Jeju 'Golfzon County Ora' Ignores Safety Issues for Months Despite Criticism

[Left] A golfer is playing at the 9th hole of Golfzon County Ora, next to Oranam-ro road where cars pass by. [Right] Jeju-si Oranam-ro road (red line) runs through the middle of Ora Golf Course. (Satellite image of Ora Golf Course courtesy of Daum Maps)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters (Jeju) Reporter Park Chang-won] The golf course operator Golfzon County has been neglecting safety issues at the 9th hole of the East Course at Jeju Ora Golf Course for several months.

In response to our report titled “Unauthorized Occupation of State Land and Safety Issues... What’s Going on at Ora Golf Course?” (October 8, 2020), the Ora Golf Course side replied on December 18 last year, “We will instruct caddies to direct tee shots away from the road. We will change the location of the teeing ground. We will plant trees on the teeing ground side facing the road to prevent aiming towards the road,” but they have been procrastinating, causing outrage among nearby residents.

The city-owned road ‘Ora Nam-ro’ runs between the 8th and 9th holes of the East Course at Golfzon County Ora Golf Course.

‘Ora Nam-ro’ is the commuting route for residents of 20 townhouse households nearby and is also used as an access road by visitors to Yeol Anji Oreum.

However, residents and road users have been complaining about safety issues for years due to golf balls occasionally flying onto the road from the golf course.

The golf course created a safety zone by planting 30-meter-high protective trees along the road boundary to prevent this, but residents complain that golf balls still frequently cross onto the road.

A Mr. A, who operates 10 villa units near ‘Ora Nam-ro,’ said, “I often see golf balls rolling over,” and expressed anxiety, saying, “It’s terrifying to think that if things go wrong, a ball could fly into a car passing at low altitude.”

Professional golfer Mr. B, who has played professionally in Korea for 30 years and even won a tour event, inspected the 9th hole of the East Course at Ora Golf Course and commented, “Since the course is a dogleg hole bending to the left, simple measures will not be enough to prevent golf balls from crossing over.”

In a similar case at a golf course in Jungmun, Seogwipo, where safety issues arose due to golf balls crossing the course, safety fences were installed, and one par-4 course was even changed to a par-3 to prevent balls from leaving the course during tee shots.

This is a stark contrast to the measures taken by Ora Golf Course regarding safety issues.

Safety problems at Golfzon County Ora also occur with the carts used by customers.

Due to aging and poor maintenance, the connection parts of the cart seat boards are severely corroded, causing shaking during operation and making customers feel unsafe.

Customers pay additional cart fees for convenience and safety, but it feels as if they are risking their lives rather than being guaranteed safety after paying.

Golf cart accidents are among the frequent types of safety incidents occurring annually, with some cases resulting in fatal falls during operation.

Ms. C, who works as a golf course assistant, said, “I have repeatedly requested the golf course manager to repair or replace the carts, but they only told me to wait, and no action has been taken yet.”

A Jeju provincial official in charge said, “We have visited Ora Golf Course several times for guidance, but currently, we can only provide on-site guidance and recommend safety measures regarding golf course safety,” adding, “Since the partial amendment to the ‘Act on the Installation and Use of Sports Facilities’ passed the National Assembly plenary session last November and will be enforced in the first half of this year, administrative actions such as business suspension will be possible, so we will thoroughly supervise the implementation of safety measures.”

Meanwhile, Golfzon County Ora CC began leased operation by Golfzon County on September 1 last year and is one of the popular golf courses with excellent accessibility near Jeju Airport and downtown. It recorded a 4.4 billion KRW operating profit in 2019.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.