Mission Hills, China Golf Courses

David Leadbetter is widely recognized as the "Godfather" of the world golf community. He opens the first David Leadbetter Golf Academy in China at Mission Hills. Awarded as the World’s best coach in 2003 again, his student list include several of the top 100 golf players in the world.

Leadbetter Course (David Leadbetter), a true test of golfing skills, for to play it will demand every single club in the bag. David Leadbetter decided to design his first golf course in the world right here at Mission Hills. The course reflects David Leadbetter's teaching concepts. In order to play his course well, golfers will need to use every single club in their bags - a true test of skill.

The Leadbetter Course requires precise approach shots to large undulating greens in order to play to a par. Meticulously manicured landscapes and ground covers create an aesthetic quality that golfers are sure to remember. Large, traditional, sand flashed bunkers frame the well-contoured fairways throughout the course. Tees are strategically located on each hole to assure the golfing experience will be both enjoyable, yet challenging for golfers of all levels.

David Duval is an American player full of character. He won the British Opens in 2001 and is the first player who has beaten Tiger Woods to become the World's No.1 player, even before Vijay Singh.

Duval Course (David Duval), a complex topographical layout that provide holes embracing a full range of golfing challenges The David Duval Golf Course at Mission Hills features numerous water hazards, deep groundcover and a mixture of long, short and multi-angled dogleg holes, providing a unique challenge for any golfer.

The course is designed in such a way that half of the course is situated on an uphill and the other half on a downhill slope. The first half of this course works its way up to a secluded natural valley in the northeastern part of the site, and the finishing holes work back down to the spacious, clubhouse setting. A stream meanders throughout many of the golf holes, forcing players to accurately place their golf shots to avoid this natural water hazard. Deep green groundcovers and large leafy trees mirror the natural setting of a tropical lush environment, resulting in a memorable golfing experience for players of all levels.

Jumbo Ozaki is the first Japanese player to bring Japanese golf to the international stage. In his home country, he is called "Superman" by those who appreciate his 113 championships that made Japanese golfing history.

Ozaki Course (Jumbo Ozaki), takes advantage of dramatic terrain to form 'corridor holes' that test all golfing skills. The Ozaki Course takes advantage of dramatic terrain by playing largely through single corridor valleys offering elevated tees and fairways surrounded by native slopes. Like the Faldo Course, the intent was to leave as much native vegetation as possible to create a mature look when the course opened. Large areas of turf and wide fairways, punctuated by strategic bunkering, contrast with tall slopes of native plants and trees. Dramatic long views into valley corridors, often including serene lakes, give the golfer a feeling of being surrounded by nature.

The Course begins with a long par-four and soon begins to offer varieties of dramatic holes carved through vegetated hillside. The course ends with the tee shot on 18 lined up at the impressive hotel/clubhouse framed between two mountain peaks. The Par 5 ends at a double green (shared with #9) set above a lake and in front of a backdrop of a towering exposed rock face carved out of the hillside. A dramatic finish to a dramatic course!

Annika Sorenstam is widely acclaimed as the best female player in the history of golf. Some consider her achievements surpassing those of her male counterpart, Tiger Woods. She holds the record for a bogey-free, 13 birdie round for a total score of 59, and won all the major tournaments around the world. In 2003, she became the first female player to compete against male players in PGA tournaments.

Annika Course (Annika Sorenstam), showcases golfing precision with elevated panoramic views. Annika's first designer course in the world is located at Mission Hills. Her course showcases Annika's best asset: precision. Playing on Annika's course requires extreme accuracy on the golfer's part. The course has spectacular views of the natural terrain and mountains which rise more than 100 meters above the golf course. The dramatic elevations throughout this course provide numerous panoramic tee shots perched high above spacious fairways that meander through the valleys. Well-manicured landscaping dominates the perimeters of both tee and green, creating an aesthetically appealing "botanical " type atmosphere. The 465-yard 18th hole, located next to a large natural lake, provides a classic signature-finishing hole.

The "Great White Shark" from Australia, Greg Norman was the world's top player for a decade, winning close to 90 international tournaments during the 80s and 90s. Now in the business world, he is equally invincible with his strong entrepreneurship.

The 7,214-yard Norman Course reflects the perfect combination of golf course style and nature. The front 9 holes meander through mountain ridges and the hillside, while the back 9 holes are set in a valley. The narrow fairways, surrounded by long grass and dense forest vegetation contribute to the course's difficulty index of over 150, which is one of the highest in Asia. Accurate golfing strategy is key to conquering this 'Tournament Course".

Vijay Singh won the US Masters in 2000 and spoiled Tiger Woods' dream of full dominance in that year. And in 2004, Vijay finally surpassed Tiger Woods to become ranked as the number 1 golf player in the world.

Vijay Course (Vijay Singh), a unique course presenting players a visual image.

