being part of the team that created this place, that’s something I’m very proud of,” he said. “But we’re hungry for more. I’m always trying to focus on what we can improve on. Getting a Top 100 ranking would lead to more members and help the bottom line. For me it’s also a reason to continually improve. If we didn’t have that goal, we might just be happy where we are now.”
