Pyongyang Golf Course

Pyongyang Golf Club is a golf course in North Korea, situated on the banks of Taicheng Lake, 27 km from central Pyongyang along the Youth Hero Highway. The 18‑hole 72‑par course covers 120 ha with 45 ha of green and is approximately 7000 m long. Its clubhouse covers 2700 m2, includes a pro shop and a restaurant that is said to be the best in the country. The golf course is the largest in North Korea. According to the authorities, 40 players use the course on a daily basis.

In 1994, Park Young-man, the course regular, told Australian journalist Eric Ellis that Kim Jong-il once scored a 34 on the course. Park continued that Kim achieved a birdie or better on every hole and had five holes-in-one. Later, this claim was further embellished to say that he had scored 11 holes in one, and that this was on the first round played at the course in 1987, and there were 17 bodyguards who witnessed it. It is not clear whether the exaggerated version was spread by the North Korean state or foreign news reporting. However, clarification within North Korea indicates the reported score was due to a discrepancy in recording methods. The scorer recorded the net score relative to par, e.g., 1 for bogey, 2 for double bogey, etc. Therefore the suggested score would be 34 over par or 106, still difficult to believe for a first time golfer.

The website of the DPRK Amateur Golf Open credits German player Claudio Consul with the course record, with a score of 71.

In 2018, major expansion projects were initiated on the golf course, including 9 new holes, and new building and lodging facilities.