Iljuk Sun Valley CC: Two Rounds and a Post-Golf Food Stop

Hello! Today I'm finally sharing my review of rounds at Iljuk Sun Valley CC. I kept putting it off and ended up going twice before writing it. I actually enjoy writing golf-course reviews because they are also notes for my future self. This course is Iljuk Sun Valley CC in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do.

The clubhouse was very clean. Not overly fancy, just neat and tidy. The staff felt somewhere in the middle: not especially warm, but not unfriendly either.

It looked like it might rain that day, so I browsed the raincoats sold at the clubhouse before going in to change. The prices were not as high as I expected, so I seriously debated whether to buy one.

The women's locker room is on the first floor, while the men's locker room is one floor down. Since that is also the direction you head out anyway, the flow did not seem inconvenient.

The locker room was clean too. Staff came around often to clean, wipe up water, and bring slippers quickly, which was comfortable. I was a little flustered because there were no slippers in my locker, but as soon as a staff member saw me, they brought a pair right over. After showering, I turned on the fan to dry my hair, and it dried quickly. Each seat had a partition, so it was easy to get ready quickly and comfortably.

This was my first visit to Iljuk. I was playing with older companions, so I kept my outfit neat in black and white.

I visited in June, and the grass condition was excellent. Everything looked green overall, and the greens were very well maintained. The turf felt soft and springy. So good.

There were only a few sparse spots like this, while the fairway areas were full of grass. Even though it was June, it was still really hot, maybe because we were in the first tee-time session.

This was a sign-play hole. It was my first time experiencing sign play, so I took a photo because it felt interesting. Having the team ahead watch our tee shots felt a little pressuring, and then waiting while watching the team behind tee off also felt strangely fascinating.

We finished the front nine before we knew it, and there was about a 30-minute wait. From the cart, we ordered cold suyuk in advance. The dining area was on the same floor as the women's locker room. If you want to order food, you can ask the caddie from the cart to place the order ahead of time. If you only want a simple drink, you can just go in and order there.

As soon as we went in and sat down, the food came out right away. Suyuk calls for makgeolli, of course. We each had a glass of Sun Valley makgeolli, then cooled down with draft beer too. It put me in such a good mood.

It seems like the draft beer at Sun Valley is all Stella. I had also visited Yeoju Sun Valley before, and when I ordered draft beer there, they served Stella draft beer as well.

After making the most of the drinks, we started the back nine. Maybe because I was getting tired, I did not take many photos later in the round. While going around the course, I saw a pet food bowl and asked the caddie about it. They said it was a hole where cats come by to eat. So cute! I wanted to see the cats too, but even after two visits, I never managed to spot one.

We visited this place after finishing the round that day, and it was so good that I absolutely want to go back. I liked that the dakgalbi seasoning was rich, the portions were generous, and even the makguksu was delicious.

Fried rice at the end was a must. This was a real good-food find, so if I come back to Iljuk Sun Valley, I will definitely visit again.

That wrapped up my first round at Iljuk. Then, about three weeks later, I ended up visiting Iljuk Sun Valley again.

This was the second round. Heavy rain was forecast that day, so we had planned to check the weather the previous morning and cancel if it looked like it would pour. But after rain came down all through the early morning, it stopped around the time we were leaving at 9 a.m., and the sun came out. We decided to just go for it, and I heard that many people had canceled after checking the weather.

The weather was amazing, proper clear skies after rain. I heard the first session that day had greens under water and almost everyone canceled and went home. Luckily, our booking was at 12 o'clock, so we completed the round dry and did not get hit by a single drop of rain. I had even worn shorts because I was worried it might rain.

That day, I broke the flower decoration on my tee while hitting driver. One of my playing partners gifted me a tee with a cute little doll attached. It is adorable, and the doll does not break, so I think I will use only that from now on. Totally my style.

This is the ball marker the caddie gave me. It was a Starbucks ball marker in a bright color, and it was so pretty. They even brought it nicely packaged, so I was really grateful. The caddie I met on my second round suited me better. They made it comfortable to take an extra driver shot as a mulligan. Because the group behind us was not following closely, the caddie actually told me to hit another one. They also read the lines well on the greens, so the round felt comfortable.

The weather really made the second Sun Valley round. Iljuk is close for me, I have good memories of the caddies, and the shower facilities were clean, so I liked it a lot. Once the hot summer ends, I should keep playing hard in autumn too, right? Please let summer end soon!

Iljuk was where I first got down into the 90s. I'll come again next time!