Kau Sai Chau Golf Course
Kau Sai Chau Golf Course or The Jockey Club Public Golf Course Kau Sai Chau is the only true public golf course in Hong Kong but it’s a good one. Kau Sai Chau Golf consists of three 18-hole golf courses, the East Course, designed by Nelson & Haworth measures only 6,640 yards from the back tees, the North Course, designed by Gary Player, and the South Course also designed by Gary Player. Read on for the reviews of each course at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course.
Being the only public golf course in Hong Kong, all three courses at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course can get very busy, in fact, pretty much anytime outside the peak of summer you will need to book a week in advance on their automates tee time reservation system. During the summer, where temperatures are regularly between 30-33 degrees and many locals stay away, although the courses are still busy in most peoples definitions of the word. Outside that time, you will find all three courses fully booked, and we mean “FULLY BOOKED” from 7:30 until the last time every day of the week. Trying to get a tee time on the weekend will require some patience and calling multiple times before you even get through is required.
To play Kau Sai Chau Golf Course, you first need to register (number on their website), with your HKID or Passport, let them know your handicap card and fill in the registratyion form which you can download from their website. Make sure to bring your handicap card and the golfer registration form on your first visit. Once you’re registered you can then just call the course and book using the first six digits of your HKID Card or Passport.
Getting to Kau Sai Chau Golf Course is a bit of a mission, especially coming from Central. If you leave after 8:30, you will need to allow at least one hour to get to Sai Kung where the Ferry leaves from, then it’s another 15 minutes on the ferry followed by a short shuttle bus ride. If we have a time at 7:30, we need to leave Pokfulam at 6a.m. For later tee times you need to leave at least 2 hours before your tee time because Ferry’s go every 20 minutes, starting on the hour. Full details to get to Kau Sai Chau Golf Course are on the courses website.
The driving range to be honest is quite pathetic. They’ve gone to the expense of building three pretty spectacular golf courses and got to the range, and just thought “bugger it, let’s not bother”. There is a range, but the bays are tiny, you hit off mats and the actual range itself is no more than a field. I would describe this a sorry excuse for a driving range. There is an area you an hit off grass but you pay a premium to do so. There’s a big sloping putting green and one other chipping and putting green which sort of make up for the full range, but the practice facilities aren’t that great. Having said this, apparently there is a new golf school facility including hotel in the works. We’ll keep you posted when this opens.
Don’t forget two things when you play any of the courses at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course – Plenty of golf balls (more than double what you normally need) and a camera. Prey for a good day because if it’s not, it can be a miserable day out.
Kau Sai Chau Golf Course East Course
The East Course at Kai Sai Chau Golf Course is not a friendly one at all. It’s demanding, leaves no mragin for error, has no bail-out areas and there’s pretty much no easy holes, and you can even (easily) make a big number on any of the Short Par 4’s at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course East Course. Despite this, it’s worth a visit if only to enjoy the views of Sai Kung and the South China Sea. The first hole pretty much sums it up, a blind tee shot to who knows where sets up your round for plenty more like it to come.
There’s some good holes, the Par 3 3rd, the driveable downhill Par 4 4th are two of our favourite holes, but it finishes with the quite possibly the most ridiculous hole in golf, we can’t even describe it. It’s unfair, almost unplayable and is just a bad golf hole to finish what could be a nice round of golf. The Kau Sai Chau Golf Course East Course is, in our opinion, the best of the three courses at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course. It’s carts only (don’t even ask to walk because it’d take you more than a day to traverse between holes) and pace of play can get very slow (like five and a half hours slow) during peak season (most of the year) so you need patience. You’ll also want to play with someone who’s played the course before if it’s your first time. Add 5-10 shots if you don’t.
Kau Sai Chau Golf Course North Course
The North Course at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course is generally considered the most difficult of the three courses but we feel it’s no more difficult than the East Course. Granted, it definitely has more difficult holes, but overall it’s not that more difficult than the East Course. You still need to keep you ball in the fairway (all of the courses at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course are the “miss the fairway, lose your ball” type), hitting it long is not required but if you like to hit driver like we do, you won’t enjoy any of the courses at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course so much if you want to play for a score.
Kau Sai Chau Golf Course South Course
The South Course is widely considered the easiest, and is the shortest. the views here aren’t as good as on the East but it’s quite a bit (not a lot) more friendlier than either the East or North. A lot of newer players and less skilled players choose the South Course at Kau Sai Chau Golf Course as it’s less demanding. Longer hitters will find themselves being able to reach many of the Par 4’s or end up hitting middle irons of the tee, so a lot of better players don’t like the South so much.
