A Story of Golf in Hong Kong
Yogi Berra’s quip, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” would have fit nicely into the context of what was stretched out before me. With a wide inlet from the South China Sea looming large to my left and a breeze blowing from the ocean across the cavernous gully in front of me, the task at hand is not one for a golfer who second guesses club selection. It’s one of those holes you may see on a poster promoting a course that offers challenge and scenery and teases you to take a chance and come visit Golf in Hong Kong.
The tee box is elevated and more like a lush platform dangling on the edge of a long way down. The green, also elevated, is a small plateau that seems to get smaller the more I focus on the flag flapping in the wind. In between launch and landing there is nothing in that huge crack in the earth but gnarly bushes, thick undergrowth and most likely a venomous snake or two. Just short of the green and to the right, and with a bit of imagination, there is a small bail-out area.
After my first ball, Yogi’s quip rang true. I was short and my Titleist became snake food. The second shot, and one more club, got me over.
Such was my day of adventure on the North Course at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Kau Sai Chau (www.kscgolf.com) public golf course. There are actually two 18-hole courses here, plus a driving range and other practice facilities at this golf centre that is accessed by ferry boat.
Located on the northern end of Kau Sai Chau Island, this was without question the most difficult, the most challenging and most enjoyable public course I have played since I took up this game over 30 years ago.
Although the slope rating from the blues according to the score card was 126, this 6,818-yard course, the only public course in Hong Kong, plays a lot tougher. In fact, the course suggests only players with a handicap of 18 or less play here. Built on some very hilly terrain with walking paths (no carts allowed because of steep grades) that could have been named goat paths for their steepness, Kau Sai Chau is filled with one interesting feature after another. There are forced carries, tight fairways, elevated tees, lots of bunkers, interesting holes that required position play, hard and fast greens, great views of the ocean and the Sai Kung hills on the mainland, and excellent clubhouse facilities. Gary Player, who designed both courses at this complex, did himself proud. There was one other feature you would not likely find on most golf course – graves. People who had owned land on the island were allowed to be buried anywhere on their property. In one instance we played around a singe grave site. If you landed within its boundaries, you got a free lift!
Kau Sai Chau was first the 18-hole round on a nine-day swing through the exciting city of Hong Kong and southern China, testing a few of the country’s 300 plus golf courses and being treated to plenty of incredible food.
One particular eating establishment in Hong Kong called BO Innovation, had a Canadian connection. It was owned and operated by Alvin Leung Jr., known as the Demon Chef. Leung’s parents immigrated to Canada when he was young and he grew up in the Scarborough area. Now back in Honk Kong his innovative dishes have drawn rave reviews from the food critics.
And although golf has become a popular addition to the Mainland’s tourism package, the game has been in China for a long time with the oldest course being the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club started in 1889.
Although the public course was our first full 18, it wasn’t our first game. The day before we had shaken off the stiffness of a long flight on Cathay Pacific from Toronto, with a game at the executive nine hole course, Nine Eagles, (www.nine-eagles.com) located at Hong Kong International Airport.
No one can say the Chinese don’t have imagination. The course, complete with island green, is basically for air travelers who have four or five hours to kill before their flight. They can grab a quick, few minute shuttle to the course, rent everything they need, including shoes, play nine, freshen up and head back to the airport. If you don’t want to play there are practice facilities and pros ready to give lessons.
After Hong Kong and Kau Sai Chau, we were treated to two excellent courses on Hainan Island, a tropical destination in the South China Sea often referred to as the Hawaii of China. Yalong Bay Golf Club, (www.yalongbaygolfclub.com) a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design, and Sun Valley Golf Club, (www.sunvalleysanya.com) are both held to high standards for condition and design. Sun Valley was a particularly strong challenge with its forced carries and heavy bunkering. The three-storey clubhouse, with marble floors, was opulent
Colin Montgomery’s design at Golden Gulf Golf Club (27 holes with attached hotel accommodation) (www.goldengulfgolf.com) at Zhuhai, although described as a Scottish style course, had more of a Florida flavour – flat and lots of water.
Our final round, and a much too quick a stay at Mission Hills (www.missionhillsgroup.com) near Shenzhan and the site of the 2007 World Cup, was on the Ernie Els course, one of 12 signature courses at this massive resort/golf complex.
Els put his imagination to work with an excellent routing through some hilly, heavily forested terrain. The course was a gem. It was a fitting end to some great golf and I can’t wait to get back to Mission Hills to play the other 11.