Shanghai, China
Shanghai is an intriguing blend of Chinese tradition and Western modernism, from the bullet train serving the large modern airport to the backstreet stores serving traditional Chinese delicacies such as pig snout. It is fast becoming a destination for golf with a number of new courses having been built in the area in recent years to cater for the burgeoning number of local members, visitors and the large ex-pat community who work for the international companies based in the city.
Sheshan is an appropriate blend of the ancient and modern. Built on a small hill 20 minutes west of the city center, the designers shifted 15 million cubic meters of earth to create a dramatic layout filled with elevation changes and valleys. A deep rock quarry comes into play on the 16th and 17th holes. The area is well wooded and holes are isolated from one another by the natural vegetation which includes some 1000 year-old Ginko trees on the 4th hole. Water hazards are used throughout the course; many holes play alongside the natural canal running through the course and around the man-made lakes. The course is home to the WGC-HSBC Champions Tournament. A membership was reportedly sold for more than $200,000 in 2008, the same year in which the course received the title of “Best Golf Course in Asia” from the Asian Golf Association.
Write your own review