"Good shot! Let me try one more time."
On the lawn at Yeoju University in Gyeonggi Province on the 2nd, all eyes were fixed on a single ball as students prepared to tee off. Breaking the brief silence, Lee Kang-heum, 81, the oldest student in the class, swung his club. Lee, who took up park golf a year ago, said, "I'm getting on in years, but I wanted to take on the challenge." He added, "The greatest appeal of park golf is that it is a family sport that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy together."
"Sometimes I can't quite remember what I had for dinner yesterday, but the moment I grip the club, my body responds first. It's amazing and fun," he said with a smile.
Yeoju University has launched the first Department of Park Golf Instruction among universities in the Seoul metropolitan area. The two-year program is designed not as a hobby course but as a professional track aimed at training instructors, referees and players.
The atmosphere in the practical class that day was a far cry from a conventional university lecture. Students ranged in age from their 40s to their 80s, with backgrounds spanning soldiers, office workers, self-employed business owners and retirees. The average age was in the 50s and 60s, but in correcting their tee-shot postures and recording their scores, every one of them was every bit a student. Combining in-person classes with a learning management system (LMS) is another hallmark of the department, which is geared toward adult learners.
In-person classes are held once a week, running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mornings are devoted to analytical drills using screen-based equipment, while afternoons are spent on actual fields working through rounds and course-strategy training. Courses are rotated every two to three weeks so that students experience varied terrain and tactical situations.
The academic structure is also systematic. First-year students build fundamentals through courses such as "Park Golf Basics" and "Sports Ethics," while second-year students take subjects tied to professional certifications, including "Park Golf Instructor" and "Refereeing and Tournament Operations." Classes on senior physical education and exercise and aging are also part of the curriculum, deepening understanding of sports for older adults. "We aim to provide education that combines practical and theoretical training and covers players, instructors and referees alike," department chair Kim Ji-han said. "Our focus is on training professional personnel equipped with on-site response capabilities."
Some students have returned to school after working as field professionals. Lim Hae-ok, 65, who came from Wonju, is a 12-year veteran of the sport and a certified referee. Even before park golf became popular, she taught herself the game by taking lessons from a golf pro. "I came to feel that the essence of park golf matters as much as technique," she said. "To become an instructor grounded in sports ethics and philosophy, I even pulled all-nighters during midterms."
"There was great satisfaction in officiating matches as a referee, but I chose the path of a late-life student because I wanted to become a true mentor who has thought through the essence and philosophy of park golf," Lim said. "During midterms the other day, I stayed up all night underlining passages with a highlighter and even dozed off at my desk, but going through this with my classmates makes my second life so happy."
Yeoju University is supporting its students through bold structural reforms. Department chair Kim was a "military expert" who had run the Department of Military Studies for more than 15 years, but he found a breakthrough in park golf in the face of a shrinking school-age population. "Other sports require artificial promotional policies, but park golf is a sport that has grown naturally on the ground in community sports," Kim said. "We see the current trend not as a temporary fad but as a phase of industry growth that will be sustainable for more than 10 years."
The university is positioning park golf not merely as a department but as a strategic regional industry to be cultivated. President Lee Sang-wook backed the initiative actively from the planning stage of the new department and is putting effort into expanding programs linked with the local community. Through "Lifelong Learning University," a Gyeonggi provincial lifelong education project, the school runs free programs for residents of the province, broadening its connection with the local community.
Scholarship benefits have also become a key foundation for attracting adult learners. Through state scholarships, the university's own scholarships and a special scholarship from the chairman of the school's foundation, most students receive substantial tuition support. The university is also reviewing the operation of advanced third- and fourth-year programs to follow the current two-year course. It is preparing to expand the base to younger players and to enter university-level competitions.
"Park golf is growing beyond simple community sports into a new sports culture that connects generations and regions," President Lee said. "Building on a professional education system, Yeoju University will grow together with the local community and serve as the central hub for cultivating park golf talent in Korea."
