Having been a reader of Golf Club Atlas for at least three months, I must admit I'm a little hesitant to actually make a post here. This is my first post on the site; thanks to Ran for putting me on as a member this month.
I am a consultant for PGA Magazine in Asia, and doing work on several projects coordinating PGA of America activities here in the Middle Kingdom in cooperation with the China Golf Association. Bottom line: I am not a designer, but I get to see a lot of golf courses as part of my work.
My office is at the Spring City Resort, near Kunming, Yunnan province, which is in southwestern China, and is the second fastest growing market in the world behind Hainan Island. Its high elevation keeps it cool in the summer, but the winters are also very temperate, making it a perfect area to actually play golf. There are at least a dozen projects under construction and probably two dozen more in planning around the province. But are they making golf courses that expand the definition of GCA, push the limits of GCA? So far I am not seeing it at all and it's troublesome (Sorry, par 6s do not count as amazing new design in my book). Certainly there is no "Chinese style" that makes a trip over here a must - although there are a number of excellent, traditional designs.
It seems to me that much of the excitement about GCA for Americans in the past few years has been about minimalism, environmental cooperation/protection and the philosophy of "pure golf". None of these features are playing a prominent role in the current Chinese development. There has been a lot of great progress in recent years from the Chinese on the player side -- many Chinese golfers are now quite golf savvy and even more interested in the PGA Tour, for example, than I am. But at the design level, I am worried that many things are hurting the game we love:
1. Carts everywhere, and cart paths too.
2. High number of pesticides used to give the course very "American" conditions.
3. Houses border many holes.
4. Artificial lakes are numerous, and very artificial.
5. Most clubs have a corporate membership structure, not the private, member guided type of club that most Americans are familiar with.
6. Caddies are mandatory at most courses - players cannot "go off on their own" and many tend to become very dependent on the caddie.
7. Enormous clubhouses.
8. The obsession with having several courses (five or more) at a single location still baffles me.
9. Green staff are very numerous, as are marshals. There's a lot of carts/equipment on the course, sometimes making it quite noisy. A last result: Players are constantly saying 看球 "kan qiu" (Watch out for the ball! / Fore!) before they even hit!
There are probably many more examples for GCA lovers...
I have a feeling many of the people who read this site are working on projects in China and trying to change these "bad habits" but are facing a lot of opposition from the owners who are footing the bill, who always want a "championship course" and other blockbuster additions.
Ladies and gentleman, please tell me I am wrong. GCA in China does have a spectacular future in front of it, doesn't it?