City lights shimmer in the distance.
Shadows splay in every direction on glowing green grass.
It’s close to midnight, the moon hangs high in the dark night sky, and South Koreans are still outside, golfing.
This is “white night” golf, a nocturnal sports phenomenon in South Korea that reflects the still surging popularity of the sport there, the persistent challenges many encounter in nabbing a tee time in the country’s dense cities, and the lengths some will nevertheless go to get one.
For golf fans worldwide, the game’s grip on the country is most easily observed in its surplus of elite professional players, particularly in the women’s game.