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The following report is from PerryGolf co-founder Colin Dalgleish’s personal account of his Inspection Tour of China in late March 2007. Staff inspection tours are a long standing policy of PerryGolf for any new golf course, hotel or destination being considered for addition to our portfolio. Such visits serve to confirm that the experience will match our standards and those of our Clients. Click here for further information about this exciting new PerryGolf destination plus details about “China: Beijing to Hong Kong”, an exclusive escorted tour this October which Colin will host.
It is extremely rare to visit a destination which simply exceeds your expectations in every way, but that was the case for us with China. Make no mistake our visit was definitely for business – 11 days, 10 hotels, and 12 flights – but it was clear to all in our party, Cameron Reid, PerryGolf’s Vice President of Sales & Operations, and our Director of Asian Development Terry Lazar, that China offers one of the most memorable golf and travel experiences we have ever encountered. The first golf course in China opened in the mid 1980’s but it is only relatively recently that there has been a boom in golf course construction, a boom that seems set to continue at breakneck speed. The most impressive thing for us was not just the quantity of golf it was the quality of golf plus all that surrounds it.
So that was our trip! To mark our inclusion of China as a new PerryGolf Destination we are planning on running a fully escorted and managed trip which I am planning on personally hosting at a date to be confirmed in October 2007. Click here for details.
Fast Facts:  Driving:
Do not consider driving yourself! There is no English signage, and the
roads are a little chaotic in towns and cities, it is a job for a local
driver.PerryGolf trips come complete with full local backup; A Chinese based tour coordinator, local driver and local guide to collectively take care of all your travel needs. It is an absolute must to allow you to relax and enjoy your vacation!
The cost of accommodation (along with golf and transportation), with the exception of large cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, is below comparable levels in the Western world, so you will receive great value for money.
 Shows:
While in China we went to the “Acrobatic show” in Shanghai
and to the “Minority Show” in Kunming. Each were fabulous
displays of extraordinarily skilled dancing or acrobatics, fast paced
and with dazzling color. We recommend highly that you build one or both
of these evening shows into your itinerary.
Click here for further information about this exciting new PerryGolf destination plus details about “China: Beijing to Hong Kong”, an exclusive escorted tour this October which Colin will host. |
Our
trip began with visits to Shanghai and Beijing on the east coast, two
of the largest and most important cities in the country, the latter
being the Chinese Capital plus host to the 2008 Olympic Games. Naturally
there is a great buzz about the city in the run up to the Games. Golf
courses including the Jack Nicklaus designed Pine Valley, host to major
Tour events, & Huatang International, are outstanding. A visit to
The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, plus of course The Great Wall,
were an absolute must. The Great Wall has such a history that it is
that it is worth competing with the many (mainly Chinese) tourists just
to set foot on it. For the energetic (and that included us) it is possible
to complete a short section in less than half a day. The wall’s
steepness and size of the steps in places was a definite surprise to
us and left us gasping!
Shanghai
boasts a number of courses including the impressive Silport & Binhai
Golf Clubs. The city itself has a population of 23 million, and is a
remarkable and vibrant economy. While there we took a “quick”
journey on the impeccably presented Maglev (magnetic levitation) train
which covers the 20 miles between the airport and business district
in just 7 minutes, reaching a top speed of 270 miles an hour!
It runs every fifteen minutes, with departures on time almost to the
second and an example of Chinese efficiency at its finest. Remarkable
and an experience of itself.
The
area which really took our breath away however was the Yunnan
Province in the southwest of the country, an easy three hour
flight from Beijing. The scenery is beautiful, the golf courses extraordinary
in setting, standard and conditioning, and the on and off course service
outstanding. Leading the pack is Spring City Golf & Lake Resort
with its Mountain Course and Lake Course designed by Jack Nicklaus and
Robert Trent Jones respectively. The Lake Course has been voted #1 Golf
Course in China by US Golf Digest amongst numerous accolades.
While there you must be sure to visit Stone Forest, known since the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D) as the “First Wonder of the World”.
Another must do visit is to visit Brilliant Spa, one of the most spectacular
Spa’s we have ever seen. Located on the shores of Yangzong Hai
Lake, 
A
forty minute flight north takes you to Lijiang, a city
of great history which was put on the world stage in 1996 when an major
earthquake killed 5,000 people and caused massive damage. Just over
10 years later the city has been rebuilt and planning an exciting future.
The six year old Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club, set at 10,500
feet elevation, its 8,548 yards making it the highest and longest course
in the world. As you would expect, the setting is spectacular and again,
the course conditioning superb. The second pearl here is Lijiang
Ancient City International Golf Club which is equally stunning,
and set at a “mere” 8,500 feet. My first 8-iron from 155
yards sailed a comfortable 15 yards over the green! There are several
fine hotels in this Lijiang but we were captivated by the Banyan Tree
Resort with their Garden Villas in an extraordinary setting looking
upwards to Snow Mountain.
Traveling
south to Hainan Island, we switched from sweaters to
swim suits. Located south of mainland China and well below the Tropic
of Cancer, this tropical paradise is approximately 300 miles in length
with a climate and environment resembling Hawaii. It is a favorite holiday
destination by many vacationing Chinese, Asian, Australian and Europeans.
The Island is committed to developing golf tourism of the highest standard
and already there are a number of outstanding courses including 
After
a 50 minutes flight to Hong Kong, our journey continued with a half
day in this astonishing city. It has a distinctly different feel to
any other in China having been under British Rule as a Crown Dependency
until 1997, with what feels like a somehow more “orderly”
pace than is the case on mainland China, although by night it very much
comes alive. There are several courses here well worth playing, including
Discovery Bay and Clearwater Bay, and unquestionably no shortage of
luxury accommodation. 
A
short drive back over the Hong Kong / Chinese border is the hugely impressive
Mission Hills Golf Club which boasts a record (having surpassed Pinehurst)
12 golf courses, each by a different architect of renown and each to
the highest standard. | PERRYGOLF.COM | TEETIMES@PERRYGOLF.COM |