Mission Hills Golf Club has announced its recent recognition as the “World’s Largest Golf Club” by the Guinness World Records for the fifth straight year. Following the yesterday’s post we give a brief description of the remaining Mission Hills Golf Club courses.

Olazabal Course – The 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.

The Designer – 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. But wait, there’s more

Mission Hills Golf Club has announced its recent recognition as the “World’s Largest Golf Club” by the Guinness World Records for the fifth straight year. Following the previous post we continue with a brief description of the courses at the Mission Hills Golf Club.

Duval Course – 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.

The Designer – 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.

Els Course – 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.

The Designer – 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. But wait, there’s more

Mission Hills Golf Club landed on the international golf map in 1994, when Jack Nicklaus designed the club’s signature World Cup Course; set in Southern China’s spectacular Pearl River Delta, this luxury Golf and Spa Resort is just 30 kilometers from the cosmopolitan city of lights Hong Kong. In May 2004 it officially surpassed eight-course Pinehurst for title of “World’s Largest” when its 10th layout opened. In the summer of 2007, an additional two courses – the Pete Dye and Zhang Lian Wei – were completed to bring the club’s grand total to 12.

The game of golf in China is gaining popularity in leaps and bounds, and like anything else, when the Chinese take a liking to something they quickly make it their own, so don’t be surprised to find Chinese professional golfers ranking among the best in World Cup of Golf events in years to come. And don’t be surprised if soon China has as many golfers and golf courses as any country in the world, because Mission Hills Golf Club is just the beginning.

The 12 golf courses at Mission Hills – designed to honor China’s 12-year horoscope – will challenge any golfer. The 216 holes at the Mission Hills Golf Club were rated by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest golf club. By itself, that claim to fame doesn’t mean very much, but a look at the list of designers of various 18 hole sections of the course will tell you that this is an exceptional club by anyone’s standards: Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki, and David Leadbetter, Pete Dye and Zhang Lian Wei.

Mission Hills is not only about golf, however, as its rapidly developed into Asia’s premier sports and lifestyle destination resort. The club’s other outstanding amenities include three world-class spas featuring an array of treatment options; a 317-room, five-star hotel; a wide variety of restaurants offering succulent cuisine from around the globe; golf academies from renowned instructors David Leadbetter and Cindy Reid; 51 tennis courts and a professional tennis academy at Asia’s largest tennis center, pro shops with a comprehensive selection of golf gear and apparel at the world’s largest clubhouse, and more. Playing golf at Mission Hills isn’t cheap – expect to pay at least $250 for a round – but you’ll get your money’s worth. But wait, there’s more