17-year-old catches his golf swing on Jeju
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17-year-old catches his golf swing on Jeju
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Golfer Jee Park gets ready for the big leagues

Jee Park started playing golf to understand his Korean roots. A strange concept to those who associate golf with bearded Scots in pink tweed, however golf has become one of Korea’s favorite sports in the last three decades, and a valid career choice for many of its youth.

“Golf is a huge part of Jeju,” Park said in an interview with The Jeju Weekly. “Lots of kids are trying to go pro, but it takes a lot of money, time, and dedication.”

Park came to Jeju two years ago after a spell of living the high life in Chicago. He was ready to put all of his focus into something and chose his family’s favorite pastime. His mother paired him with renowned golf coach Kim Sung Won. When not on the green, Park began training at the Soo Jung driving range.

It was not long before Park realized that he had talent and that going pro and getting onto the PGA Tour in America was his goal.

“I have never worked harder or had more of a passion for something. I wake up at 4 a.m., and want to play,” Park said.

The competition for the top spot begins even before getting onto the course. Some 4 million South Koreans play golf, competing for space on 251 courses throughout the country. In contrast, there are 2,500 courses in Japan and 18,000 in the US.

Park calls Jeju a golf heaven.

“The courses are long, the fees are low, the air is amazing, and the weather is great,” Park said.

At 17, Park seems the perfect mix of precociousness and tenacity to make his dreams come true. If this was the United States, that might be enough, but in Korea, pro golf training starts from a very young age.

The training regime is similar to that of an Olympic athlete. Kids aged eight to 18 often forgo schooling so they can train from 9 a.m., all the way, in some cases, to midnight. Because course time is limited, training academies often have indoor features for the children to practice on.

This somewhat fanatical dedication to practice did not deter Park.

Though he knows he came late to the game, Park feels he is on par with his peers. He has private lessons with his coach, while many of his peers have to share theirs with a handful of other students. He already speaks fluent English, while most others have to take time out from practice to study the language. Being on Jeju also allows him easier access to course time and he lives very close to the driving range where he practices his short game.

Park says that a golf player is only as good as his or her support team. A quick tour of his house will show his family’s dedication to the sport. The front door is stacked with golf bags. Bowls of golf balls are scattered through the house. In the living room, after a day of practice, Park writes notes about what he learned during the day and then continues to practice with his short putting stroke.

“I also train year round, every day,” Park explains. “When it gets too cold to play on Jeju, I go somewhere else. Last year I went to New Zealand.”

It was in the South Pacific that Park struck one of his best shots.

His ball was stuck in a mess of trees on a par 4. It would have been hard to pick up the ball and throw it through the jumble of branches. Park took a punch shot with a 5 iron and birdied it through the trees. It landed on the green and rolled right next to the hole.

“Golf is all about quick calculations and good focus,” Park said. “It’s a mental game. You can’t react negatively or positively because it can throw off how you play the next hole.”

His Zen attitude and long days are gearing Park to go to the Q-school in a few years. The Q-school, or qualifying school, is how an amateur, after regularly playing at par or below, can start playing professionally. If an amateur passes the test, he or she is given a “seed” and allowed to compete in their country professionally. Once Park qualifies and is doing well in Korean golf tournaments (KPGA), he can move onto the US tournaments (PGA). This is his dream and Korea is helping him towards it.

Park explains, “Jeju is my escape from all distractions. It is my training island — to get my mind, body, and swing ready to go back to America.”
 
<Sarah Delroy  contributor@jejuweekly.comJeju Weekly All rights reserved>


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