This article was machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean original
01Prologue: Do Manners Make a Golfer? Manners Select the Right Person
If you browse through authentic British classic golf magazines or read aphorisms by legendary golfers, there is one maxim that appears so often it becomes painful to the ears: "Golf is the only sport without referees, and therefore it is a noble game maintained solely by the players' 'honesty' and 'manners'."
It is truly a tearfully beautiful and gentlemanly remark. However, the moment we step onto the fairway of a South Korean golf course—especially a membership course in the Gyeonggi region on a weekend morning—while harboring these wonderful words, we are confronted with a grim reality.
The manners witnessed on the field in South Korea often degenerate into 'class tyranny' rather than 'gentlemanly dignity'.
At the forefront of this tyranny are some thoughtless senior golfers known as "old-timers." These are individuals who believe that age is a rank, a membership purchased decades ago is a badge of honor, and that their experience in shooting single-digit scores (scores in the 70s) is the law. From the moment they enter the clubhouse, through their entire cart ride around the course, and even while soaking in the sauna after the round, they are like walking "nuisance bombs" that infect everyone around them with discomfort.
Mainstream golf media outlets, which survive on advertisements for large corporate equipment and partnership promotions with golf courses, often glorify their behavior with the absurd phrase "the passion and strictness of senior golfers." This is because those old-fashioned types are the very holders of VIP memberships at golf courses and the main consumer base spending millions of won every month.
However, Club14, which unreservedly exposes the chronic bad habits and unsightly behavior of the Korean golf culture, does not compromise on this point. This article is a social critique essay that sharply dissects the nuisance behavior of some senior golfers who swing their drivers at the backs of the group ahead, treat caddies like subordinates, and force their own outdated common sense upon others.
02"Tell them to move aside!" : A driver shot aimed at the back of the head of the team ahead
The most dangerous and deadly villainous acts they commit on the field are 'rushing the pace' and 'a lack of safety awareness'.
Some senior single-digit handicap golfers mistakenly believe they have rented out the entire golf course. If there are even slightly new golfers mixed in with the group ahead or if the pace is delayed even slightly, their carts instantly fill with irritation and profanity.
Forcing the caddie to pull the cart right up close by practically snatching the remote is nothing compared to this. Before the group ahead even finishes their second shot and reaches the green, they apply silent pressure by roughly practicing their swings on the teeing ground.
The most extreme transgression is hitting a tee shot even though the team ahead is clearly within striking distance. When the sound of the ball landing near the landing spot (also known as the 'fore' sound) is heard, the players on the leading team feel their lives are in danger.
Hey! You didn't get hit! Hurry up!Anonymous senior golfer
When the angry team ahead turns around, far from apologizing, they merely wave their hands haphazardly from a distance and shout back. It is not as if their ancestors bought them the membership, yet they possess a peculiar sense of entitlement, believing that the mere fact of being a member grants them the right to threaten the safety of others. To them, the essence of golf—"consideration for companions and others"—is nothing more than an outdated phrase from a textbook.
03A Caddie Is Not a Servant: The Condescending Behavior Perfected by Abusing Power
Their second signature behavioral pattern stems from their attitude toward the caddies, who serve as both coordinators and security personnel.
If you listen to the conversations shared by peers of the same age group sitting together in the clubhouse locker room or halfway house, the way they address caddies is appalling. They treat caddies they have just met as subordinates, saying things like, "You know that 'kid' assigned to our group today," or "That older sister is really bad at her job."
Once out on the field, the abuse of power becomes even more sophisticated. If the ball goes into the rough or woods, instead of trying to find it themselves, they stand with their hands behind their backs and yell at the caddy. "Hey, aren't you watching the ball properly? Where did my ball go?" If the ball is not found, all the score misses for that day's round are blamed on the caddy's leadership.
On the green, they reach the height of a spectacle. Although the basics of golf involve marking the ball and reading the lie yourself, they stand still with their putter, waiting for the caddy to clean the ball, present it, and even lay it out perfectly. If the putt misses the hole, they vent their anger on the caddy, shouting, "You said it was a slice earlier! Can't you read it straight?"
Yet, when settling the caddie fee after the round, they begrudge even a few tens of thousands of won, saying, "The game wasn't smooth today," and load the bag with a stern expression, far from offering a tip. This is the typical duplicity of K-Kkondae golfers who want to be treated like royalty by others, while thoroughly skimping on the respect and price they themselves must pay.
04Sauna and Locker Room: The Disgrace of Clothes That Won't Come Off Even After Taking Off
Their unsightly manners continue straight into the locker room and sauna (sweat room) where they undress after the 18-hole round. The space where the majority of normal golfers quietly relieve fatigue and tidy up becomes, for them, the final megaphone stage to exaggerate and show off their performance(?) on the front.
Sitting in the sauna bath, he reviews his play with loud singing that shakes the whole sauna.
Hey Mr. Kim, did you see my driver hit 250 meters on the 14th hole earlier? That's the real feel of a draw!Anonymous senior golfer
Even if the people around them look at them with frowns, their radar sees only their own heroic tales.
What is even more frowning is the lack of sauna etiquette. Witnessing seniors casually spitting on the shower floor or heading straight into the hot tub drenched in sweat without properly washing their bodies before entering is a common tragedy in Korean golf course saunas.
The disgraceful behavior reaches its peak when they step into the powder room. Not only do they stand in front of the fan to dry themselves, but they also slather excessive amounts of the communal body lotion and toner provided by the golf course all over their bodies. They even engage in bizarre acts, such as rubbing water off the floor with their feet using communal towels that are not their own, or grooming their entire body hair with a hair comb.
No matter how much they are addressed as "Chairman" or "President" in society or possess memberships worth hundreds of millions of won, the bare faces revealed inside the shower room after stripping off their clothes are wretchedly vulgar.
05Epilogue: Burying Old Glory Behind the Field
Time has passed and generations have changed. The golf course is no longer the exclusive property of the older generation, and numerous young golfers and female golfers come to enjoy the culture on the course, paying their own fair price.
However, some senior golfers are still unable to let go of the "imperial attitude" from decades ago, when golf was the exclusive domain of a privileged few. Having played for a long time is something to be respected, not a weapon to wield power. The true dignity of a "single-digit handicap golfer" is not defined by the numbers on the scorecard, but by the generosity to smile calmly when the group ahead is falling behind, a warm word offered to the caddy, and the way one tidies up their surroundings before leaving the sauna for the next person.
If there are any senior golfers reading this who feel a pang of guilt thinking, "Isn't this about me?", I hope that starting from your next round, you will check your manners index before your membership number—unless those manners were bought for you by your ancestors, that is.
This concludes the first spicy exposé of [GOLF ROOM ESSAY]. Club14 returns in the next issue with the hottest topic of [Editor's Choice] — please look forward to a story that uncovers the peculiar dynamics between sponsors and influencers hidden behind the glitz and glamour of social media feeds.