Vijay Singh introduces a 150-yard beach bunker - a visually striking feature in which great stretches of sand run along, and right down, into the water. Moreover, he skillfully incorporates the Pebble Beach 18th hole design into the course, which makes the course the most spectacular in Asia.

The Vijay Course is a unique, dramatic course and offers players visual images that China has never seen.

Jose Maria Olazabal's professional career is full of color. After winning the U.S. Masters in 1994, he had to stay in a wheelchair because of surgeries. In these two years, he spent a lot of time and energy on researching course design. His strong will and perseverance finally brought him back and he won the Celebrity Tournament the second time. He is considered one of the best sand players in the history of golf.

he venue of the 2007 and 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, the 7,400-yard Olazabal Course is the longest at Mission Hills.
Jose Maria Olazabal's course at Mission Hills is his first in China. The design philosophy behind this course is to create a beautiful, unique, harmonious and playable course for all golfers. Olazabal's reputation as one of the game's best sand savers is reflected on his course at Mission Hills.
Numerous majestic vistas of untouched jungle and natural flowing streams create outstanding backdrops throughout the golf course. The signature square tees, along with undulating concave paspalum fairways, are two distinguishing features of this true championship course. Sand bunkers contain numerous contoured fingers, thick grassy vertical lips and deep 'bowled' bottoms, which are sure to attract the attention of golfers as each shot is played. Golfers will often be faced with an option on how to play each hole - take the safe and conservative route, or the risk/reward route that may result in anything from an eagle to a double bogey.

Named as "the European's hero" by the European golf community, Nick Faldo is the British professional player who helped the European team to win most Ryder Cups in the world golf history. His legendary achievements of the past decade have earned him a statue in Madame Tussauds in London.

Faldo Course (Nick Faldo), Asia's premier tournament venue. Opened in early 1999 to great critical acclaim from the international media, the Faldo Course is destined to become Asia's premier tournament venue. One of the world's toughest island greens is the 16th hole, the ultimate in target golf. Nick Faldo has used his outstanding shot-making skills to design an extremely challenging course for major professional championships. Every hole is highly strategic yet eminently playable.

Well-regarded as the greatest player of the 20th century, Jack Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour championships, including 6 Masters, 4 U.S. Opens, 3 British Opens, etc. He is also a renowned golf course designer, with many of his courses received top rankings in America and around the world.

World Cup Course (Jack Nicklaus), the most extreme golfing challenge in Asia. Venue of the 41st World Cup of Golf in 1995, this masterpiece by legendary golf champion Jack Nicklaus is revered throughout the world as the most magnificent golfing challenge in Asia. "It is a really great course," claimed Jesper Parnevik, who made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole during the World Cup. This famous course was the first in China to be accredited by the US PGA Tour for major professional competitions. Many top players like Tiger Woods, Greg Norman have found this a great course to play. The signature 16th hole is renowned as a classic in course architecture the most extreme golfing challenge in Asia

Credited by many as the man who has done a lot to place China on the international golfing map, Zhang Lianwei has been the undisputed number one player in China for decades. Among his memorable feats were winning the 2003 Singapore Masters and being invited as the first Chinese player to compete in the U.S. Masters.

If you are looking for something different, then the Zhang Lianwei Course is for you. An 18-hole par-three courses that measures 2,393 yards, it’s the first of its kind in China and is certain to prove popular with players of all abilities. The layout incorporates different design concepts from the history of golf, with a wide range of green styles and water hazards creating a departure from the norm.

Coming from South Africa, Ernie Els is a professional golf player full of energy and passion for winning. His intrinsic drive to excel earns him the nickname, "the Model Student". He impressed the world by winning the U.S. Opens in 1994, while in 2001, his team beat many top players to win the World Cup championship.

Els Course (Ernie Els), with a core layout as opposed to corridors. As the 5th signature course of Mission Hills, the theme of the Els Course is to create a lush look of dense trees, wide swaths of manicured turf to evoke a unique flavour of his South Africa homeland. Measuring over 7,000 yards, it follows a unique core layout, as opposed to corridors. Invigorating is the 4th tee, sitting atop the highest point of the course, with commanding panoramic views of Mission Hills and the outlying properties.

American Pete Dye is widely regarded as one of the most influential golf course architects of all time. He has no fewer than 10 of his courses ranked in the list of America’s Top 100. Furthermore, his courses have hosted more US PGA Tour events than any other designers.

Officially opened on August 1, 2007, Pete Dye course is the first design of this renowned golf course architect in China. The style of Pete Dye’s course is instantly recognizable and many of the trademark design philosophies and visuals associated with his past works have been expertly blended into his Mission Hills Course. Among the main challenges are railroad ties, large sandy waste bunkers, small and devilish pot-bunkers, wild and undulating greens and deep/steep bunkering. A golf-only property, this exquisite Dye design is destined to become one of China’s most admired courses.