[Golf Review] Shilla CC - First Birdie from the Blue Tee, Scoring in the 70s & The Instructor's Temper

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The aftereffects of my four rounds last week were quite significant.
My shots were ruined, and my stamina was depleted.
Realizing I couldn't go on like this, I returned to my original schedule.
I went to the driving range for four consecutive days from Saturday to Tuesday
to refine my broken driver.
I felt nervous actually heading out to the field.
Would the training actually work in a real game?
To give you the conclusion first, I am highly satisfied.
I will mention this again later.



"Wonder Club Shilla" is the current name.
Some call it "Yeoju Shilla."
Is it to distinguish it from "Gyeongju Shilla"?
Since it's at the edge of Yeoju, the drive home was a bit...

The top three grass management leaders at the eastern end of Yeoju:
"Sky Valley, Route 52, and Shilla CC."
Sky Valley has the highest rating,
but the grass at Route 52 and Shilla CC is also quite impressive.
In terms of popularity, Shilla CC is number one.

A welcome entrance.









Front 9, East Course.
Shilla CC has 27 holes: East, West, and South courses.
Today, we play in the order of "East-West."

I only visit here about once a year.
The grass condition is so good that it left a strong impression.
Since Shilla CC is the most popular among the top three,
the green fee is a bit ambiguous.
It's not exactly cheap,
but it's not exactly expensive either.
Wide fairways, Korean grass, and a manageable layout.
However, the greens are surprisingly tough (speed 2.6~2.8).

One of my companions is a lesson coach.
Since they said they wanted to play from the Blue Tee,
I joined them, partly by choice and partly by compulsion.
I just finished refining my driver; is it okay to play from the Blue Tee?
Fortunately, the Blue Tee at Shilla CC isn't that long.
Compared to places famous for long courses like Lakeside-South, Seoul Hanyang CC, or Lassa GC,
it feels even shorter than their White Tee?










Back 9, West Course.
After a 30-minute break, we start the second half.
The difficulty of the East and West courses is almost similar.
They say the South course is the hardest of the three because it's long,
but I don't recall it being that way at all.
I was disappointed after missing an easy birdie chance on a Par 5 in the first half,
but then a long birdie putt on the 1st hole of the second half went in.
A good start, for now.
Still, my main concern is the Driver.
To give the conclusion first, it wasn't bad.
I was a bit nervous because I've had cases before where I played well in the first half but fell apart in the second,
but the four days of intensive training did not betray me.













Fairway by hole.
Checking my ball flight at Shilla CC today.
Front 9, East Course:
Hole 1 (Par 4): 12 o'clock, Straight, center of fairway
Hole 2 (Par 4): 1 o'clock, Draw, center of fairway
Hole 3 (Par 5): 12 o'clock, Straight, center of fairway
Hole 4 (Par 3): 12 o'clock, Straight, slightly over the green
Hole 5 (Par 4): 1 o'clock, Draw, center of fairway
Hole 6 (Par 4): 12 o'clock, Straight, center of fairway
Hole 7 (Par 3): 11 o'clock, Fat shot, left rough
Hole 8 (Par 5): 1 o'clock, Draw, center of fairway (missed 1.5m birdie)
Hole 9 (Par 4): 11 o'clock, Hook, left bunker
Back 9, West Course:
Hole 1 (Par 5): 12 o'clock, Straight, center of fairway (8m birdie)
Hole 2 (Par 4): 12 o'clock, Draw, left forest hazard (not a lost ball)
Hole 3 (Par 4): 1 o'clock, Draw, center of fairway
Hole 4 (Par 4): 1 o'clock, Push, right rough (the only push shot)
Hole 5 (Par 3): 12 o'clock, Straight, on green (missed 2m birdie)
Hole 6 (Par 4): 12 o'clock, Draw, left rough (moved to cart path)
Hole 7 (Par 4): 1 o'clock, Draw, right forest hazard (not a lost ball)
Hole 8 (Par 3): 1 o'clock, Draw, on green (missed 3m birdie)
Hole 9 (Par 5): 12 o'clock, Straight, far left of fairway
Fairway hit rate: 9/14, 64.3%

• Front 9: 6/7
• Back 9: 3/7
  Green in Regulation (GIR): Generally good
  The hook that used to plague me only appeared once on Hole 9 of the first half.
  I guess it was because I was trying too hard...
  Seeing the fairway rate in the first half made me greedy in the second half,
  and my fairway pace dropped significantly.
  Actually, the two hazards in the second half were definitely not lost balls.
  The trajectory itself wasn't bad.
  The caddy also told me the ball should be there, but no matter how much I looked...
  Did a squirrel or a crow take it? haha
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Greens by hole
  Green speed 2.6~2.8
  On this golf course, downhill slopes don't affect you as much as you'd think,
  but uphill slopes are incredibly difficult.
  I missed two easy birdie chances because of that.
  True to my golf style,
  since my Driver didn't betray me,
  my rhythm improved, making my putting go smoothly as well.
  
  
  My first-ever birdie from the Blue Tee.
  My first-ever score in the 70s.
  But it's hard to brag too much because
  the Blue Tee at Shilla CC isn't that long.
  There were also some questionable moments.
  The string of Pars at the start of the second half shouldn't have happened...
  The caddy didn't seem very professional.

It was disappointing that an older gentleman
was handing out gimmes (concessions) arbitrarily.
There was clearly a circle around the pin...
The other two were a field lesson coach and a student.
After the coach saw my swing,

• He praised my Driver stability in the first half (since they all went to the fairway).
• He highly praised my Irons in the second half (I landed close on a long Par 3).
  Usually, when moving from the White Tee to the Blue Tee,
  people struggle to adapt, especially on Par 3s,
  but he complimented me on how well I handle long irons even at 170~190m. Hehe.

However, the coach's personality was disappointing.
The student appeared to be the wife of an acquaintance of the coach.
The coach was also younger.
During the field lesson,
"He uses polite language when he's in a good mood, and informal language when he's in a bad mood."
It reminded me of a PE teacher in high school who had two personalities.
I really dislike that kind of behavior.
If anything, the female student just took all of the coach's temper.
I quietly approached the lady and said,
"I'm listening from nearby, and this is a bit much. If an instructor acts with such temper,
you should formally complain as a customer. I'll back you up."
"Oh, no. It's okay. Unlike Seoul, people like this are rare in our neighborhood.
I should just endure it. For your information, all the students just accept it as it is. haha"
It seems she has been properly gaslighted. @.@


Shilla CC East + West Blue Tee
Course Rating 73.4 / Slope Rating 131
The rating of the Shilla CC Blue Tee
is at the level of the White Tee at some golf courses that are considered difficult.