Hampyeong Elice CC Golf Review 2026: Jeollado's Hidden Gem

Here's a review of my golf round at Hampyeong Elychee CC today.

The weather has gotten so wonderful, it truly feels like golf season is officially back!

While golfing in the Seoul metropolitan area can be quite expensive, leading many to explore international golf trips these days, I know there are also plenty of you planning domestic golf getaways.

Among various regions, Jeollado golf courses are known to be more affordable, so I thought many of you might be considering a golf trip down to Jeollado. That's why I'm sharing my review of today's round at Hampyeong Elychee CC.

Waking up early on a weekend morning can be tough, but the mornings heading to the golf course are always filled with joy!

With a tee-off around 7:30 AM, I met my colleagues at 6:30 AM and we made our way to the course.

This is the Hampyeong Elychee CC clubhouse.

We dropped off our golf bags, parked the car, and headed inside.

It seems that many golf courses in Jeollado are also transitioning to unmanned systems these days.

You register at the kiosk and pay in advance with your card.

Hampyeong Elychee CC Green Fee and Cart Fee

Perhaps because more people are heading overseas for golf these days, many Jeollado golf courses are offering a lot of discounts and promotions.

Using a discount coupon prepared by one of my colleagues, I paid a total of ~$95 for both the green fee and the cart fee.

This is inside the clubhouse.

After changing, you go down one floor and pass by the clubhouse restaurant before heading outside.

The restaurant also operates on an unmanned payment system.

If you come in after 9 holes for a meal or a quick drink and Samsung Pay isn't working, you might have to go all the way back to your locker to get your card, so it's a good idea to have it ready beforehand.

This is where we waited for our cart after coming out.

While waiting for the cart, I noticed a few teams playing without caddies (no-caddy system).

Hampyeong Elychee CC features 27 holes.

It boasts three courses: Imperial, Palace, and Majesty.

More and more golf courses in Jeollado are now equipped with the SmartScore system.

This allows you to look up your scores later, either by printing them or checking on your phone.

Our first hole was Palace Course, Hole 1.

It was a day with good signs for successful 'two-on' shots!

Finished with a par.

There was still dew until the last hole of the morning, making the greens a bit slow.

This is Palace Course, Hole 3, a Par 5 hole.

Palace Course, Hole 4, also known as the 'Korean Peninsula Hole'.

Our caddy advised that it's a slice hole, with many out-of-bounds (OB) on the right, so you should aim left when hitting your driver.

Climbing up the mountain path, we stopped by an unmanned shade house that was supposed to have a great view, but it was unfortunately obscured by trees.

This is Palace Hole #5, a Par 3.

Palace Holes #6 and #7.

Perhaps because it was spring, there were quite a few workers clearing trees and maintaining the holes in various spots along the course.

I was playing well, just 3 over par up to hole #8, but then I shanked it on hole #9, went out of bounds (OB), added two more strokes, and finished the front nine with 41.

After finishing the front nine, we headed into the clubhouse's shade house for a break.

The Tofu Kimchi (Dubu Kimchi) we pre-ordered at hole #9 was ready and waiting for us.

Since I had skipped breakfast, it tasted even more incredibly delicious!

Though the vibrant colors aren't fully captured in the photo, the aged kimchi (mukeunji) was truly a work of art!

This is local Makgeolli (Korean rice wine).

It seems to be a special Makgeolli supplied exclusively to this golf course.

As I was driving, I had to pass on it.

This is Imperial Hole #1 at Hampyeong Ellyche CC.

It starts off easy, but this hole gets progressively challenging as you go, thanks to all the bunkers!

This is Imperial Hole #2, a long hole.

This is Imperial Hole #3.

Here's a look at the turf condition at Hampyeong Ellyche CC, which I checked on the final hole.

This is Imperial Hole #4, a challenging Par 3 hole that spans 195 meters!

I scored 2 over par here.

Imperial Hole #5 is a Par 5 long hole, stretching 505 meters.

Here too, on my third shot, I hit a shank and unfortunately went out of bounds (OB).

Still, I managed to finish with a bogey.

Imperial Hole #6 has bunkers strategically placed in front and to the left of the green, making it a hole where you really need a strong short game to succeed!

This is a 180-meter island green.

At 382 meters, this is Hole #8, widely considered the most challenging Par 4 hole at Hampyeong Ellyche CC.

This hole definitely keeps you on your toes! Right in front of the green, there's a bunker in the middle and a lake to the right, adding a bit of visual pressure to your shot. ​

And for those wondering, my score for the day, accurately noted from Hole 1 all the way to Hole 18, was a fantastic 83!

That's actually my best score in the last year – pretty proud of that!

And even with two shanked out-of-bounds shots, I think I held my own quite well!

On the way out, I spotted this handy machine where you can print out your score – pretty cool for keeping track of your golf journey!

The fountain in front of the clubhouse was truly magnificent, a perfect finishing touch to a beautiful day!

Hampyeong Ellysee CC

1st Floor, 242 Seodangmae-gil, Hakgyo-myeon, Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do

061-320-7800

Public 27-hole course

Bentgrass

For the '19th hole' (you know, the post-game feast!), we headed to a restaurant highly recommended by locals, conveniently located near Hampyeong Ellysee CC. This spot is famous for its delicious Yeonpotang (octopus hot pot) and Nakji Jeongol (octopus stew).

I'll save the full gourmet review of this amazing restaurant for the next post, so stay tuned!

Hampyeong's 19th Hole: A Local Food Guide