Hong Kong Golf in the 1960s - Part One

44 years ago, British writer George Houghton travelled across Asia and played on 50 courses around the region, including the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club. This extract, which focuses exclusively on Fanling, is taken from chapter six of Houghton's resulting book, Golf Addict Goes East (Country Life, 1967).

The first hole on the ‘Old’ course is marred by a road which was built right across the fairway by a non-golfing soldier for use during the Korean war. Henry Heath told how Chief Justice Clunie once hit a ‘bus with his tee shot and the driver trotted across and returned the ball with a bow!
Behind the second green there is an ancient Chinese burial ground. Parties come for picnics on memorial days.
Many of the fairways at Fanling are lined with forests and I had seen little groups of women crossing in single file and vanishing among the trees. They wore large straw hats heavily fringed with black and this is the characteristic dress of the Hakas, a nomadic ‘guest’ people who don’t stay anywhere for long although they moved rather quickly when Nicholl shouted ‘Fore!’
The scenery in the outward nine is particularly attractive. Houses with green-tiled roofs are tucked among the banyan and eucalyptus trees and sometimes you are even reminded of holes at Wentworth, an illusion which quickly vanishes when you are near enough to a house to hear the Chinese radio music.
By the 9th green there is a lovely English flower garden with geraniums, hollyhocks and marigolds. This was planted and cared for by Mr Frank Hunter, who, at the time of writing, is the Secretary at the Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Club, at St Anne’s in Lancashire.
The 10th hole at Fanling is called ‘Tommy Tucker’ for an amusing reason. From the tee, the green is hidden behind a steep hill that rises almost perpendicular and must be carried if the player is to get his par four. The caddies climb the hill to see if the land is clear for the drives. If you know Chinese you shout to your fore-caddie ‘Tak m tak ah? meaning ‘Can I go?’ Try it, and you will see why the hole has been named ‘Tommy Tucker’.

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