From Tee to Shore

There are nearly sixty courses now complete or under construction on Hainan Island, just an hour’s flight from Hong Kong. Alex Jenkins checks out five of the best to play in China’s answer to Hawaii

The Palmfringed course at Yalong Bay

Yalong Bay Golf Club

Despite being one of Hainan’s oldest courses, Yalong Bay retains its status as one of the island’s most enjoyable. Situated in the up-market tourist resort of the same name, the palm-fringed course is within walking distance of a slew of beach-fronted five-star hotels and features an excellent mix of holes in first-rate condition. No surprise then that the course, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. who incorporated memorable water hazards into his layout, has been chosen to host a number of European and Asian Tour events since opening in 2000.

www.yalongbaygolfclub.com

Clearwater Bay Golf Club

The two courses at Clearwater Bay Golf Club act as centrepieces for a vast upscale residential and hotel resort situated a 45-minute drive from Sanya.

The A Course here has been built on a flat parcel of land and should be the choice for beginners, given its playability. While the white-sand bunkers that frame many of the holes are large, the landing areas are generally very wide and the greens aren’t overly contoured. The B Course, which is hillier in nature, is more strategic of a strategic challenge and, as such, a more enticing proposition for the better player.

www.agile.com.cn

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Written by Alex Jenkins

Click here to see the published article.

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