"Now, let's not get greedy and just play together."
On the 10th at the Sancheoneo Park Golf Course in Gyeore-ri, Hanam-myeon, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Province, players dressed in matching colorful uniforms gathered one after another from early morning. Tension hung over each tee-off point, while spectators watched playing partners' approaches around the holes. Couples who had gathered from across the country inspected the course before the start, making their final preparations.
The tournament held that day was the "2026 Hwacheon Couples (Family) National Park Golf Tournament," the nation's only national-level couples and family park golf competition. Families or couples form a team to compete, adding the meaning of a community sports festival in which families participate together, beyond mere competition.
Participating players competed in 36 holes per day from the previous day through this day, for a total of 72 holes. Precise shots aiming for hole-in-ones and careful putting continued across the course, and applause from playing partners erupted whenever a good play emerged.
Kang Sung-yong (72) and Jang Sun-hwa (69), a couple from Andong, North Gyeongsang Province who said they started park golf together in 2022, said, "We started for our health after retirement, but the best part was being able to enjoy it together as a couple," adding, "The greatest appeal of park golf is that three generations, from young children to the elderly, can enjoy it together." They added, "We hope there will be more national tournaments that families can participate in together in the future."
The total prize money for this tournament was 62.2 million won, among the highest of national park golf competitions. The winning team received 20 million won, the runner-up 10 million won, and the third-place team 5 million won, with prize money awarded on a sliding scale through 20th place.
Hwacheon County Mayor Choi Moon-soon, who visited the site, said, "A healthy community is created through the process of families exercising together, uniting and cooperating," adding, "We aimed to spread a culture of understanding and encouraging one another through family tournaments where couples and parents and children take part together, and I feel rewarded as participants respond enthusiastically every year." He continued, "Although my term ends at the end of this month, I hope Hwacheon will continue to maintain its status as Korea's park golf capital."
