Amateur golfer bashed in shock attack at Oakleigh Public Golf Course

An amateur golfer has been left bloodied and bruised after he was bashed by an angry trio at a golf course in Melbourne’s southeast.

NDIS participant Won Joon Kang, 57, was bashed by three men as he enjoyed a twilight round at Oakleigh Public Golf Course. Picture: Josie Hayden

An amateur golfer has suffered black eyes and other ­injuries after being bashed in a golf-rage ­incident.

Won Joon Kang, 57, says he was set upon by three golfers who were playing in a group ahead of him after he hit his ball up to the green they had just come off.

The threesome were furious with him for playing too close to them, Mr Kang said.

One yelled, “Are you trying to kill me?”

Mr Kang said the terrifying incident began when he was having a solo hit at the Oakleigh Public Golf Course about 7.20pm on January 30.

When he had to take a phone call on the fourth hole, he stopped and let the group of three pass him.

The attack happened at the fifth hole at the Oakleigh Public Golf Course.

Mr Kang says shortly after, on the fifth hole, he landed his ball on the green and the group of men in front of him took exception.

But Mr Kang said he waited for the group to clear the hole and made sure they were out of the way before he took his shot.

However, the men ­accused him of putting them in danger.

“One of the men was shouting,” he said.

“The guy in front of me grabbed my neck and pushed me backwards, so l just tried to defend myself, and to get out of it I punched instantly.

“(But) he just kept punching my face even though I was wearing glasses. Unfortunately, I failed to defend myself because my carry bag was still hanging behind me.

Mr Kang has been left too scared to return to the golf course. Picture: Josie Hayden

“A few minutes later, ­another guy got involved and started punching and pushing me down on the ground so his friend could keep pushing me.

“It lasted more than five minutes.”

The golf club member, who plays every Saturday with friends, says he sustained black eyes, severe chest pain and sore ribs, and his nose was “full of blood”.

“The next morning, I found that my eyes got more and more bruised and some huge black dots came from my eyes which caused my eyes to be blind,” he added.

His wife urged him to report the matter to police and he has since had X-ray scans for his eyes, face and chest.

Mr Kang is an NDIS participant who was forced to stop working as a tour guide in 2020 after he was diagnosed with primary CNS vasculitis, an inflammatory disorder ­affecting blood vessels around the brain.

The keen golfer says he loves the fact Australians love to exercise in public together but now fears for his safety.

“I actually think that is one of the best things about life in Australia,” he said. “But all of sudden my beautiful memories were destroyed by this.

“All of the beautiful days were totally gone with this ­unbelievable incident.”

Oakleigh Golf Course did not respond to an invitation to comment.