Built on an attractive site high in the hills northeast of Seoul, the Crystal Valley golf course should have been one of the most pleasant places for golf in Korea, but is instead a huge disappointment let down by some really amateurish design.

Major problem spots include the overdone downhill par threes and individual holes like the 4^th, a bizarre driving hole that plays up a creek and has a back tee squeezed between the hazard and a dense hill, which limits visibility and forces you to either hit blindly over the hill or slice a ball from creek back to fairway. The 13^th is another poor hole, this time a long par four that bends left around tall trees and large bunkers built on the inside of the dogleg. These hazards force most people way right where further trees block their approach. The 18^th is also a strange hole, a dull drive followed by a pretty simple approach into a green that has all its trouble around the back.

Crystal Valley has a few decent holes, and some good golf land, but the standard of design here is so low that it’s unlikely seasoned golfers will find much to admire here.