Promoting US-Korea Friendship Through Golf: OGA Golf at Osan Air Base

The first steps towards Osan’s 2024 Golf League began. The Osan Air Base Golf Association (OGA), a club formed by Korean and American employees at Osan Air Base, held its first league tournament on March 26th. The tournament was a huge success, with 103 participants including both members and guests.

The league will track tournament records every month for a year to determine the final league champion, taking cues from the professional PGA and LPGA competitive format in which individual tournaments are held over the course of four days each.

While this scoring format is uncommon at amateur clubs, another unique aspect of the OGA Golf League is its use of the “New Period Method,” scoring handicaps in a manner similar to the Callaway Method, allowing for anyone to have the chance to become a champion.

OGA founder, President Mr. Pak Kye-Hwan, enacted these regulations and applied this new format upon taking the helm as the first president for the organization. President Pak initially joined the U.S. Forces Korea, Pacific Stars & Stripes (PS&S) at Yongsan in August 1980. He moved into a position with the Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) in 1984, ultimately retiring from the position in February 2022. President Pak takes on this new responsibility at Osan Air Base at the invitation of CEO Charles Chong, a US Invited contractor at the base responsible for the production of the 7th Air Force newspaper, the

Crimson Sky.

President Pak’s first focus in the first three months since the OGA’s founding has been full membership for both Americans and Koreans working at Camp Humphreys and at Osan Air Base, garnering 50 Korean and 17 American members. “We will have about 100 full-time

members within the year,” President Pak said. “We will develop into the best Korea-U.S. golf club both in name and in reality. We will promote individual hobbies and physical strength through golf, promote friendship among members, and form a healthy golf club. This small club will also serve as a cornerstone for the promotion of friendship between the two countries.”

At the outset of 2024, eight representatives from local promoters gathered to develop an advertising campaign to recruit new members for the OGA, emphasizing the league’s principles of openness and fairness, welcoming different playstyles, solo players,

and even beginners to participate. With this philosophy, even members at lower skill levels have a chance to win if they further hone their skills throughout the year, to allow for more overall enjoyment by members.

In the OGA’s inaugural monthly competition, Korean-American member Ms. Choi Mijong won

first prize with a score of 1 over 72 (Par 71), taking the initial lead in the yearlong competition. The member who maintains the best performance throughout the year will be crowned at year’s end with a trophy and prize money collected from monthly club membership fees.

Ms. Yim Chung-Hui, a member of the Board of Directors, remarked that “A really brilliant golf club was born, and everyone was curious about it; they are very happy to participate.” Mr. Ben Sales, the OGA Vice President representing American members, added that “It has been 15 years since I retired from working as a U.S. soldier in Korea and settled in

Korea. I am satisfied with spending time with Koreans through golf, and I will participate more. I think the development of OGA contributes to the development of both Korea and the U.S.”

The OGA will continue its recruitment efforts to gain new members for the next two months

and further expand.

To inquire about applying for membership, President Pak can be contacted at 010-5329-4285 or pakkh55@naver.com. Membership qualification is open not only to Americans but to anyone who has access to Osan Air Base and USAG Humphreys.