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| This is a hilly course near
Sanya Resort and it boasts a very long 7835 yards par 73 layout. The fairways
are quite generous allowing you to hit balls good and hard, so you won’t feel
much difficulty in spite of the tremendous yardages. In windy conditions the difficulty
level of the course increases. When I played, the course has just openedand in
good shape. The greens are big and fast. You can’t help noticing neat white sand
bunkers across the course. It features the first par-6 hole, the longest tee ground
and the biggest green in China. It also features several desert views in the course. |
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| A
slight dogleg to the right with the green swung further to the right. The tee
shot is sharply downhill. An accurate approach shot is needed as water protects
the green on the front as well as on the right. |
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| A magnificent par3 over a lake. A
tailwind usually blows on this hole, so the actual distance is much shorter. If
you over club, a good shot will find a bunker at the back. |
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| A
long, “s” shaped par 5. A carry of 230-yards is required over a lake. A layout
of pretty bunkers, a natural lake ahead and the l mountain behind makes this hole
very memorable from the tee. However, it is regrettable that the second shot is
totally blind so you don’t know where to hit. The third shot is over a river and
returns to the wonderful layout. |
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| An excellent par 4. It is very
difficult to par because the hole is slightly uphill with a head wind. The elevated
green is beautiful and a big bunker guarding the front of the green comes into
play. |
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| A series of white bunkers come
into sight from the tee. When you hit the second shot, you will like the view
of a sequence of palm trees planted behind the green and a mountain stretching
out backing the distance. |
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| A carry of 220–230 yards is needed to clear
bunkers on the right half of the fairway. The second shot is uphill and a creek
runs in front of the green. The contrast between artificial, pure white bunkers
and a natural mountain lying at the back is unique. |
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| The
first par 6 in China. A slight dogleg to the left. A gentle uphill and most commonly
into a head wind makes this hole more than 900 yards in fact, so to hit the green
in regulation, you need to drive 260 yards followed by hitting 220 yards on average
with a fairway wood 3 times. The layout isn’t great but you can experience the
longest hole at this moment in China. |
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| It
takes 10 minutes from Sanya Beach and 30 minutes from Sanya Airport. I stayed
at Marriott Hotel in Sanya Beach.
The course is very long, 7875 yards, but Jade
Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龍雪山) GC in China has 8548 yards
par 72. The 18th hole is only par 6 in China at this moment, but St. Andrews 2000
in Thailand has 2 very interesting par 6s.
The same company owns Lotus Hill (蓮花山) GC in Guandong
Province. The other JMP Golf Design group designed courses in Asia are
Agile (中山長江)
CC – A Course, Beijing (北京) GC, Peach
Garden Fontaine (佛山南海桃園楓丹) GC, Lakewood
(翠湖) GC in China, Nasu
Chifuriko CC, Glen Oaks CC, Prestige GC, Iwate Numakunai GC in Japan
and Kulim G&CC in Malaysia, Bukit Prelangi (Rainbow Hills) Resort
in Indonesia and Royal Kuan-His (老翁関西) GC in Taiwan.
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A desert view in the course