Kai Sai Chau - Hong Kong

[Matt Day]

I had the pleasure last week of playing the east course at Kai Sai Chau in Hong Kong. Its the only public course in Hong Kong with two Gary Player courses and a Nelson Haworth track that opened around 5 years ago. It also has a 60 bay range, full retail, F & B and teaching set ups.

From Kowloon its about a 30 minute drive ($30 cab), a free 15 minute ferry and a short bus trip up to the clubhouse. The island is purely for golf.  The Hong Kong Jockey club is involved in the course, but its run as a non profit set up so additional funds are used for the golf course or donated to charities. It was reported that the cost of the east course ($40 million) was one days taking for Jockey club

The land the east course is on amazing, but in areas restricts the design due to environmental limitations. Personnally it was one of the most fun days I've had on the golf course, the score was irrelevant.

The ferry to the island



View from the clubhouse across one of the player courses



1st Tee - 500 yards (white) Par 5

[Matt Day]

2nd Hole - 352 yards.
no more than 3 wood needed, leaving an elevated 2nd shot to a green where short is the only miss

[Tom_Doak]

Matt:

Which course are you depicting in your photos -- one of the Gary Player courses, or the Nelson / Haworth course?

It doesn't look like it's for beginners!

[Micah Woods]

The East Course is the Nelson/Haworth course. I played it last year and I think I lost only two balls. It reminded me of the Lake Course (RTJ II) at Spring City which has stunning views and looks quite difficult but isn't too difficult to score on.

[Ronald Montesano]

So it's the East Course?  Figures...I didn't expect land management like that from Gary Player.Golf Architecture.

[Matt Day]

Tom
It is the east course as Micah said. At KSC you can't play on the golf course unless you have a handicap, and they put you on the tee that suits your game. Our group was a couple of 12 handicappers and a six, and the whites tees were plenty. There were a couple of holes that we could have had a crack from the blues just to mix it up a bit

3rd Hole -  157 yards (whites)



4th Hole - 304 yards (whites)

this is the tee shot from the blues, we played around to the left which shortens the hole to 304. I hit 2 iron pin high from the tee with about 60 yards of role, downhill and downwind





view from pin high



back up from the green, the blue tee is on the left hand hill

[Matt Day]

5th - 125 yards whites
unfortunately on this hole i didnt get a chance to take a photo from the blue tees, 211 yards with around a 190 yard carry. The tee shot was from one of the very front tees







on a number of holes they have had to work the course around grave sites. We saw this at Hong Kong Golf Club as well



6th - 507 (whites)
The photo of the tee shot didnt come out, buts its uphill with more room right than appears from the tee
As with a number of holes the fairway ends for the tee shot just over the crest of the hill, from first impressions continuing the fairway cut could add some more interest.

[Matt Day]

7th Hole - 329 Yards (whites)
the tee shot is a safe iron or take on the green over the right hand mound. Again the fairway ends just over the crest of the hill.







8th Hole - 199 yards (whites)
pretty daunting tee shot from the whites, terrifying from the blues

[Greg Chambers]

The cart paths look like the socal freeway system.

[Matt Day]

The cart paths look like the socal freeway system.

Greg
there is 14 kilometres of cart path on the course, its nigh on impossible to walk due to the terrain.

[Greg Chambers]

Then I would have to say that it's not land fit for golf.

[Matt Day]

Then I would have to say that it's not land fit for golf.

possibly so, but this is Hong kong where the price of land is some of the most valuable per square metre anywhere in the world. As the only public course which had the demand for another 18 holes, they built it where they could. The other 36 holes has walking available to customers

[Matt Day]

9th - 405 yards par 4
left is dead on the tee shot but there is a lot more room right than expected.



The second shot is faced with short being no good, but plenty of room behind the green





10th - 466 yards par 5

This was one of the holes that left me confused. The drive is all in front of you, like the previous hole left is dead and right is plenty of room. The layup was where it didn't fit, after a decent drive it was either lay up to around the 160 yard mark with a wedge or carry it  over water 200 yards to a narrow lay up area

[B. Mogg]

10th - 466 yards par 5

This was one of the holes that left me confused. The drive is all in front of you, like the previous hole left is dead and right is plenty of room. The layup was where it didn't fit, after a decent drive it was either lay up to around the 160 yard mark with a wedge or carry it  over water 200 yards to a narrow lay up area


Matt, the problem with hole 10 was that the stream which runs across the hole in front of the green was originally supposed to be filled - then during construction they found a rare freshwater prawn (afterwards this prawn was found not to be so rare) so the stream had to stay c/w with 20m setbacks mandated by the Environmental department. The routing was set at this time, construction was underway - so a bastard child was born. Happens.

[Matt Day]

Brett
We were told about the prawn now that you have reminded me 

[Matt Day]

11 - 370 yards par 4 (whites)
I really liked this hole and the green was one of the better ones on the course. Again I think that mowing the fairway all the way down the hill would make the option of having a go at the green more attractive

[Matt Day]

12th - 259 yards
tight short par 4, more room right again than it appears. Two of us had a go at the green, ending in the front bunker and the hazrad left of the green. The green had a small back tier, a pin up their would be fun.








13th - 137 yards
again a big difference between the blue tees at 209 and whites at 137. The green sits across you, leaving a 80 plus foot putt for those who take the safe line.

[Matt Day]

14th hole  - 347 yards
this is their "signature" hole, the fairway sits at an angle from the tee, the safe line away from the jungle left then brings the tright hand side green bunker into play







15th hole - 130 yards
An elevated tee shot with a decent bail out area right.

[Ronald Montesano]

Like Cape Kidnapper's and Kauri Cliffs, I would delight in playing this course again and again...just pick the proper tees!

[Matt Day]

16th - 496 yards
the drive is semi blind, the safe line is at the aiming pole or even right of that. The lay up is tricky and the green is elevated and well protected. This is one of those holes that played the second time would be a lot easier.

[Matt Day]

17th - 411 yards
one of the widest driving holes on the course, left is the safer line of the tee but means that theleft hand bunkers at the elevated green are in play.







18th - 533 yards
A hole that looks like it would be one of those wacky golf calendars, the tee shot is over a canyon to a fairway that almost sits at right angles to the tee. Plenty of room left, but that leaves a very hard second. the brave line is just right of the fairway bunkers. From the whites its no more than three wood as the fairway ends over the crest.

I thought this was a cool hole to play, but I can see a lot of people hating it.



view from the end of the fairway looking at the second shot





This was the view from the first tee, the fairway is the little sliver of land left of the carts at the top of the hill.



As a totally public golf facility I thought the east course was great fun with amazing scenery and excellent course conditions. The course has just come out of their winter, so from what we were told conditions improve even more. I can highly recommend anyone that is in Hong Kong spending a day or two playing Kai Sai Chau

[Mark Saltzman]

Matt,

Thanks for posting, the course looks amazing.  My heart rate went up just looking at that 18th tee shot.  All I could picture was blocking one down that canyon on the right.

[Matt Day]

Matt,

Thanks for posting, the course looks amazing.  My heart rate went up just looking at that 18th tee shot.  All I could picture was blocking one down that canyon on the right.

Mark
from the whites its about 195 to carry it, my 3 wood which had perfomed admirably for 8 rounds let me down and I cold topped two straight into the canyon 

Out of a trip that included five courses at Mission Hills, Clearwater Bay and Hong Kong GC, this was one of the highlights and a big surprise in regards to what was on offer.

[Ron Farris]

Thanks for sharing all of these pictures.  It gives insight into the difficulties of building in mountain terrain.
I look forward to playing there soon.