"You can look forward to Korea's first Olympic golf course," said Kim Kang-ho, Vice Chairman of Gunsan Country Club, his eyes lighting up as he opened his tablet PC to explain the newly planned course.
Kim, son of Gunsan CC co-founder Kim Chun-dong, is an internal medicine physician by training. While operating Seoul Medicare Screening Center in Mapo, Seoul, he has participated in Gunsan CC's management since 2021. In 2023, he successfully led the renovation of the tournament course, earning recognition as a course developer.
Kim is now focused on another major project. If the 2036 Summer Olympics are held in Jeonbuk Province, golf events are planned for Gunsan CC, and he is creating a course to showcase to the world.
"We plan to renovate the existing Jeonju and Iksan courses for the Olympics. We've contracted David McLay Kidd, who designed Bandon Dunes in the United States," Kim said. "We will sequentially transform the remaining courses to create entirely new 81 holes."
Q: You're originally a doctor. What sparked your interest in golf courses?
"Since we frequently hosted tournaments at our golf course, everyone talked about the need for an international tournament course. In 2006, I went to Scotland for an academic conference but couldn't get a tee time at Carnoustie because a junior tournament was being held there. I was deeply impressed that even world-class courses like Carnoustie host junior events. That's when I developed a desire to build such international-standard courses and host various tournaments."
Q: I heard you contributed ideas to the tournament course renovation.
"Touring courses in Scotland and America helped me develop my own perspective. An Se-won, CEO of Design Interflora who handled the design, actively incorporated feedback from our staff overseeing construction, resulting in an excellent course. But honestly, I was terrified at first."
Q: What do you mean by terrified?
"Once we started tearing up the course, the responsibility kept me awake at night. The pressure to complete it well drove me to the course from sunrise to nightfall. I maintained that routine for eight months. During the course shaping phase, we redesigned the first hole nine times. Just before completion, heavy rain collapsed all the bunkers."
Q: Managing 81 holes isn't easy. Is there an overseas golf resort you model after?
