This article was machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean original
The psychology of men who volunteer for so-called "All Care" on golf apps is by no means a charitable endeavor. A thorough and blatant "exchange value" is at play when they willingly swipe their credit cards for hundreds of thousands of won in green and caddy fees, and even the cost of a premium Hanwoo dinner after the round.
What they intend to purchase is clear. It is precisely 'legitimate dating with young and attractive women and the satisfaction of possessiveness.'
For some middle-aged men in the Gangnam or Bundang areas who are classified as wealthy or professionals, weekend golf is not merely a form of exercise, but a stage for showing off and confirming their continued vitality. They derive immense pleasure from playing a round with women in their 20s and 30s sitting next to them in the cart, dressed in flashy and tight golf attire that looks like something out of an Instagram feed, rather than playing dull golf with older business owners of the same age. They believe that the peculiar sense of class superiority they feel when surrounding teams look at them with envy is worth far more than the few hundred thousand won they pay at the clubhouse.
The even more blatant true intentions lie after the 18th hole. Most join-up groups offering all-inclusive care establish an unspoken rule before the round that "a polite after-party is mandatory." After flattering women with all manner of flirting while walking the fairway during the day—saying things like, "Your swing form is so beautiful," or "I thought you were a pro"—they reveal their true colors at the night gathering where drinks are exchanged.
The series of events involving attempting discreet physical contact under the influence of alcohol, or inducing a second round at a nearby hotel or bar by saying, "It's the weekend, isn't it a shame to part ways like this?" is a "standard course" that is openly practiced among users of the Join app. Ultimately, for them, the Join app serves as a legitimate and upscale form of "outdoor impromptu meeting (hunting) platform."
01The cunning ecosystem of women addicted to the sweetness of 'free golf'
Conversely, the ecosystem of women who selectively apply only to these 'all-care' job postings is equally shrewd. They accurately understand that their beauty and style function as powerful 'currency' on the field.
For some young female golfers, golf is the ultimate credential for projecting a luxurious image, much like a handbag or a watch. However, visiting prestigious courses once or twice a week on weekends is nearly impossible for the average office worker or college student given their financial situation.
This is where a niche market for join apps opens up. If you register a high-quality profile photo that stands out in style, business owners who have posted "All Care Join" offers will scramble to send invitation messages. Women ride in top-of-the-line foreign cars and step onto the turf of prestigious membership courses without paying a single penny. They receive impeccable treatment from the moment their caddie bags are unloaded, through breakfast at the clubhouse and snacks at the halfway house, to fine dining after the round.
The interesting thing is that during this process, women display sophisticated push-and-pull techniques, acting as if they are unaware of the men's true intentions while thoroughly securing only "business benefits." On the golf course, they smile sweetly, accept all of the men's boastful bravado, and react to them; however, once the round ends and the drinking party gets going, if a man tries to cross the line, they draw a sharp line by saying, "I have an important meeting early tomorrow morning," or "My parents are strict, so I have a curfew," and then call a designated driver and disappear.
The man feels bitter, lamenting, "I treated him to everything but never even held his hand," while the woman leisurely returns to her home ground after already stockpiling photos of herself wearing sponsored wear and proof shots at prestigious stadiums to post on Instagram. The tense battle of wits between the man buying a show and the woman looking out for practicality crosses paths on the smartphone app screen every night.
02A Target of Crime Beyond Simple Gossip: The Dark Shadow of the Join App
However, the world of join apps does not always end with such a pleasant game of push and pull between fox and wolf. Recently, serious side effects and new types of crime scenarios exploiting the exclusive nature of join apps and the tendency to flaunt wealth have emerged, shocking the golf world.
The most representative example is ‘planned fraud targeting disguised as golf betting.’
After posting a message on a join app saying, "Mannered single golfers, let's join for a casual bet," they recruit targets who appear to be wealthy. During the first five holes of the round, they intentionally make repeated mistakes to lose strokes and lull the targets into a false sense of security, then drastically increase the bet amount per stroke to hundreds of thousands of won starting from the back nine.
The plan is to reduce the score with terrifying concentration, as if by prearrangement, to empty the target's wallet. Furthermore, an organized 'field house' (gambling ring) is randomly recruited through join apps, in which a companion and even the caddy are in cahoots to manipulate the ball's position (known as 'Alkkagi') or cheat on the score.
Sexual risks also cross dangerous thresholds. Due to the geographical characteristics of the golf course being located in a remote suburb, players are highly susceptible to becoming targets of sexual crimes involving drugs or excessive drinking when drinking sessions follow a round of golf.
Conversely, the stage for "honeytrap" blackmail cases—in which perpetrators intentionally target wealthy men, record leading questions or physical contact at entertainment venues, and then demand tens of millions of won in settlement money while threatening to inform their families and companies—is also rapidly shifting from Gangnam clubs to golf course join apps in the Gyeonggi region. Because these perpetrators hide behind the luxurious curtain of golf, the majority of victims suffer in silence, unable to even report the incidents to the police due to concerns about their reputation.
03Editor's Note: Before tapping your profile picture
Not all join-in play is filled with ulterior motives. Many golfers still utilize the positive functions of join apps purely because the turf is good or they are short on players.
However, the current join app ecosystem, where words like 'beauty,' 'all-care,' and 'fully supported' flood timelines without filtering, has clearly strayed from the realm of sports. Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, behind free green fees, there is always a heavy price to pay or insidious greed lurking.
Men, turning on the notifications on your join app tonight to click on the profile of an attractive member of the opposite sex, and women packing their pouch bags for a free round of golf this weekend: whether the screen you touched is a gate leading to a green fairway or a trap heading toward an irreversible swamp may depend solely on the magnitude of your greed.
