In Korea, if you were to ask the most well-known tutor across generations, it would be Imjinhan. He is a former tour pro, has won in Korea and Japan, and has been active in all directions, including YouTube after a long experience in broadcasting lessons.
Im Jin-han, tall and tall, passed the Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour Pro Test (TP 1977-0067) on September 30, 1977, when he was 20 years old. However, his first victory was achieved at the KPGA Championship held at Daegu Country Club (CC) in September 1983, in the sixth year of the tour. He won his first victory with an even par 288, beating Kim Yeong-il and Kim Seung-hak by one stroke. The following year, in the 27th tournament held at Taegwang Golf Course, he beat Choi Yun-soo by one stroke and achieved his second consecutive victory.
After winning two domestic wins, he turned his attention to the Japan Men’s Tour (JGTO), which had improved in all aspects, including the number of tournaments and prize money, compared to Korea. In 1985, 88, and 89, he participated in the Japanese tour intermittently, and the best result was a tie for 48th at the Dunlop Phoenix Open in 1988.
Then, he won the JGTO Singapore Yokohama Tire Classic held in Singapore in 1990, and since 1992 he has been active on the Japanese golf tour in earnest. Yeon Deok-chun and Han Jang-sang won the Japan Open, but he is the first to enter the Japanese tour in earnest. However, in 1992, he participated in 12 competitions, but the best result was a tie for 32nd in the Nikkei Cup.
In 1993, at the time of winning the Ilgan Sports Pocar Open [Photo = KPGA]
5 wins in Korea and championship
in Japan. In May, at the Kantokokusai Open held at the Kantokokusai Country Club in Tochiki Prefecture, he scored his first win after advancing to Japan with 11 under par 133 strokes. The next week, he participated in the Daily Sports Pocar Open held in Korea and added one win in nine years with 8 under par and 280 strokes.
Five months later, in October, at the Challenge Tour Korakuen Cup held at the Kijima Korakuen Country Club in Oita, he had a best year with a 1 under par and 141 strokes in Japan’s second division, but he won his second win, and earned the right to advance to the Japanese first division again. In 1994, he competed in 26 competitions and tied for 9th at KBC Augusta, and the following year, he competed in only 4 competitions.
Im Jin-han said in <KPGA 40 Years History>, “I thought I could play golf better when I had a thick wallet on the Japanese tour.” 30 to 40 people were forming the top ranks, so it was difficult to win the top prize,” he recalled. So at the time, if I didn’t have money, I bought a 50 yen rice ball at a convenience store and ate it, put it in the refrigerator in the evening, and ate it in the morning, ‘I felt like I was passing a block of ice’, he said.
The strength to endure the difficult overseas tour life, which had to be pioneered alone, was because of ‘positive thinking’. “You don’t win with a good swing. Anyone with the skills to become a professional golfer can win. The important thing is to think positively. I have always thought about ‘Why do I play golf?’, ‘What kind of player do I want to become?’
A popular lesson book published as a teacher.
Seeking lessons for elbow injury
It was 1996 when he completely returned to Korea after giving up his life in Japan. Just in March, she won the 1st Nassau Open at Cheongju CC and was qualified to compete. However, since she was already suffering from an elbow, she was preparing for a ‘second life’. Next to the tour pros was the lesson.
He opened a golf academy in 1997 and while working hard to nurture the younger generation, in November 2000, he was invited to participate in the SBS Golf Championship held at Taeyeong CC in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province (today Blue One Yongin) as the final match of the season and won the championship. With this, he finished his career as a player with 5 wins in Korea and 1 win in Japan (3 wins including the 2nd tour) and started as a full-fledged instructor.
In the first year, he opened a golf academy at Gold Golf Course in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, and later moved to Ipo CC. At the time, it was groundbreaking to combine weight training with lessons. Watching Greg Norman, who came as an invited player during his activities in Japan, was doing weight training during a match, he was convinced that ‘the Korean players will need to manage their stamina later’. Then, I put weights in golf lessons with Dr. Cho Seong-gye, who studied exercise physiology. 메이저사이트
At the time, the domestic sentiment was ‘weight training should be avoided for golf players’. It was taken for granted that there was a baseless belief that if there were too many muscles in the upper body, one would not be able to swing. However, after one year of incorporating the weight program into the golf instruction curriculum, everyone began to recognize the importance of physical training.
These days, he is also active as a YouTuber.
Im Jin-
han, an early experience of the JGTO tour, was the teacher of Heo Seok-ho, who later played on the Japan tour, and the teacher of Jung Il-mi and Park In-bi, who played on the US LPGA tour. In 2005, he advanced to the United States and opened Imjinhan Golf Academy USA in Buena Park, south of San Diego.
In addition to his academy activities, he further raised his awareness by giving lessons at a golf broadcasting company. His savory Gyeongsang-do dialect, friendly yet penetrating lesson, gained popularity among viewers. The teaching philosophy is famous for ‘considering lessons’, which make learners comfortable while pinpointing the necessary parts. He was also selected as one of the top 50 teachers in the world by <Golf Digest>. While giving lessons to various notables in the world of culture and sports as well as political and business circles, he built a network with his feet.
Several of his lesson books have also been successful. Following <Basics of Golf Swing> in 2001 and <Imjinhan One Point Clinic> in 2002, he published <Imjinhan’s Turning Point> in 2018. YouTube ‘Imjin Han Class’, which started at the end of June 2020, has grown to the extent of having over 450,000 subscribers. Im Jin-han is living a busy life as a YouTuber while running an Age Shooter Academy.
