This article was machine-translated from the Korean original. Read the Korean original
4:45 AM on Saturday. At a time when the forest of city buildings is completely shrouded in darkness, I start the engine, cutting through the cool air of the underground parking lot. I check the dashboard as the car awakens with a quiet bass beat, glance in the mirror to make sure my golf bag is safely loaded, and then roll the wheels straight toward the entrance to the Olympic Highway. This road, which would have left me breathless with a congested procession of red brake lights on a weekday morning, transforms into a long, silvery runway stretching solely for me during the early weekend dawn. When I roll down the window just slightly, the cold, crisp morning breeze from the Han River brushes against my nose. The faint sense of liberation this fleeting moment offers is a privilege enjoyed only by golfers heading out for a weekend round.
During the journey of just over an hour and a half to the golf course, the perfect cheat code to wake up sleepy eyes and complete the excitement of the first hole on the field is none other than the 'music' flowing through the speakers. This is because the tension of the first tee shot on that day changes completely depending on what music you listen to to set your heart rate before the round. Listening to overly sluggish ballads relaxes the body and makes it feel heavy, whereas listening to overly loud and fast dance music or EDM overstimulates the brain, making it easy for a disastrous slice to occur right from the first hole due to the club head opening up.
We need a 'clever soundtrack of my own' that perfectly matches the sense of speed of a car smoothly cutting through the morning fog, while also elegantly waking up our hazy minds. Today, the eighth story of 'WILD IMAGINATION' is a record of a '5 AM, Exciting Golf Driving Playlist' that, instead of trendy Top 100 music, will meticulously build up the sense of rhythm within me against the backdrop of the streetlights on Olympic-daero.
011. Step 1 to Wake Up Sleeping Cells: Sophisticated City Pop and Lo-Fi Beats
When you start the engine and just enter the Olympic Highway, your brain hasn't fully woken up yet. At this time, instead of music with overly prominent lyrics or pouring high notes, it is best to lay the foundation for your drive with city pop featuring attractive thumping basslines or lo-fi beats with an analog vibe.
It is a genre that harmonizes most perfectly with the romance of 5 a.m., when streetlights spread long over the waves of the Han River.
- Groove bass and crisp synthesizers: Let's pick out neo-city pop tracks that offer a modern reinterpretation of the relaxed and glamorous mood characteristic of the 80s. The sophisticated rhythm of the bass guitar perfectly matches the sense of speed as a car glides down the road. As you tap the steering wheel lightly with your fingers to the rhythm, you will experience an aromatherapy-like effect, gently relaxing the fine muscles in your body that have stiffened overnight.
- The magic of turning the scenery outside the window into a music video: The lo-fi hip-hop beat, with its calm yet heavy impact, transforms the quietly flowing scenery of the Han River into a stylish independent film. Thanks to the sophisticated sound that fills the car without the need for words, even the carpooling space with companions in the front or back seats instantly transforms into a trendy lounge bar in Cheongdam-dong.
022. Phase 2: Dawn Breaks: Heart-Rising French House and Synthwave
By the time you pass Hanam and go near Misa Regatta Park, a red and blue dawn slowly begins to rise beyond the eastern horizon. This timing, when the darkness lifts and the world regains its light, is the golden time for the playlist's mood to build up to the next level as well.
Now is the time to shake off the lethargy and fully inject the dynamic energy of the field into your body. It is time for 'French House,' which will lighten your heartbeat without being too excessive, or 'Synthwave,' with its 80s futuristic sensibility, to step up as relief pitchers.
- The magic of the steady 4-beat kick drum: The kick sound of house music, falling with a steady beat of "boom, boom, boom, boom," aligns most closely with the human heart rate. As you surrender your body to this steady beat, dopamine in your brain is gradually released, completely chasing away drowsiness and filling you with vitality. In particular, instrumental electronica tracks without lyrics not only enhance concentration while driving but also unconsciously imprint the "steady tempo and sense of rhythm"—the most important elements in golf—into your brain.
- Setting the Driver Swing Tempo: A truly smart golfer simulates their own sweet swing tempo to swing on the course today while listening to this beat. Backswing, one, two, and downswing, three. Visualizing the perfect finish in your mind to the upbeat rhythm of the music serves as more powerful image training than any actual practice. As you exit the highway and climb the winding mountain road leading to the golf course, these bright beats bring your excitement to its peak.
033. Step 3 Just Before Arriving at the Clubhouse: Indie Pop Filling You with Confident Self-Assessment
When the splendidly finished roof of the clubhouse comes into view beyond the distant mountain ridge and the well-tended landscaped trees brush past the car window, it is finally time to play the tracks that will grace the finale of the playlist. Those three minutes just before lightly turning the car to park at the golf course entrance (drop zone) and unloading the caddy bag.
At this time, the answer is energetic Anglo-American indie pop or stylish R&B tracks that will fully charge my 'groundless confidence' that I am the coolest and most confident golfer in the world.
- An aura of "I am the star today": Indie pop, distinguished by clear electric guitar riffs and refreshing vocal tones, creates a confident mood, as if you are walking onto the stage with background music playing just for you. These are songs that give you the energy to walk with your shoulders back and confidence as you step onto the marble floors of a clubhouse lobby.
- The aesthetics of composure beyond the score: Instead of the aggressive lyrics of trendy hip-hop or the complex compositions of idol music, music with intuitive melodies and soaring sounds expands the capacity of my heart. It is the composure of a true enthusiast who says, "Whether I go out of bounds or fall into a hazard today, I will fully enjoy this beautiful nature." The positive vibe provided by music stabilizes my mental center much more powerfully than a hundred mind-control spells.
04Outro: Where the music ends, the real play begins
When I arrive at the golf course and open the car door, the dazzling sound that filled the cabin just moments ago ceases, and the quiet birdsong of the mountains and the cold morning air envelop my entire body. The playlist may be over, but my body and brain have already finished warming up with perfect rhythm and groove for about an hour and a half on the Olympic Highway.
Some may regard the journey to the golf course as merely a tedious commute where they must endure the boredom of fighting drowsiness. However, with a playlist filled with your own unique taste, that early morning drive becomes the perfect prologue to the thrill of the round. The discernment to fill your daily time with sensual beats, rather than focusing on car specifications or luxury brand logos, is precisely the most sophisticated way for golfers in their 20s and 30s to consume life.
When you head onto the Olympic Highway at dawn this weekend, turn off the mechanical sound of the radio and play your own soundtrack to make your heart beat pleasantly. Just as the morning fog clears over the Han River to the beat of the music, your play on the field today will soar smoothly and effortlessly. Play More, Listen Better, Swing Free!
