Out On The Range

Who says one needs to have hundreds of acres to enjoy golf? (There's really nothing that could make me enjoy golf, but I digress). Golf is perhaps the most popular sport among middle and upper-class Koreans, who spend exorbitant amounts of money on outfitting themselves in the latest golf gear and paying for club memberships in the country. But in the middle of Ulsan, the land of high-rise apartment buildings and traffic jams, there are only two options for golf enthusiasts. One is "screen golf," which is also popular in the States, where players take shots on a virtual golf course displayed on a screen. The other is the enclosed driving ranges that dot the city with their trademark green netting. These places are often several stories tall and are placed just about anywhere. Not being a golfer, I've never been inside one and I have no idea what it costs. But when I'm one the bus I always see that they are packed with golfers perfecting their swings by whacking balls against the giant green netting. I've also heard that there is an actual golf course somewhere over in Bangeojin, but I'm not certain about that. This is all part of Korea's ubiquitous "bang" culture: rooms (small and large) where people can take part in all variety of leisure activities (online computer gaming, karaoke singing, DVD viewing, baseball hitting, comic book reading, etc. etc.). I would write more here, but as it is (hopefully) the subject of my PhD dissertation, I'll save my comments for later.