Tee Time: <redacted>
Players: <redacted>
Trinity…it’s real! Trinity is widely considered the most upscale and exclusive country club in Korea. Not just Korea but it is one of the most difficult clubs to access in the world. It is a 100% private club so there is no availability to the public. The rumor is that there are less than 100 members of this country club and if you are lucky enough to be a member, the membership fee is roughly 30억 krw (~$3m…yes, that’s not a typo…THREE MILLION US DOLLARS). Even if you have the money, they likely won’t accept you as a member…it’s that exclusive.
Trinity does not do interviews nor do they invite golf publications to visit the club. They do not hold tournaments here. It’s really just a small slice of golf heaven for the exclusive few who are worthy enough to experience it.
When you drive in, there is a gate that is closed. The guard will ask you for your tee time and your name and once verified, you will be allowed to enter the gates. So your host must submit all names beforehand so that you can access the premises.
Trinity is owned by the SSG group (Shinsaegae) and the chairwoman of the SSG group has impeccable taste. I heard that she personally oversaw much of the development of Trinity and spared no expense to ensure that everything is perfect and to her absolute liking. And I must say, she absolutely does have impeccable taste!
I can’t put too much detail in how I was able to get in but luckily I got in and was able to play an awesome round! I get the impression that they aren’t really big fans of publicity and probably don’t even like reviews like this one.
Parking is valet only. After you enter the main lobby and check in, you will receive a key to your locker. I received VIP treatment that day and not only had a locker but I had my own private room with locker, shower, etc.!
The lobby area has ample seating. Everything is so quiet and upscale. There is a soothing smell of mahogany and leather. I sat down to get some rest and browse through a magazine while waiting for the other players and the host.
We had breakfast in the restaurant. I had a simple “American Breakfast” which consisted of eggs, toast, ham/bacon, etc. I also had a grapefruit juice.
As we got closer to our tee time, we headed down and like most of this experience, there was only one cart down there and it was waiting for us. Pretty much the entire experience, we hardly ever saw anyone else. It was like we had the entire country club to ourselves.
Prior to arriving at the first tee, our caddie took us to the best practice area that I have ever seen. It was natural grass with a neatly stacked pyramid of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls. We were given around 20 minutes to warm up and loosen up here. There was also a putting range and short game practice area. The caddie also handed us each a small 3 pack of Trinity Titleist Pro V1 balls. I didn’t play these balls so I still have them at home to commemorate.
After that, we were taken to hole 1 to start out round.
The grounds are 100% perfect. The fairway is maintained so well that I felt bad hitting to create a small divot. The fairway felt so soft and delicate it was like hitting on a green!
As mentioned above, I never saw the set of players ahead of us or behind us. Our caddie never rushed us to play. I don’t know how far apart each tee time is but I suspect tee times may officially be at something like 10-15 minutes apart (rather than the typical 7 minutes in Korea) but because of its exclusivity there are usually only a few rounds played on any given Saturday to begin with!
During one of our short breaks, we saw another car but they were a few holes ahead of us. That was really the only time we saw anyone else.
The course itself is difficult. There is a beautiful island green par 3 where I lost a few balls. There are some holes that have multiple bunkers protecting the green. But it was so beautiful that my play and score were really the last thing on my mind.
After our round we headed over to the local restaurant a few minutes away for a post round meal.
If you ever get the lucky chance to play here…seize the opportunity. If you have plans already, cancel them to play here. It may be your only chance!
I hope to play here again sometime but we’ll see if I can finagle that….
