Ni Hao,
Planet Golf has posted a comprehensive review of Coore & Crenshaw's first contribution in China, the course at Shanqin Bay.
http://www.planetgolf.com.au/index.php?id=1541Visiting Shanqin Bay two weeks ago on a blustery day I was lucky enough to see a truly exhilarating golf course. Here, the spectacular views are for once backed up by challenging, broad and strategic golf.
The site is quite extreme and supposedly both Gary Player's firm and one other firm (I forget which one) said that nothing could be done here. How Bill Coore proved them wrong...
Perhaps the remote nature of the golf course put off western firms - getting to the first tee was an adventure in itself! Let me elaborate.. The high speed train stops near the village of Bo'ao about a twenty minute drive from the course. At the train station there is not a taxi in sight. Taking a tuk tuk is ill advised unless you want to 1) get lost, 2) pay far too much and 3) arrive in well over an hour.
Finally in a taxi with directions translated through the cellphone, the drive is "This is China" on steroids. Road rules are thrown entirely out the window as cars, trucks, bikes, humans and people all share one lane of the road littered with rubbish. On the other lane the farmers were harvesting their crops - the lifeblood of this poor local economy. Our driver was in a particular hurry barely slowing below 70kph despite the obstacles in his way. Fortunately he gave no respite with the horn and so people knew we were coming through... Somehow we arrived at base camp Shanqin Bay in one piece. [Some of the C&C guys went through the local driving tests so they could drive themselves and not put up with 'that' each day...]
Base camp is about 2km from the clubhouse and where the C&C offices were based for almost two years. You wouldn't call it plush. What was cool was sitting in the little shack next door that is owned by locals and sells supplies. Since construction started the crew have been drinking there after work - beers for the equivalent of about 60 cents. The super, Chris, told me that since they started work the shack has two new TV screens and two new freezers and is now doing a roaring trade.
Driving golf carts out to the course, we were fortunate enough to spend a good few hours walking the course and even hitting a few running two irons. Personally, it is an entirely new phenomenon to see the ball rolling along the ground in China. In fact, a golfer with more skill than I could probably play the entire course (except one uphill par three) with a two iron. That's cool.
There are features at Shanqin Bay that get me really excited but, for China, will be defined as very quirky. For example, until now, no client has been convinced to allow blind shots like the Alps hole that features on this course (I don't think many architects put up too much of a fight for fear of losing the job.....). A fuller review of the golf holes is in the Planet Golf Article and I apologise for not being able to load photographs onto GCA.
I will, however, mention the 17th hole which really blew me away. It's a short par four played right along the ocean and one of the few holes built on natural sand. Yet the architects resisted temptation to bunker it at all. Instead, there is a hugely wide fairway with a ledge running lengthways down the hole, parallel with the ocean. The green is very narrow and the best line of attack is from smack bang in the middle of the fairway, directly on the left (high side) of the ledge. From anywhere else the golfer will be shooting on an angle across the narrow green which is very difficult a la the 4th at Woodlands. Around the green is natural sandy wasteland and, a likely bogey.
It will be interesting to see the reaction to this course when it opens. Unfortunately the business model is to attract a very high end membership and so this amazing course is unlikely to get extensive play.