We take a look at the best golf courses in a country rich with golfing landscapes and vistas.
The Best Golf Courses In China
With its huge population and variable landscapes, China is a country that could explode with golfers and courses in the future.
Indeed it has many excellent golf courses right now with many more set to be built over the coming years.
Let's take a look at some of the best.
Shanqin Bay
As far as fun rounds go, Shanqin Bay delivers on all fronts. It is quirky, difficult and yet wide in other parts, so your game best be on if you’re lucky enough to get a round there. Bill Coore designed the course and it has some truly incredible views.
The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula (East and West)
Tom Weiskopf and Phil Smith designed both the East and West courses at The Dunes at Shenzhou Peninsula. Both courses are situated near the South China Sea and have some excellent bunkering. There are debates over which course is the better design but they are often used as a composite for tournament play.
Lan Hai International (Yangtze Dunes)
A man made links course that sits right next to the Yellow Sea, Jack Nicklaus designed this course before Michael Clayton was brought in to add more links contour to the fairways. The blow-out bunkers and waste areas give a stunning aesthetic as you can see above.
Stone Forest International
The 'C' course at Stone Forest International actually crept inside the Stone Forest Scenic Area which resulted in the course being abandoned. There are two other courses at Stone City, the 'A' and 'B' which are not as visually amazing as the 'C'.
Weihai Point
Weihai Point is a course comparable to something like Nefyn & District in Wales. Its front nine runs out on the peninsula that juts out into the Yellow Sea, and the back nine winds its way back towards the clubhouse in dramatic fashion.
Mission Hills (World Cup)
This course is the star attraction on the Shenzen Mission Hills golf development with lots of water and bunkers.
It was designed by Jack Nicklaus and hosted the World Cup between 2007 and 2009.
Mission Hills (Blackstone)
The finest design on the Hainan Island Mission Hills complex is the Blackstone which was created by the Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley design team that did several others at the club.
The course winds itself through woodlands, around water, and takes advantage of elevation changes to create a dramatic set of holes. It hosted the World Cup of Golf once in 2011 which was won by Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland.
Sheshan International
It is said Donald Ross' Oak Hill was the design inspiration for this course just to the west of Shanghai.
It has a distinctly modern design and hosts the WGC-HSBC Champions every year which Rory McIlroy won in 2019 in a playoff against Xander Schauffele.
Notable Mentions: Tiger Beach, Spring City (Lake and Mountain), Lion Lake, Shanghai Links, Jian Lake Blue Bay, Reignwood Pine Valley, Genzon, Chung Shan Hot Springs, Mission Hills Resort, Meadow Lake.
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