Nine Bridges, Jeju Island: the most surprising course I've ever played

I arrived at Nine Bridges Golf Club on a Tuesday morning in October 2019 knowing only that it was regularly cited in lists of the world's best courses. What I found exceeded every expectation I had formed in seventeen years of visiting golf destinations professionally.

Nine Bridges sits in the foothills of Jeju's Hallasan volcano on the southern side of the island. It was designed by Ronald Fream and opened in 2001. It is a private members' club — visitor access requires a member introduction or specialist operator arrangement.

The first thing you notice is the conditioning. The fairways are Zoysia grass, common in Asia, which creates a tight, firm lie that rewards ball striking over power. The greens are Bentgrass and they are, without qualification, the best putting surfaces I have stood on outside of Augusta National.

The design is extraordinary. Jeju's volcanic topography gives the course natural elevation changes that European parkland designers have to simulate. The views from the ninth tee — named 'Heaven's Gate' — look across to the ocean on a clear morning. The bridge features from which the course takes its name appear at strategic points between nine-hole loops.

The ninth and eighteenth share a spectacular shared green complex surrounded by water and bridge walkways. Walking off the 18th at Nine Bridges, I texted my colleague and said simply: 'Change your plans. Go to Jeju.'

Getting there: Jeju is a 90-minute flight from Seoul (Incheon). Seoul to London is 11 hours non-stop. Total journey time from the UK: approximately 14 hours, similar to New Zealand or the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Visitor access: we arrange rounds here as part of Jeju itineraries. The process requires advance booking and confirmation — this is not a course you can walk up to. But that is part of what makes it work. Every round is arranged, timed, and accompanied by a caddie who knows the course intimately.

The honest verdict: I put Nine Bridges in the same conversation as Leopard Creek and the Old Course. Courses that do something to you that you don't fully understand until you're back home and find yourself telling someone about them unprompted.