Imagine the following scenario: You get off work at 5 pm and rush to your favorite local course, hoping there’s enough sunlight to squeeze in a quick round. However, your hopes are cruelly dashed by a large group of golfers waiting to tee off at the first hole, all thinking the same as you did. With luck, you may be able to finish the front nine before the sun sets. You resign to your fate and check your bag for some glow-in-the-dark golf balls that you purchased online for just the occasion.

Like most golfers, except maybe for those who live above the Arctic Circle, I don’t think that there is enough daylight in a day for golf. Luckily, a lot of Korean golfers seem to agree with this sentiment, as night golf is booming here with more and more courses implementing stadium-grade floodlights for our golfing pleasure.

Under the Lights

Asking several acquaintances in the industry, I learned that the idea of night golf had been around for some time. By the end of 2019, only a small portion of 520+ courses had floodlights, but they were mostly about lighting up the last few holes on the back nine in case the sun went down on the slower-starting foursomes. The term night golf (“ya-gan” golf, in Korean) and the actual playing of full 18 holes in the dark really took off around the summer of 2020 when COVID-19 was also (unfortunately) all the rage. But as more and more courses saw the benefit of the increased number of golfers clamoring to get on the course, lighting up the entire course must’ve looked like a good (and profitable) idea.

The quality of lights have vastly improved with high powered LED lamps

More recently, about 210 golf courses (40%) of the 534 courses in South Korea are now equipped with floodlights to light up the fairways, and the number is steadily growing. Armed with high-tech LED lights that can put ballparks to shame, the courses were able to draw in a whole new crowd of golfers that may have been out of reach prior. It is a well-known fact that the number of new golfers swelled during the pandemic in all countries, but none more so than South Korea. And upon closer examination, night golf may have been a big factor.

In my past article (Korean Golf Gangnam Style), I explained the high green fees, in addition to the mandatory caddie and power cart fees, all amounting to a hefty sum. This financial barrier was perhaps the biggest hurdle keeping many from experiencing the sport of golf. Then came the rise of “screen golf” and golf simulation games, which helped drastically lower the entry barrier. Since the early 2000s, screen golf has helped increase the number of Korean golfers, transforming a whole generation from curious onlookers to amateur duffers.

Nearly all shots are fully visible from tee to green and lost balls from the dark are a rarity.

Then the sweeping pandemic became the new, unexpected champion of growing the game here, most notably among the 20’s and 30’s crowd, who were eager to make the jump from simulators to the actual golf course. But there was still one small problem – there simply wasn’t enough time during the day. And everyone knows that golf is a daytime activity, right?

Nope. It has now become a common scene here to see golfers teeing off long after sunset and playing under floodlights. Having played my fair share of night rounds, I think that night golf is as enjoyable as a round in the sun, and even better in some aspects. So let me share some of the better parts of it with you.

The Lights Are Insane

If you’ve ever been to a dimly lit driving range or struggled to track your ball in the dark, you will be astounded by the stark contrast made by modern LED lights. Attached atop retractable metal poles the size of a small Redwood, the huge cluster of stadium-quality lights make every fairway, bunker, and blade of grass visible as clear as… day. Honestly, I sometimes see the course better at night than during the day.

The clubhouse is fully furnished with restaurants and amenities for your convenience.

When I first tried night golf, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to see my ball, but that’s not an issue at all. The lights are usually placed behind the tee box and along the sides, facing towards the hole. As a result, the sharp contrast of the dark and light practically makes the ball glow as it sails through the air. It’s actually easier to focus on the ball than during a daytime round, and the visual is somehow much more pleasing. The quiet, ambient nature of the night atmosphere also adds to the enjoyment, minus the frustration of swinging in the dark.

Time, Money, and Other Fringe Benefits

Aside from the obvious benefits, night golf also eliminates the worry of sunburns and heat exhaustion, which are real concerns as Korean summers can get extremely hot and humid. Imagine being as hot as Georgia or Arizona in mid-summer, but as wet and humid as the Amazon rainforest. It is not pleasant at all, which is why the summer months here are actually not the peak golfing season. Thus, evening golf under the moon and stars are much preferred for health reasons, if nothing else. I personally hate using sunblock and having it run into my eyes from sweating, along with having to wear face-covering doodads to keep my skin looking semi-presentable.

Two essentials for daytime summer golf in Korea; but not for night golf!

Night golf also affords two huge advantages to golfers here in terms of time and money – something we can all do with much more of. A day of golf here can mean taking up to 10 hours of your precious day, I kid you not. From driving 50 to 100 miles each way fighting traffic, a laborious 5-plus hour round with a lunch break between nine holes, and having dinner with the foursome after a bath at the clubhouse, playing golf in Korea is a labor of love.

But for evening golf, where a large number of tee times are for after 5pm, the crowds are less as is the bustling traffic that can add hours to your golf day. Arriving and leaving the golf course with less stress from a slow, painfully long drive can measurably brighten your mood and your round.

Plus, you wait less between shots and holes, and stopping after nine holes is an option, rather than the rule. All in all, night rounds move along much faster and are generally better for my sanity. I am ever so thankful for being able to go from 9 to 5 work, and transition on to the course for a 5 to 9 round with friends!

A shot in the dark – some of my best ones have been during the evenings.

The monetary advantage is also a great reason to get out onto the course after hours. Typically, the green fee for a round of golf here can cost between $150~$200 during the season and further added with the mandatory caddie fee ($25~$30 each) and a shared powered cart ($20 each).

The resulting amount can be quite pricey, and with dinner and toll fees, it’s no wonder that many non-golfers look at us as if we’re mad. For night golf, the green fees are usually less by about 15-20%, which is a big help to those who enjoy playing more than once or twice a month. In addition, many courses here have begun implementing a no-caddie (called “self-caddie” here) policy, in which you can opt to play without one. The power cart option is the only one that remains, but this makes sense given that Korean golf courses are often very hilly and the distance between holes is often quite far to walk. Besides, the remote-controlled power carts make the round much more interesting, despite that they need to remain on the cart path at all times.

Caddies are usually mandatory but more courses are adopting the optional way.

Overall, given that nighttime golf is less expensive, takes less time to travel to, and faster rounds in cooler conditions, it’s a no-brainer that it is popular among us golfers here. This brings me back to the point of how these added conveniences helped to get more people out to the course, particularly the younger 20’s~30’s crowd, and further helped to enhance the Korean golf boom.

So, Would You Like Night Golf?

As you can see, going for an evening drive has a whole new meaning with night golf. I absolutely think night golf would be amazing anywhere, especially where it can get scorching hot or humid during the day. The combination of perfect lighting, cooler temperatures, and an efficient, social atmosphere creates an unforgettable experience. If you’re used to trudging through a sunbaked afternoon round in your part of the world, a round of night golf in Korea would feel like a revelation.

Trading the sounds of bird songs for the crickets and frogs. It’s quite soothing.

Have you ever tried night golf? If you’re ever in the neighborhood where night golf is a thing, I highly recommend checking it out. You just might find yourself petitioning your home club to splurge on some LED stadium lights and setting plans for a 24-hour golf marathon.