[비즈한국] An old friend said to me very cautiously one day, “I changed my name to ○○.” My friend’s original name was quite unique and sounded like an old-fashioned person’s name, so it was understandable. I was one of those who had such a name, and my friend’s name was always a subject of jokes. It was changed to the same name as a famous celebrity and sounded quite sophisticated when paired with the surname. However, out of courtesy(?), every time I called my friend by their new name, it felt like I was calling someone else. Is it an exaggeration to say it felt like calling a ‘desk’ a ‘flower’? Ultimately, even years later, I still call my friend by their old name.
There are several reasons why a golf course changes its name, but most often it is when the ownership changes. It is likely a desire to start fresh with a new name. This heavily reflects the new owner’s taste. Chinese character names are changed to English or French, or sometimes to cryptic, incomprehensible names. Seraio GC in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, was renamed The Siena Velluto after being acquired by The Siena Group. Joongbu CC was changed to The Siena Seoul. Couldn’t they have named it The Siena Seraio? Was it necessary to force the name 'Seoul' when it’s not even in Seoul? I wonder why they didn't go with The Siena Joongbu. Aren’t the old names, which tens or hundreds of thousands of golfers have called out, part of the course’s legacy? I mean, let’s keep what should be kept while we change things.
Pocheon’s Montvert CC consists of an 18-hole members-only course and an 18-hole public course. A long time ago, the members-only course was the North Course, and the public course was the South Course. Many golfers are still accustomed to those terms and still call them by those names. The course names were originally Printemps, Été, Automne, and Hiver—French for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Just when I had finally memorized them, they were changed to Myeongseongsan Course and Mangmubong Course. I have a very personal thought that it would have been nice to just name them Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter courses in Korean.
The oldest course in South Korea is Hanyang CC. Its name is still Hanyang CC today. Seoul CC, which shares the same roof with Hanyang CC, is also still called Seoul CC. Taereung CC, Daegu CC, and Anyang CC, which boast over 60 years of history, also retain their original names. Surely, there must have been requests or needs for ‘renaming’ during those long years. They must have thought, ‘The name is too old’ or ‘Since we’ve renewed the course, let’s change the name too.’ It seems Anyang CC was briefly called Anyang Benest for a very short period. These few courses, where the regional name became the golf course name, feel like sturdy trees standing unshaken on the solid ground of history and tradition.
One golf course in Gonjiam, Gyeonggi-do, changed its name five or six times while I was playing golf. I say five or six times because the names from the periods where they used both the old and new names are all mixed up in my head. Just as I got used to one, it changed. I guess it was put up for sale, and the owner changed.
Of course, there are many golf courses whose images improved after changing their names. A literary name like ‘Teocloud’ was born from the somewhat authoritative and exclusive name ‘Dynasty,’ and the cliché name ‘Hanil’ was reborn as the beautiful Korean name ‘Solmoro.’ Ravi-e-Belle GC in Chuncheon was called ‘Sanyosu’ during the test rounds before opening. I thought it was a wonderful name that matched the Hanok clubhouse, but after the owner changed during construction, it became ‘Ravi-e-Belle.’ It felt awkward at first, but it became a piece of storytelling, with the fact that ‘Ravi-e-Belle means life is beautiful in French.’ However, can one say that the new name for Sky72, ‘Club72,’ is better than Sky72? Moreover, there are still plenty of golfers who call it Sky72.
You don’t necessarily have to change the name just because the owner changes. It is more important to understand why a ‘name change’ is necessary and what kind of meaning and philosophy will be contained in the new name. A golf course does not become new just by changing its name, and golfers’ memories are etched into the old names that have been called countless times before.
Who is the author, Kang Chan-wook? An advertiser and writer. He began his career as a copywriter at Cheil Worldwide030000 and is currently the CEO of the video production company ‘The Gaze of the Times.’ Loving golf, he obtained a USGTF teaching pro certification, and out of his affection for writing, he published golf-related books such as ‘The Joy of Golf,’ ‘Bad Golf,’ ‘Sincere Golf,’ and ‘Golf Thoughts, Thoughtful Golf.’ He runs the YouTube channel ‘Bad Golf,’ sharing various stories and thoughts surrounding golf with readers and viewers.