The less glamorous side of Korean golfers' success

Jang Ha-na does not remember much from her days as a junior golfer, but one particular training routine remains etched in her memory.

Whenever there was a traffic jam on the highway, her parents would find a rest stop and she would work out on a skipping rope for an hour or two while waiting for the congestion to ease.

For South Korea's aspiring golfers, the hard work starts from a young age. Jang, who has five LPGA titles and 15 Korea LPGA (KLPGA) wins, noted how her training regimen has not changed much from her early days.

Wake up at 7am, start playing golf at 9am, before ending her day at 9 or 10pm.

"It's all day... that's why I didn't enjoy it," said the 31-year-old on

the sidelines of the Hana Financial Group Singapore Women's Open in Singapore from March 7 to 10.

"But I think that's why the best golfers are from Korea." Such is South Korea's dominance in women's golf that it has produced five world No. 1s, more than any other country. The United States is second on the list, with four golfers who have ascended to the top of the world rankings.

Nineteen have won Majors since Pak Se-ri became the first from the country to do so at the 1998 US Women's Open that number is matched only by the US in the same period.