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The Clearwater Bay Golf & Country Club is located
at the southernmost part of the Sai Kung peninsula and designed on
top of a remote rock outcrop, which runs on top a cliff that, in turn,
runs along the coastline. The scenery seen from the course is breathtakingly
spectacular. It resembles similarities to courses such as the Pebble
Beach / Cypress Point GCs in California or even the New South Wales
GC in Australia. The 3rd and 18th holes are known to be world-class
excellent holes internationally, and many of the par 3s are also highly
respected. I was very disappointed when I first played at CWBGC because
of the poor course design and the constraint of severe terrain. However,
after the extensive renovation in 2006, the course length was extended
from 6115 to 6571 yards. Although the new design maintained the same
amount of points as the old design (par 70), the Kimigolf course rating
significantly increased from 70.5 into 73.4 and now I can say in confidence
that the course has become more of a challenge. After the renovation,
the first 9 and the back 9 holes were reversed, and the order of play
changed since many of the holes were shifted around. Many holes were
overhauled and new additions of strategically placed bunkers and water
hazards were added. The course became much more harder on the day
of strong sea winds.
Website of playing in 2003
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The opening hole is a long and downhill par 3 and has a spectacular view
of the ocean beyond the green. This extremely tough hole is surrounded with
bushes that run down alongside the right side of the course and then snakes
around the back of the green. In addition, there are two deep bunkers that
guard the left side of the green. Playing from the back pin is more difficult
since the further up the pin is placed from the green, the smaller the target
area becomes. Putting can be quite a challenge as the green slopes from
back to the front. |
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The 2nd hole is par 5 with a dogleg that bend to the right. Players should
watch out for the hazard that stretches out and around the fairway, and
an ocean that engulfs the right side of the hole. The ideal position to
aim off the tee is towards the center left in order to avoid the three fairway
bunkers on the right. The second and third shots are downhill and there
are several greenside bunkers that guard the front and the right side of
the slightly elevated green. |
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| This par 4 is one of the most spectacular holes
in this course. After the renovation in 2006, this has become the most picturesque
hole in all of Clearwater Bay. In order to increase the difficulty of the
original design, a distance of 47 yards was added to extend the length of
the hole. The new design added a dogleg that bends towards the right and
a downhill element off the tee shot. This par 3 is now very challenging
since players will need their ball to carry over a cliff and land on top
of a protruding small peninsula, and avoid the bunkers on both sides of
the narrow fairway, 220 yards off the tee. To make matters more difficult,
the fairway is very tight, and if players slice their ball even a little,
the ball will disappear beyond the rocks and into the ocean or bushes. Players
will need to elaborate a plan of where to land the ball by calculating the
effect of strong costal winds on their ball line. The club selection on
the second shot is crucial as the wind plays a big part to outcome of the
ball’s landing position. Players should be aware of the large bunker and
ocean that surrounds the entire hole. Despite the challenge, this course
is known to be one of the best in the world, and even US Golf Magazine selected
this hole as one of the best 500 holes in the world in its 2000 edition.
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| This long par 4 runs parallel to a ravine of the
South China Sea. To carry the dogleg that bends leftwards, players will
need to hit 280 yards off the tee shot. The ideal approach is to aim for
the mound that is placed at the center of the fairway. From there, a long
and precise second shot is required in order to avoid the ball from falling
off towards the left side or into the right bunker off the deceptively long
green. Players must be careful if there is a back pin position since the
green slope heavily from the center to back. |
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The 11th hole is a beautifully designed par 3 that has a valley and ocean
that covers the entire left side of the hole. Both an accurate club selection,
and reading of the brunt of the sea wind is necessary in order to negotiate
a good score on this long and well-bunkered hole. The green features a deep
false front that guards a front pin position. There is a deep bunker placed
by the already narrow portion of the right side of the green, which awaits
many players misfortune. Since the green is big with undulations, even if
the players can hit the green in regulation, putting may be a disaster and
potentially ruin a good score. |
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| This demanding par 4 consists of a slight dogleg
to the left. There is a bunker on both the left and right sides the fairway,
which requires either a carry of 230 yards (left) or 280 yards (right) to
overcome from the tee shot. The prevailing winds from the left side may
affect the position where the ball lands. This is something to be aware
of as there is a heavy rough and a bunker on the right that come into play
260 yards off the tee. The green is like a semi-island as the entire left
side borders a body of water. Players should aim towards the right center
section of the green in order to play it safe. |
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The 13th hole is a dogleg left par 4 that has a spectacular view of the
ocean and Hong Kong Island, which can be seen on a sunny and clear day.
The tee shot is demanding since the landing area is quite narrow. A tee
shot of 180 yards is required in order to clear a ravine. However, this
is only part of the challenge, as the prevailing winds will push the ball
towards the two bunkers and the small lake that is placed on the right side
of the hole. The green is elevated and consists of multiple undulations. |
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| This spectacular 543-yard hole consists of a sharp
dogleg to the left. The more the players cut off the dogleg, the longer
a carry is needed. Accuracy is an important factor since the landing area
off the downhill tee shot is narrow. If players choose to use a shortcut
and aim too much towards the left side of the fairway, they may find themselves
looking for their ball inside the valley. However, if players decide to
try and play it safe by hitting their ball too much to the right, there
is a high chance that the ball will be lost inside a grove. The landing
area off the second is quite narrow as there is a ravine on its left, and
a large bunker, 60 yards short of the green, on its right, that squeezes
the fairway. The third shot will test the players’ accuracy and club selection
choice due to the fact that the green is severely elevated, and consists
of slopes, with features of a three-tiered section. Putting will become
very difficult if the players’ ball lands far away from the pin, or on a
different tier. |
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It takes a 40 drive minutes from Central, the center of Hong Kong,
to get to Clearwater Bay G&CCb. The clubhouse is very nice and
the golf club offers a spectacular ocean view from the pro shop
and restaurants. Visitors can play in the morning of weekdays.
Peter Thomson & Ross Perrett ‘s designed golf courses in China
are Beijing
Links (北京北辰) GC Beijing Yaoshang (北京窑上) GC, Shanghai Binhai
(上海濱海) GC, Shanghai Golfking (上海银涛) GC, CITIC Shantou (中信汕頭) GC
etc. In Hong Kong they designed Hong
Kong GC – Eden Course.
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1st Par 3 224 yards (2)