Beijing Golf and Farmers

[Shane Sullivan]

Golf is a young sport in China and I thought you might appreciate this story about one of the first courses built in Beijing.  

The government gave some land to a group of farmers who decided that there was more money to be made from building a golf course than growing crops.

So . . . . they got themselves (somehow) a card from a golf course and used the distances to work out a course.  The problem was that the card was in yards and they built the course in metres.  

Now, every Thursday me and the Beijing Ladies Golf group head out to Beijing Country Club and struggle around a course that is over 5,550 metres long from the front tees.  

One of the par threes is over 180 metres and there is a par five that is 516 metres (587metres from the back tees).

Fortunately there are six nines but it always seems that the shorter ones are closed.

It is one of the cheapest courses to play in Beijing and consequently a lot of people start to learn the game there.  I am only thankful that I came to Beijing having played enough to know that reaching a green in regulation need not be a pipe dream.

[PThomas]

welcome Shane

have you been to that resort in CHina that has/will have ? 10 courses at it?

[Shane Sullivan]

Paul,

No, haven't been to Mission Hills.  There are ten courses designed by people like Annika, Jose Maria, VJ, David Ledbetter, Norman etc.  The degree of their involvement is not clear.  

I haven't heard good reports so we tend to go to Spring City which has a good Jack Nicklaus course and an excellent Robert Trent Jones Jr course.

[Paul Payne]

Shane,

That is a funny story. Business in China!

I can't say they are the only ones. Remember back in the late eighties, or early nineties, I think it was a Mariner mission that was a joint venture between NASA and Europe. Anyway, they miscalculated their trajectory big time because they got confused converting from metric to standard.

Oh well, back to slide rules gentlemen.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Just curious if anyone has any idea how many golf courses are being built in China now, and what architects are working there?

What is helping or hurting the golf market in China?

Thanks

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Mike I was hoping to see John at PGA show but will miss him. Jones Jr is doing several there now. I will ask for a under construction and in planning number.